Introduction

Abstract

Our lead article is the report of a roundtable attended by representatives of the press and publishing houses and devoted to the topic of the role of the pedagogical press in educational reform. This meeting is of interest not only for the range of issues raised, but also for the scope of political viewpoints expressed. Some see no need to reject the "Leninist principles" on which the Soviet education system was founded, and argue against "starting from scratch." Others are more in favor of rethinking the underlying philosophy of the system, and especially of fitting educational programs to pupils' interests and motivations. Popular culture, though, is subjected to criticism by all, and the mass media are taken to task for engaging in a "cult of denigration" of Soviet society and of glorifying youth culture while criticizing those who speak out against its influence. The mass press fails, it is said, to deal adequately with the problems facing the schools, while the educational press describes some of the problems but stops short of active involvement in the search for solutions. An example of this is the failure of the pedagogical press to set out the facts of the economics of education or to develop an agenda for debate and policy development.