Education policy in the Republic of Latvia: lessons from experience Tatjana Koķe a * and Irēna Saleniece b a Faculty of Education, Psychology and Arts, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia; b Faculty of Humanities, Daugavpils University, Daugavpils, Latvia (Received 22 June 2014; accepted 22 July 2014) The idea for this article proceeds from personal, practical, and emotional experience and reflections on holding the position of the Minister for Education and Science during the period of the economic crisis in Latvia (2007–2010). The article consists of three parts. The first part outlines the potential of a position in power with a particular focus on developments in education policy. The second part gives an overview of the most important initiatives in the education sector undertaken by ministers for education during the first period of independence of the Republic of Latvia (1918–1940). Analyses of developments in the content of education in line with alterations in organisation of studies and professionalisation of teaching are provided. Regardless of the fact that the majority of changes were implemented with the intention to contribute to the awakening of people, nation and state, most of the initiatives induced resistance and rejection. In line with success and positive results, severe criticism of opponents and even peers had to be faced by those in a position of power. The third part raises the questions: “Is it possible to be an independent intellectual and a politician at the same time?” and “What are the benefits and difficulties in preserving two identities: an academic and/or a politician?” Keywords: Republic of Latvia; education; power; education policy; changes; national identity; reflections Introduction The design of this article is based on personal reflexivity that “allows for an exploration and representation of the more blurred genres of our experiences” 1 and enables us to create meaning out of experience. 2 The paper focuses on three research questions: (1) what is the relationship between power and education; (2) what were the major issues for educational reforms of the ministers of education in the Republic of Latvia during the first period of independence (1918–1940) and their relevance *Corresponding author. Email: Tatjana.Koke@rsu.lv *This keynote address was delivered at the ISCHE Conference in Riga, 21–24 August 2013 and the article was written by Tatjana Koķe in collaboration with Irēna Saleniece on matters concerning the educational history of Latvia. 1 Kim Etherington, “Reflexivity: Using our ‘Selves’ in Narrative Research,” in Narrative Research on Learning Comparative and International Perspectives, ed. Sheila Trahar (Didcot: Symposium Books, 2009), 81. 2 Jerome S. Bruner, Acts of Meaning (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1990). © 2015 Stichting Paedagogica Historica Paedagogica Historica, 2015 Vol. 51, Nos. 1–2, 45–63, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00309230.2014.997755