This book considers the place of education in childhood, and provides a cross-country and cross-cultural perspective on the importance of education in childhood - comparing experiences in the US and Russia. It conceptualizes the discussion in sociological theory, particularly theories pertaining to the sociology of education.

This open access edited volume is a comparative effort to discern the short-term educational impact of the covid-19 pandemic on students, teachers and systems in Brazil, Chile, Finland, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. One of the first academic comparative studies of the educational impact of the pandemic, the book explains how the interruption of in person instruction and the variable efficacy of alternative forms of education caused learning loss and disengagement with learning, especially for disadvantaged students. Other direct and indirect impacts of the pandemic diminished the ability of families to support children and youth in their education. For students, as well as for teachers and school staff, these included the economic shocks experienced by families, in some cases leading to food insecurity and in many more causing stress and anxiety and impacting mental health. Opportunity to learn was also diminished by the shocks and trauma experienced by those with a close relative infected by the virus, and by the constrains on learning resulting from students having to learn at home, where the demands of schoolwork had to be negotiated with other family necessities, often sharing limited space. Furthermore, the prolonged stress caused by the uncertainty over the resolution of the pandemic and resulting from the knowledge that anyone could be infected and potentially lose their lives, created a traumatic context for many that undermined the necessary focus and dedication to schoolwork. These individual effects were reinforced by community effects, particularly for students and teachers living in communities where the multifaceted negative impacts resulting from the pandemic were pervasive. This is an open access book.

Small Comrades is a fascinating examination of Soviet conceptions of childhood and the resulting policies directed toward children. Working on the assumption that cultural representations and self-representations are not entirely separable, this book probes how the Soviet regime's representations structured teachers' observations of their pupils and often adults' recollections of their childhood. The book draws on work that has been done on Soviet schooling, and focuses specifically on the development of curricula and institutions, but it also examines the wider context of the relationship between the family and the state, and to the Bolshevik vision of the "children of October"

Chronologically presented is the slow development of Russian language instruction in America from the latter part of the 18th century at Kodiak, Alaska, to the establishment of large undergraduate departments at leading universities. The influence of Harvard University, the University of California, Columbia University, Pennsylvania State University, and the University of Pennsylvania is well documented. Sputnik of 1957 serves as a major chronological division in this historical overview. Economic, political, cultural, and religious influences behind the growth of Russian study and forces opposed to its expansion are given detailed attention. Appendixes list past and present officers of the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages. An extensive index is included.

This book provides a view of Russian culture today through the study of the concept of childhood. Descriptions of childhood memories, ideal childhoods, educational goals, and real-life children's accounts uncover the values and worldview of a people struggling to bring meaning to their lives. The data was collected in kindergartens, orphanages and homes in St. Petersburg and Moscow in 1990-1992. The depiction of children's values and ideals with respect to childhood is based on observation of children in class and at play, and is supplemented by analysis of their stories, fantasies and drawings. The depiction of adult values and ideals with respect to childhood is based on personal memoirs, interviews and questionnaires. It is supplemented by an analysis of the image of childhood in Russian literature and folklore. This uniquely focused look at culture will appeal to social scientists and students of Russian culture or children's culture as well as to researchers in Russian education, socialization, and child welfare.