On 4-5 February, Kryvyi Rih city hromada became a platform for a comprehensive cycle of regional educational events under the Polaris Programme, aimed at reflection and practical preparation for the implementation of the upper secondary specialised education reform. Over two days, three interconnected events took place – a workshop for gymnasium principals, a dialogue platform for parents of Grade 9 lyceum students, and a round table for lyceum leaders and the hromada’s education management team.
This format made it possible to view the transformation of the educational network from multiple perspectives – managerial, professional, parental and student – and to build a shared vision of future decisions.
The Gymnasium as a Point of Stability: Management Practices That Work
On 4 February, Kryvyi Rih hosted the workshop “Educational Practices That Work, or How to Strengthen the Gymnasium”, which brought together 30 gymnasium principals from across the hromada. The event focused not on theory, but on practical management solutions and approaches that are already delivering results in challenging conditions.
Opening the workshop, Tetiana Kripak, Director of the Department of Education and Science of Kryvyi Rih City Council, emphasised the role of school leaders as agents of change:
“Today, the gymnasium is not merely a structural level of the education system. It is a space where a child’s self-confidence is shaped, where they learn to make choices and take responsibility for them. And it is precisely the principal’s management decisions that determine whether a school becomes such a point of stability for both students and teachers.”
Instead of formal introductions, participants began by building a circle of trust – sharing symbolic representations of their institutions. In the session “I Don’t Want to Boast, But…”, they presented implemented initiatives ranging from innovative educational laboratories to effective student self-governance models. This set the tone for professional dignity, openness and readiness for peer learning.
A dedicated session focused on analysing educational practices from Lubny hromada – Voinykhivska Gymnasium, V. Malyk Gymnasium, Ukrainian Classical Gymnasium, “Yevropeiskyi” Lyceum, and the First Gymnasium named after Matvii Nomys. Working in groups, participants examined these cases through a practical lens: what works, how it can be adapted locally, and what barriers might arise.
Tetiana Serhiienko, Principal of the First Gymnasium named after Matvii Nomys, summarised a key takeaway of the workshop:
“School leaders realised that innovation is not always about large budgets. More often, it is about changing approaches and recognising the resources already available. When professionalism meets reflection, changes emerge that cannot be stopped.”
Through exercises such as “The Gymnasium in Three Years”, “The Team as a Strategic Unit of Development” and “Noisy Data”, principals modelled the future of their institutions, working with vision, team dynamics and management data. A symbolic closing reflection – “The Soundtrack of a Successful Gymnasium” – helped participants articulate their internal reference points for change.
Natalia Fedorynova, Principal of Kryvyi Rih Gymnasium No. 122, shared her personal reflection:
“It was an honest conversation between leaders – without embellishment or formalities. I left feeling inspired and with a clear understanding that the gymnasium is a space where a child, without pressure, learns to answer their own ‘what’s next?’ and build their personal future trajectory.”
Parents as Partners in Change: Dialogue on Upper Secondary Specialised Education
On the same day, a dialogue platform for parents of Grade 9 lyceum students titled “Upper Secondary Specialised Education: Opportunities and Challenges for Kryvyi Rih hromada” was held at Kryvyi Rih Gymnasium No. 103. The event brought together 55 representatives of parent committees.
Discussions focused on demographic trends, the essence of the upper secondary specialised education reform, the results of a survey of Grade 11 students, possible educational pathways after Grade 9, and the child’s right to an informed educational choice.
The open dialogue format helped to reduce anxiety around change and shift the conversation from fears to solutions. Parents were able to ask questions, voice concerns, and better understand the logic of the transformation within the broader context of hromada development.
Educational Architecture of the Hromada: From Analysis to Decisions
On 5 February, the cycle concluded with a round table titled “Strategy for Transforming the Educational Architecture of Kryvyi Rih City Hromada”, bringing together lyceum leadership, education managers and experts of the Polaris Programme.
Opening the event, Oleh Fasolia, Lead of the Education at Local and Regional Levels area of the Polaris Programme, emphasised:
“The educational architecture of a hromada must be dynamic and capable of responding to change – demographic, economic and social. Our task is not merely to optimise the network, but to create conditions in which every student receives quality education and real choice.”
During the panel discussion “Upper Secondary Specialised School: The Student Perspective”, education managers engaged directly with Grade 11 students of Kryvyi Rih Natural Sciences Lyceum. Through mutual questioning, participants discussed the development of lyceums within the hromada and the organisation of the learning process, enabling decision-makers to view the role of upper secondary specialised education through students’ eyes and jointly explore scenarios for transforming the school network.
Lively discussion was sparked by the presentation of aggregated survey results from Grade 11 students across 21 lyceums of the hromada. The survey addressed post-school educational pathways, the quality of specialised education, and its alignment with future career choices. The analysis revealed both institutions with below-average indicators – pointing to challenges in implementing specialised upper secondary education – and lyceums with above-average results, confirming their capacity to function effectively as upper secondary schools. This discussion prompted education managers to reconsider educational quality, student needs and the future model of the hromada’s school network.
Participants also worked with the 4C methodology – Circle, Card, Capital, Cornerstone – through which teams collaboratively identified shared resources of lyceums (Circle), unifying ideas (Card), key achievements of lyceums in the hromada (Capital), and the main challenges facing upper secondary education (Cornerstone). This exercise created space for recognising the necessity of cooperation among lyceums to form a resilient educational architecture for upper secondary education in Kryvyi Rih hromada and enabled an in-depth analysis of challenges along this path.
Artem Horobets, education expert of the Polaris Programme and moderator of the events, summarised the significance of the cycle:
“The visit to Kryvyi Rih hromada included a series of activities with different educational stakeholders, united by a common goal – strengthening the quality of educational services. It is worth highlighting the professionalism and openness of the education management, the active engagement of students, and the genuine involvement of parents.”
The educational cycle in Kryvyi Rih demonstrated that education transformation is neither a one-off decision nor an exclusively managerial process. It is a consistent effort involving people, trust, data and shared meaning. The combination of management workshops, parental dialogue and strategic planning at hromada level creates a foundation for decisions that have the potential to be not only formally adopted, but genuinely implemented.
It is precisely through this logic – partnership, reflection and shared responsibility – that Kryvyi Rih hromada is building its pathway towards a high-quality upper secondary specialised school system.
