We live in a world of intense changes and economic and social development. With the following changes in technologies used in the economy, there is an increase in the intensity of innovative activities undertaken by enterprises and an increase in their efficiency. The work which a person takes in a changing environment gains new personal, social, civilizational and cultural dimensions. In addition, it is carried out with new methods and using new technologies. In his deliberations the author has attempted to define innovativeness and show its significance in contemporary society.

The article characterizes the main changes in the school system after 1998. The author focuses on the theses of the reform which instituted the junior secondary school. It also concerns in the new programme document which was released in 2008 (the modernisation of the school system reform). The article characterized the results of Programme for International Student Assessment. Author also focuses on the school system reform which has been implementing by the Law and Justice government since 2017. The last issues are focused on some problems in Polish school which are solved thanks to some Finnish school ideas.

The article presents the major underlying assumptions for the model of the professional learning community. Creating a learning environment and a culture of cooperation is one of six features that distinguish this model from other models of school functioning. In the community, teachers study their own everyday practice and watch their students’ progress. They plan and develop solutions and methods, implement them and evaluate their effectiveness. They develop new skills and competences. The gradually enhanced awareness leads to a change in attitudes, beliefs, and habits. The issues discussed here are part and parcel of pedagogical discourse on teacher’s development in the workplace.

The subject of the article is the issue of the youth religious education at vocational secondary schools after the school reform which was carried out in Poland after 1932. There are two main lines considered in this article, namely; transfer of the truths of faith and moral and religious upbringing. The first one is connected with passing on the dogmatic and ethical contents, and the other one is connected with the religious formation. In this way the teaching program of religion shows students theoretical and practical hints which influence the quality of the Christian life. It does not only concern shaping the Catholic worldview and motivating to practice the faith, but also upbringing to fulfilling jobs with the respect of law and the Christian values.

The main provisions of the Concept of the new Ukrainian school, peculiarities of the preparatory work for its approval by the Board of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No.988-p of 14.12.2016 On Approving the Concept for the Implementation of State Policy in the Field of General Secondary Education Reform “New Ukrainian School” for the period up to 2029 have been revealed. The components of the Concept, directions, tasks of implementation in accordance with each direction are highlighted. The significance and content of the main competences of the graduate of high school (communication with the state (native in case of difference) and foreign languages, mathematical literacy, competence in natural sciences and technologies, information and digital competence, life skills, social and civil  competencies, entrepreneurship, general cultural literacy, environmental literacy and healthy life)  have been analyzed. The approaches to the development of a new standard of general secondary  education are described. Three main stages of the reform, which will be carried out in 2018-2029  have been described. The attention to the new Law of Ukraine «On Education» (2017) has been drawn.

Preventing school dropout and promoting successful graduation is a national concern in Bulgaria that poses a significant challenge to schools and educational communities working with youth at risk of school failure. Few studies have examined predictors of dropping out of school before students reach high school and their data have been analysed. Research shows dropping out is strongly tied to family psychopathology, individual characteristics and childhood development disorders. Finally, yet importantly, there are some socioeconomic and cultural factors associated with dropping out of school. A multifactor approach is needed in order to understand the risk factors for school dropout. Identifying the predictors of school failure is crucial for understanding the causes and processes of dropping out, which, in turn, can help guide the creation of effective programs for the prevention of this problem. Implications for prevention of early high school dropout are discussed. The authors place an emphasis on applying a trans-cultural approach to maximize the potential benefit of dropout prevention programs.

The article deals with the problem of professional training of linguists at the UK’s universities. Based on the data accumulated by UCAS it has been calculated that recent trends in university admission campaigns during 2008-2016 prove gradual but stable increase in the number of applicants wishing to pursue career in Linguistics. The characteristic features of the organization of linguists’ professional training have been outlined. It has been indicated that professional training of linguists at the UK’s universities is mainly oriented toward humanities; undergraduate and postgraduate education in Linguistics offers a wide range of qualifications. It has been mentioned that Quality Assurance Agency has developed Subject Benchmark Statement for Linguistics (for bachelor’s degrees with honours), where one can find what can be expected of a graduate in the subject, in terms of what they might know, do and understand at the end of their studies. It has been noted that after graduation future specialists in linguistics are in demand in a wide variety of industries.

The purpose of the paper is to contribute to the literature on leadership, innovation and learning for quality of school education. The special attention is paid to the role of school principal leadership in creating and sustaining the innovative learning environments that support the development of critical practitioner research. It is assumed that practitioner research can promote creative partnerships between those institutions in which teachers and academics work in order to support knowledge creation and quality of teaching. This paper presents chosen findings of a study that involved interviews with a number of focus groups involving school leaders in a number of Polish state schools. The main aim of this research was to recognize the experiences and the needs of school principals concerning practitioner research, their perceptions on the role of school leaders in supporting culture for quality improvements in practitioner research, and on the conditions of mutual participation of academics and practitioners in the social process of creating educational knowledge. Findings direct our attention to the role of school principals and their leadership in creating the innovative learning environments that are favorable for mutual participation of academics and practitioners in the social process of educational knowledge creation.

The article relates to the issue of training candidates for the teacher profession. By referencing to the core of the competencies required for the teacher’s work in a changing school, the weakest areas, which are the source of the fear and anxiety of students completing teacher education, were identified. The sources of fears, as well as proposals for changes in education to the teaching profession, were compiled on the basis of research conducted among 187 candidates of the profession of teacher studying at universities in Malopolska (Lesser Poland Voivodeship).

The article deals with the question of university graduates’ employability in Japan. The necessity of acquisition of employability skills by students has been proved. The essence of the notion “employability skills” and their component parts have been revealed. The author analyzes methods with the help of which Japanese Universities achieve the goal of training the skills. The article describes the aim and scale of special Project, held in Japan for training employability skills. The importance of social partnership between universities and industry and internship has been shown. In this context active learning has been gaining its popularity and proved to be successful in motivating students to cognitive activity.

Preparing social workers to work with the elderly is important in the context of an aging society. Literature analysis shows that students rarely choose to study in the field of social work specialty care for the elderly and disabled. This is due not only to the stereotypes attributed to the elderly, but also to the poorly prepared training programs for social workers. This article focuses in particular on the introduction of content into education programs for social workers, which are important for assessing the quality of life of older people.

This article describes new innovations for people with neurocognitive disorders, which are implemented not in England only but also throughout all the UK. Following the publication of a report in 2007 by the Comptroller and Auditor General National Audit Office on „Improving Services and Support for Persons with Dementia,” set up in 2009, the first National Dementia Strategy was launched under the theme „Living better with dementia. At this time, ambitious goals have been set that aim to improve the quality of life of people with dementia and their carers (Bourn, 2007). In 2012 Prime Minister David Cameron launched Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia. In response, the Alzheimer Society has launched a program to create a friendly environment for people with dementia under the banner of Dementia Friends. The English Department of Health has identified tasks for NHS Health Education England to deliver the necessary skills to provide the best quality care for  people with dementia (Health Education England, 2017) and the NHS England, which launched the Well Pathway for Dementia.

The average length of human life is increasing, which means that older people make more and more numerous group of society. Nowadays there are a lot of different activity offers, addressed to older people, including broadly understood education offers. The Universities of Third Age are obvious example here. However, the lengthening life span means also that the number of seniors diagnosed with dementia is increasing. Older people with dementia can and should be included in geragogics initiatives. At pre-dementive (MCI) and early dementia stages it means above all brain training (ROT). Along with the progress of dementia more holistic intervention should be offered. One of them is the psychobiographic model according to Erwin Böhm. Böhm aims at so-called “reactivation of senior’s spirit”, meaning activating senior’s noopsyche (or cognitive sphere) as well as their thymopsyche (or emotional sphere). Therefore Böhm proposes seven steps scale of  interaction (that is seven steps of connecting with senior) which allows to define senior’s needs as well as to enhance their competences. Böhm’s psychobiographic model uses in innovative way the biographical work method, adapting it to the situation of seniors with dementia. Thus the senior is not reduced to their diagnosis but is understood as a person, which means as a bio-psycho-social-spiritual entity.

This paper describes the strategy of counteraction of minority groups marginalization on the labor market. Social policy should solve major social problems, and the minority groups marginalization on the labor market is a major social problem. The first part of this paper describes the features of the two minority groups - Roma in Poland and Orthodox Jews in Israel. The second part of the paper discusses the barriers to the functioning of minority groups in the labor market, and suggests diagram of minority groups marginalization on the labor market. The article ends with conclusions on the actions of social policies in this area.