Stakeholders of Education Policy on the Municipal Level. The Analysis of Interaction of Engaged Actors

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to present the relationship between key stakeholders of the local education policy formed as a result of the closure of local schools run by municipalities. The author verifies the hypothesis that due to the opinion-forming nature of teachers in local communities, the municipal authorities – fearing the loss of public support – opt for less socially controversial but economically irrational solutions education policy rationalization. Freeman’s theory of stakeholders became the basis for the analysis. The article was based on desk research and empirical research conducted in selected municipalities in Poland.