The article analyses the question, how intensive consulting for schools can affect students’ learning achievements by mitigating the impact of social, economic and cultural context. Based on the case study methodological approach, the case of the project “Initiative for municipalities”, implemented in 2016–2018 in five schools of Kupiškis district municipality, was analysed. After conducting the analysis of the theoretical literature and documentary sources, and interviews, the following conclusions were made: Due to its duration and intensity, it was long-term consulting; mixed – expert and procedural – consulting approaches were used depending on the problems raised in the schools, the context, readiness of the teachers for change, and the nature of changes proposed by the consultant. It is recognized that the characteristics of the expert consulting dominated. The intensive long-term consulting, implemented in schools resulted in improvement of students’ achievements due to intentionally selected consulting targets – guiding of schools and teachers towards change in the school culture, orientation towards strengthening teaching/ learning assistance, and the application of teaching/learning strategies favourable to students. The consultant’s attempt to implement the teaching methodology based on post-cognitive principles in schools is discussed. The issues discussed remain open for further research.

Straipsnyje aptariamas mokslininkės - paskirtosios lyderės - socialinis fenomenas įgyvendinant švietimo reformą. XX a. paskutinio - XXI a. pirmojo dešimtmečių Lietuvos švietimo reforma, vykdoma ugdymo paradigmos kaitos pagrindu valstybės ideologinės paradigmos virsmo kontekste, traktuojama kaip iššūkis paskirtiesiems švietimo lyderiams. Tokiu skirtingų švietimo valdymo lygmenų ir institucijų bei jų struktūrinių padalinių lyderiu tam tikrais reformos laikotarpiais buvo edukologijos mokslininkė habilituota daktarė profesorė Marijona Barkauskaitė. Straipsnyje nagrinėjami du paskirtosios lyderės veiklos laikotarpiai - Vilniaus miesto savivaldybės Švietimo skyriaus vedėjos ir Lietuvos švietimo viceministrės. Tai atvejo tyrimo rūšis taikant kokybinio empirinio tyrimo strategiją, duomenų rinkimui taikomi kokybinio tyrimo metodai: mokslinės literatūros, švietimo reformos dokumentų analizė, giluminis interviu, ekspertų apklausa.

Straipsnyje aptariamas mokslininko, istoriniu laikotarpiu patenkančio į mokslo paradigmos virsmą, socialinis fenomenas. XX a. paskutiniojo — XXI a. pirmojo dešimtmečių Lietuvos švietimo reforma, vykdoma ugdymo paradigmų kaitos pagrindu, traktuojama kaip iššūkis pedagogikos mokslininkams. Vienas tokių mokslininkų — habilituotas daktaras profesorius Bronislovas Bitinas. Fiksuojamas atvejo unikalumas: mokslininkas, savo darbais puoselėjęs klasikinę ugdymo paradigmą, ne tik pats išgyvena mokslinės minties virsmą, suvokdamas istorinio laikotarpio nulemtą klasikinės ugdymo paradigmos kaitą į laisvojo ugdymo paradigmą, bet ir pripažįsta paradigmų virsmo būtinybę, teoriškai ją apibendrina, pagrindžia ugdymo filosofija.

After the independence of Lithuania was restored in 1990, the goal to create a democratic state was declared and a new aim of education was defined to educate a human being pursuing virtues of freedom, independence and democracy. An individual was regarded as an absolute value; the education was to be aimed to cherish his individual nature, to help an individual to reveal common virtues and to rely upon them when building personal life, to educate a critical, independent and responsible citizen of Lithuania. The Lithuanian educational reform, that was introduced in the late 1980s and was implemented on a systematic basis after the independence of Lithuania was restored in 1990, relies on a cardinal conversion of educational paradigms: the classical educational paradigm is being replaced by humanistic paradigm of free education. This shift in educational paradigms is a unique phenomenon in the history of the Lithuanian education.

• Only separate elements of documentaiy research method are used in theory and practice of Lithuanian social educological qualitative research. • Employment of social documentary research as of independent method would enable flexible integration of research by including and granting a status of sub methods for such separate social qualitative research methods as focus groups, expert method, oral history method, discourse analyses etc., approached and valued differently by Lithuanian educologists. • Implementation of social documentary research method in educological researches would allow for more flexible discussions on the presence of Lithuanian educational system and identification of the reasons of its development.