The programs of the Faculty of Management in Education have been updated in response to the students` requests: the “Educational systems management based on data” program has a track on secondary vocational education and the “Management of programs of preschool education and early childhood development” program has created new conditions for immersion in the topic of development of children from 0 to 3 years old. The dean of the faculty, Elena Fedorenko, tells what awaits new students this academic year.
What has changed in the "Management of preschool education and early childhood development programs” program:
Historically, modern preschool education responds with changes to acute social challenges. A decrease in the birth rate, changes in the professional trajectories of working women mothers and an increase in the period of their employment, a growing number of single-parent families on the one hand, and on the other-rapid changes in legislation in the field of education and upbringing, the emergence of a variety of parenting models. At the same time, numerous studies persistently demonstrate that contributions to the development of a child in preschool age is crucial for his or her life success in the future. Modern parents are putting more and more demands on the programs of preschool education and upbringing — they are no longer satisfied with just a place in kindergarten — and pay attention to the earlier period of children's development.
The demand for early development groups have recently increased significantly, as well as the attendance of collective classes for children under three years of age is already becoming a social norm. In this regard, there is a growing need for smart management of early childhood development programs and training of specialists who would have the appropriate competencies and would be familiar with a variety of experiences in this area, including international ones. In response to these challenges, this year we have placed a special emphasis on the topic of early development within our program.
Together with the students, we will understand which of the existing domestic early development programs have proven their effectiveness, get acquainted with the experience of our partners from England, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and other countries. We will definitely consider a variety of cases with specialists in this field, and discuss options for integrating education and healthcare at an early age. We are planning to present this direction at our February conference "Trends in the Education Development” and invite speakers from several countries where there are unique experiences and interesting practices in the field of early childhood development. If the students wish, we can organize internships in places where such practices have been successfully implemented for a long time both in Russia and abroad, if, of course, the epidemiological situation allows it”.
What has changed in the “Educational systems management based on data” program:
“For several years now, managers from the secondary vocational education system have occasionally come to our program as listeners. We receive a fairly high assessment of our program, and each time we receive a request to expand the boundaries of the material in the field of management in secondary vocational education. This year, together with our partners from the Research Center for Vocational Education and Qualification Systems of the FIRO of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, we are offering a separate track within the current program, focused on the study of management models in the SVE system. We are planning to introduce students to the prospects for the vocational education development in Russia and the experience of our partners abroad, to the data of comparative international studies in the field of special vocational education and qualification systems, management and evaluation tools, etc. Specialists from the union of “Young Professionals of WorldSkills Russia” expressed their consent to cooperate with us.
Thus, this year there will be two independent tracks on the program. The first is focused on the subject of management in the field of general education, the second - on managers of the system of secondary vocational education. Some of the lectures will be common, and these will be basic courses that relate to educational policy, assessment tools, and the management of educational systems in general. The other part of the classes will be held in separate groups and reflect the specifics of educational tasks”.