The presented analytical-comparative study forms another contribution in the editorial series of studies “Schooling Abroad”; it has a structure similar to the previous studies.There are 5 basic fields which appear to be essential for Russian school education: a) development of progressive trends and experimental potential, which became one of the pillars of the reform, b) curriculum, c) monitoring of school quality and pupil assessment, d) specific aspects of the multi-national Russian state and its implications for educational policy and practice, e) multi-language society and language teaching.