The processes of transformation of the political, social and economic systems in the Poland from the early 1990s inspired by the democratic policy changes led to comprehensive reforms of the system of education. It moved from the emphasis on centralization, vocational education and training that prevailed before 1989 (under communism times) to the system based on decentralization and democratization with the aim to equip citizens with a more rounded education that would enable them to adapt to a rapidly changing world. The move to market economy, foreign investment and preparation for entry into the European Union (2004) were major influences on change in the educational system in the first decade of XXI century. The analysis of the transformation of the educational school system since 1989, including current few years of permanent instability for schools, focuses on the nature of observed changes and effects of changes in the context of democratization and centralization processes. The paper discusses the profound changes in different aspects of system of education in Poland including the structure of the system, the forms of the schools, school governance, curriculum reforms, sources and methods of financing the schools, the identification of qualification requirements for teacher. The findings indicate that after thirty years of transformation the Polish system of education is currently neither fully democratic (despite the fact that since the beginning of the 1990s, at least discursively, it was heading in this direction), or centralized – thanks to the decentralization of the structure of the units responsible for functioning of schools. Regarding school policy, we have an alternation of normative imperatives of political power in the process of education in schools. An educational planning in terms of forecasts of national development is of a strictly ideological and therefore adaptive nature, similar to what we had before 1989, with a new policy turn in the field of education that has started to prioritize the nation. There is a lack of educational policy and educational planning, which would have to take place on the basis of scientific research as none of the ministers knows how long they will be able to implement their own party-based educational project. The conclusions draws attention to the need for a synergic approach to educational policy, which would be based on rational cooperation between the politicians and researchers, but would also take into account the needs of the different subjects of educational change.

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