This essay considers the evolution of the historiography of eighteenth-century Russian education, emphasizing recent shifts in the dominant paradigm of secularization. It identifies three wide vectors (1) the place of the state as prime institution builder; (2) the pace of standardization; (3) the problem of "reflexivity," or laying bare the assumptions underlying scholarly narratives. The paradigm of secularization overlooks crucial aspects of Russian education in the eighteenth century, but recent scholarship implicitly challenges long-standing templates.