The article is devoted to the analysis of the ideas about reforming the Russian education system put forward by a prominent member of socio-pedagogical movement, V. I. Charnolusky in his works, published in 1906–1912. The author was a supporter of democratic reforms aimed at reforming the public education system on a fundamentally new for Russia foundations. The basic idea of V. I. Charnolusky was the changing role of the state in education.
