In 1988, as teenagers in Moscow and across the Soviet Union were preparing for the nationwide final exams they need to pass to receive their diplomas, word came from the government of Mikhail Gorbachev that the history exam had been canceled. As reported by Izvestia , a Moscow newspaper, the textbook used to teach students was "full of lies," and asking them to study and repeat these lies to pass the exams served no useful purpose. Stunned teachers, parents, and students alike began a long process of reassessment not only of their history but of the education system itself. That process continues today, as school administrations and teachers in Moscow and across Russia struggle to adjust to new ways of thinking and to prepare children for a way of life the teachers themselves may not truly understand.

A Soviet Education

Russians have valued education highly since...