The article examines the ideas of educational shift relevant to the quality of education developed during the Lithuanian Education Reform as formulated by Meile Luksiene in her writings. The research is based on an analysis of scientific literature concerning the concepts of shift and quality, regulating educational documents as well as an empirical study, i.e. the data collected from a qualitative analysis of the scientist’s writings.
The problem of the research: how are the ideas formulated by M. Luksiene relevant to the education development quality? The object of the research: shift as a prerequisite for a new education quality as expressed in the writings of M. Luksiene. The goal of the research: to emphasize the significance of M. Luksiene’s ideas of shift oriented towards the quality of education. Having performed the research tasks, which include presenting theoretical research presumptions on the basis of analysis of scientific literature and educational documents, comparing the concepts of shift and presumed education development quality as formulated by M. Luksiene to those developed on the theoretical level, exhibiting M. Luksienes’s shift ideas oriented towards the education quality on conceptual, personal, organizational and governmental levels by means of an empirical study, comparing the presumed education quality in M. Luksiene’s writings to the content of present concerted education quality examining the vigor of M. Luksiene’s ideas, the authors draw the following conclusions:
The concept of shift modeled by M. Luksiene in her writings on educational issues is close to the theoretical one formulated by scientists, i.e. to that of a shift during a confrontation between two social powers, stages of a shift, the concept of a shift as of a long-lasting process, perspectives of a shift.
The presumed education development quality implied by M. Luksiene in her writings is close to the theoretical quality concept formulated by scientists in terms of integral parts of holistic quality, i.e. the quality of primary conditions, educational process and, partly, of consequences, where consequences is understood as cultural maturity of a nation and society. The quality of results is mentioned indirectly, whereas the surplus value, an integral part of holistic quality, is not directly discussed.
The presumed education development quality implied in M. Luksiene’s writings is closely related to the theoretical scientific quality concept expressed in terms of greater humanistic values, such as relation to an individual, as well as of civil, social values, and partly of the ethical values of public service. The economic values related to education quality are not directly approached.
Basically all education quality subcategories defined in M. Luksiene’s writings have their equivalents in the present concerted criteria for school self-evaluation, which allows maintaining that the content of education development quality modeled by M. Luksiene and the one created at present are akin.
It has been noted that the main value based educational principles, by means of which education quality can be expressed and which were emphasized by M. Luksiene, i.e. those related to humanity, democracy, nationality and renewal, have only been maintained in the regulating educational documents of independent Lithuania irregularly.
The closeness of the presumed education development quality content modeled by M. Luksiene in her writings to modern concerted education quality criteria indicate, that the scientist’s ideas are relevant in the present stage of Education Reform.
New Opportunities for Education Quality Management Systems Improvement at Higher Education Institutions
