Examined is the progress of four major goals of school reform in the Soviet Union as an integral part of Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev's call for a monumental restructuring (perestroika) of society. With the adoption of Fundamental Directions of General Education and Vocational School Reform (1984), four important goals were set in motion; (1) the entrance of six year olds into the primary school to begin the educational process at a more formative point; (2) the incorporation of a universal vocational educational core in the general education program to prepare students for their prescribed roles in the world of work; (3) the strengthening of the role of the teacher in Soviet education and society to improve the effectiveness of instruction and guidance of youth; and (4) the reorganization and decentralization of school administration to make the delivery system more incisive as well as responsive to needs in a multinational school system. (19 references) (SI)