Mission

We are driven by our main mission – to provide firm scientific background, adequate legal grounds and quality research support for development of Russian educational legislation and to invest continuous effort in enhancing efficiency and quality of legal regulations concerning education.

Our activities are constructed alongside the following main strands:

• - Evaluation, monitoring and enhancement of Russian educational legislation;
• - Development of legal consciousness of educators, including teaching staff and management of educational institutions;
• - Raising awareness of the limitations and inhibitions of practical implementation of educational legislation, connecting the needs and concerns of direct participants of educational activities with decision makers and policy makers;
• - Building capacity of educators to deal with legal issues in education in the most adequate, non-discriminative, legally sound manner to the benefit of all participants of educational relations;
• - Enhancing capacity of students to protect their rights in education process, through informing them of their rights and obligations, answering specific practical questions and developing strategies to successfully resolve issues of violence, discrimination and abuse of their right to education.
  

  Research work

  Since its establishment in 1999 FCEL has carried out more than 100 scientific research projects with more than 500 researches involved.

  
  Drafting Legislation

  Within the framework of expert and analytical activity FCEL has elaborated more than 50 drafts of legal regulations, later accepted by the competent authorities.

  In 2008 FCEL coordinated preparation of the concept of the new Federal Law On Education in Russian Federation comprehensively integrating legislation in all levels and types of education. In 2009 the concept has been approved by the Ministry of Education and Science and became a foundation for development of the legal act, aiming to provide unified legal regulations to all educational levels, meeting the challenges of modern world. The draft became Federal Law on Education in Russian Federation No 273-FZ on 29 December 2012 and entered into force on 1 September 2013.

  
  Publications

  FCEL publications include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Scientific and Practical Comment on the Federal Law on Higher and Postgraduate Professional Education, 2008;
  • Scientific and Practical Comment on the Federal Law on Education, 2006;
  • International Documents on Education, 2003;
  • Theoretical and Legal Basics of Education, 2000;
  • Educational Law as a Branch of Russian Legal System, 2000;
  • Legal Provisions on Children Rights Protection, 2000;
  • Legal Provisions on Child’s Legal Status and Questions of Juvenile Law, 2000;
  • More than 40 other research papers, scientific monographs, teaching aids and methodic recommendation.

  Since 2006 FCEL is a publisher of periodic scientific publication, Russian Educational Legislation Yearbook

  
  Free Database of Legal Advice on Educational Legislation and the Practice of its Implementation

  FCEL is providing free legal support for educators, students and their parents. The main website www.lexed.ru (in Russian) contains vast material on the practical issues concerning the protection of students’ rights, fulfillment of duties and responsibilities of educators, requirements for educational activity, establishment and termination of educational institutions and other issues, based on free on-line legal consulting database, constantly complemented by new questions and answers.

  The website also contains a unique database of the main laws and regulations on educational issues of more than 1800 entries in free access.

  Among other useful materials one can find the latest full text version of the Federal Law on Education and acts of implementation, drafts of laws in progress, comments and helpful bridge tables on the amended legal regulations, articles and reference lists, case law with interpretation etc.

  
  FCEL’s main activities are as follows:

  • Organisation and performance of scientific investigation of Russian and international educational legislation, elaboration of scientific basis of establishing a new complex branch of law – educational law;
  • Preparation of draft legislation;
  • Contribution to development of regional education legislation via expert examination of regional draft legislation, monitoring and systematisation;
  • Assessment of efficiency of federal educational legislation;
  • Capacity-building activities for educators and learners on educational legislation;
  • Contributing to introduction of Bachelor’s and Master’s study course on Education Law and Policy;
  • Professional training and skill formation for staff and management of educational institutions;
  • Consulting services, analysis of and systematisation of educational legislation and education law;
  • Publishing results of research projects, peer-reviewed academic journals, teaching aids and courseware;
  • International activity, including establishing international contacts, participating in international scientific events and innovative programs.