Introduction

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Abstract
One of the most discussed issues in Soviet education in recent years is that of humanization. Like democratization, however, this is an idea that has remained rather vague, and still has to be defined clearly or to be formulated in such a way that it can be implemented. In the opening article of this month's Soviet Education, Nechaev and Usov note that in education, as in other areas of Soviet life, there is a predilection for trying to command reform from above and have everyone move in lockstep toward the new goals. They point out that this approach often leads to unanticipated results. Second, they say, the failure to specify clearly priorities and mechanisms for achieving them enables people who do not want change to vitiate the whole project. Humanization therefore is at best a "sham" so far, since it is a program more of words than of actions. At the same time, the new demands on class time are threatening the quality of existing programs. What is needed, the authors claim, is for priorities to be clearly set, for more concern to be shown for raising standards and developing a professional approach to work, and for students to be allowed to gain a better awareness of the world in which they live by being encouraged to travel.
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