Russian Modern Educational System and Its Trends

The article studies the educational system as a two-facet unit. Firstly, as the process of production and transmission of systematized knowledge and skills through studying in specialized institutions. Secondly, as a social institution with the functions of adapting to social and cultural atmosphere, preparing and including young generations into different spheres of social life.

The authors examine the specifics of the educational system in modern Russia, define the tasks, solved under the pre-school, school, and professional education.

The article analyzes the dynamics in the population educational level according to the census data. The authors single out the main criteria of pre-school, general, and professional education in Russia from 1990s up to 2011.  They define the basic trends in the development of the Russian educational system under global and national social processes, determined by system transformations (such as changes in volume and structure of the demand for education due to the changes in demographic situation; general growth in interest to education; using by the young of the life strategies that actualizes the necessity for supplementary educational services) and by institutional changes (such as introduction of competence approach, diffusion of integrated institutions of continuous education providing three-way integration “education – science – business”, positioning their peculiarities and competitive advantages in the market of educational services.

They especially examine the changes in the legal regulation of the educational system as the most discussable question of the educational system.