The Perils of the Historian: Edward Dneprov and Experimental Educational Reform in the Tsarist and Gorbachev Eras

Abstract

One neglected aspect of the Gorbachev perestroika era in Russia [1985–1991] was the remarkable “pedagogy of cooperation” (or pedagogika sotrudnichestva) movement, a renewal of the experimental tradition in education. Central to this was Edward Dneprov, a brilliant and forceful individual whose views and personality substantially shaped the Gorbachev-era educational reform movement. Dneprov, who served as Russian Minister of Education (1990–1992) was also a product of his times and his training as an historian These characteristics informed but also limited his ability to understand the forces at work resisting educational change—especially the resilience of “the culture of the classroom.”