ABSTRACT
The democratic reform of education in Russia has required a completely new legislative basis. The reform embodies maximum freedom for all participants in the educational process combined with a high level of social guarantees and cultural awareness. From 1990 to 1992 officials of the Ministry of Education of Russia, in collaboration with leading experts in education and public policy, worked to develop the new Law on Education. The law sets down the main priorities of education, and lays the basis for state policy. The law is based on the following principles: depoliticization of education; increased autonomy for the regions of Russia in the domain of education; democratization of education; an individual approach to students; and differentiation of education. The law provides for the sharing of responsibility for each level among federal, regional and local authorities and citizens. According to the law, the educational institution has a great deal of autonomy in its educational, organizational and financial activities.
