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Jolanta Baran 87 Poland is a relatively large nation situated in the center of the European continent. It covers 312,679 square kilometres. The country is divided into 16 provinces (voivodships), 379 districts (powiaty), and 2,478 local government communes (gminy). In the year 2009, Poland had a population of 38,167,329. The number of people living in urban areas is increasing; it is now about 61%. The majority of the population is Polish (96.7%). The most numerous minority groups are Germans (152,900), Belarusians (48,700), Ukrainians (31,000), Romani people (12,900), Russians (6,100), Lemkos (5,900), and Lithuanians (5,800). Poland is a democratic parliamentary republic headed by a president elected by direct popular vote for 5 years. The bicameral parliament consists of the 460 members of the lower chamber (Sejm) and 100 members of the senate. Members of the Sejm and the senate are elected by general election for a 4-year term. Jasiewicz (2009) points out that in Poland “faith in God and habitual church attendance has been preserved better than in any other European society” (p. 494). About 89.8% of the population are Roman Catholics (about 75% practicing). Other religions include Eastern Orthodoxies (1.3%), Protestants (0.3%), other (0.3%), and unspecified (8.3%; Central Statistical Office, 2009a). THE SOCIA L FA BRIC The long history of Poland and the start of Polish statehood is said to have begun in 996 ad when the prince, Mieszko I of the nation of the Slavs, was baptized and joined medieval Western Christian civilization. In the long intervening centuries, Poland’s history was turbulent— times of great adversity, of many troubles, but also many triumphs. At one time, Poland could have been described as a multicultural community. In 1939, one-third of the total population of 35.1 million inhabitants were of national minorities—17% Ukranians and Belarusians, 10% Jews, 5% Germans, and 1% Russians, Lithuanians, and Czechs. During the Nazi occupation of Poland in World War II, many Poles and a huge number of the country’s minorities were killed. After the war, when the communists took over the government, they made changes in the migration movement of people as well. During that time, minority schools and religious schools were dissolved. In 1989, huge political changes engulfed nations in Eastern and Central Europe and forever changed what was then the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). 4 Reform, Restructure, and Renew: Special Education in Poland 4 Reform, Restructure, and Renew: Special Education in Poland Jolanta Baran International Practices.indb 87 International Practices.indb 87 10/14/11 5:45 PM 10/14/11 5:45 PM 88 Jolanta Baran In Poland and other countries, communism was overthrown. Poland then passed through a difficult, but very promising, era of extensive economic and political change. The process of political change continues to this day and has transformed postcommunist Poland into a fully democratic society with social structures and political institutions that reflect a democratic value system in form, content, and function (Mazurek & Majorek, 2005). THE SCHOOL SYSTEM Since 1989, education reform has been one of the main vehicles for Poland’s ongoing transformation. Education in Poland is defined as part of “the common welfare of the whole of society” (ADAPT-Europe, 2007, n.p.). It is guided by the principles contained in the Polish constitution and by instructions included in international legislation and conventions (European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education, 2010b). Debates and discussions at all levels of the country’s political spectrum affirm education as a priority, and identify how fundamental changes in education are crucial for future social and political change (Mazurek & Mjorek, 2005). After Poland’s initial period of transition the prospect of becoming part of the European Union (EU) was also a prominent factor in formulating education policies. Poland became an EU member on May 1, 2005. The period of political transformation that began in 1989 brought about new legislation that became the basis for changes in education. These multiple reforms modernized the Polish school system and made it similar to the school systems of other European western countries. Together with the implementation of new levels of schooling and new types of schools, the reforms deemed special education to be an integral part of the education system. Hence, the reforms favored early identification and intervention for students with special education needs (SEN), as well as their integration into preschool programs and later schooling.1 The legislative foundations...

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