Compares and contrasts the need for educational standards in the United States and Russia. Argues that both systems burden their students with an excess of peripheral and inconsequential material in order to satisfy outdated pedagogical objectives. Praises American efforts at creating national standards but questions their applicability to Russia.…

Investigates the financial structure of Russia's educational system and finds it wanting. Social, political, and economic changes have rendered the old Soviet system dysfunctional and irrelevant. Authorities, however, have failed to create a replacement. Discusses several possible reforms, including creating a national banking system for…

Presents a historical overview of the social and educational theories popular in 19th-century Russia. Educators and reformers constantly argued over the contradictory efforts to raise educational standards without threatening the status quo. Identifies preeminent educational movements and their leading adherents. (MJP)

Discusses the sometimes brutal, sometimes idealistic attempts by early Soviet revolutionaries to conscript the home and family into the Marxist educational system. Programs ranged from the benign (teaching peasant children new crops) to the totalitarian (extending criminal prosecution to the age of 12). Briefly covers later periods. (MJP)

Praises, defends, and attempts to explain the unique characteristics of the lecture teaching method as practiced by Soviet educators. Firmly committed to the lecture method, Soviet educators refined this technique to the level of dazzling verbal performances complete with syllogisms, elaborately constructed arguments, and a touch of theater. (MJP)

Discusses the career and contributions of Russian educator and psychologist G. I. Chelpanov. Chelpanov founded Russia's first Psychology Institute and actively promoted psychological research and education. His resistance to Soviet efforts to introduce Marxist dogma into psychological research ended his career. (MJP)

Articulates the basic philosophy of the anthropological-humanistic movement in Soviet education and identifies its leading adherents. The movement believed in the creative self-realization of every child and promoted noncoercive, antiauthoritarian educational methods. Although supported by ardent Marxists, the movement became supplanted by a more…

Discusses the conflicts, initiatives, and educational programs introduced into postrevolutionary Byelorussian Schools. Initially, educational objectives seesawed between harsh Marxist-Leninist directives and reactionary responses. Eventually a system developed that incorporated Byelorussian folk culture and Marxist ideology. (MJP)

Considers the effects upon, and responses to, World War II by Soviet higher education. Although wartime conditions seriously depleted the student population as well as educational facilities, Soviet education remained productive. Discusses higher education's contribution to the victory and includes statistical data. (MJP)

Discusses the restructuring of vocational schools in the Soviet Union before its dissolution. Concludes that restructuring had become a reality as processes of democratization increased. Notes that the Soviet Union had focused on quantity rather than quality in technical education. Compares the Soviet program with those of other developed…

Discusses the nature of the school council in the Soviet Union during Perestroika. Suggests that the councils have yet to find their place in the social and political changes of democratization. Attributes the low effectiveness of the school councils to student and parent passivity. (DK)

Discusses the need to guide general education students in the former Soviet Union into blue collar occupations. Observes that, despite technological changes, manual laborers will continue to comprise a majority of the work force. Argues that manual laborers need to complete their schooling. Underscores the value of vocational training and guidance…

Discusses the "School Inspectorate of Order," a student-led disciplinary organization that arose at a school in the northern Russian city of Noril'sk. Explains that the group helped the school administration to maintain order. Describes public reactions to the group, the risk of totalitarian rule, the experiences of some student members, and the…

Discusses the work and philosophy of Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori. Examines her belief in students' need to exercise correct thinking through sensory experience. Describes Montessori's views on the development of children's moral values through interaction. Identifies the upbringer's role as the active supervisor of children's…

Addresses the problems of administration in the large former Soviet school complexes. Explains how a school of 1,600 students in the city of Komsomol'sk (Poltava Region) was reorganized into 3 independent collectives. Suggests that the larger schools may be unworkable without such reforms and that the existing staff roster is outmoded. (SG)