ABSTRACT
In theory the Soviet educational system provides all youngsters with free access to any type of education that they wish to pursue. This chapter focuses on the issues that relate most directly to the urban environment. It reviews general policy, types of schools, problems of administration, and social differences in access. The chapter looks at variations among urban day, evening, and correspondence general-education schools, as well as the "second economy" in education. It explores three areas of particular concern to party and educational officials—reforms of the academic program and the maintenance of scholastic standards, youth problems affecting the schools, and efforts to improve labor training. The chapter also focuses on the urban general-education school, which in 1980 enrolled 22.1 million youngsters in its full-time programs. Educational administrators worry about curricular reforms and staffing, while teachers complain about shortages of textbooks and problems of discipline.
