The history of an educational process development in each national educational system and its analysis may theoretically be divided into relatively finished time periods. The history of pedagogy knows quite a few criteria to make such timelines: paradigm changes, dates of reforms, birth-development-domination-standardization of various original systems, methods, ideas, and the like. I believe such a criterion may well be the domination of certain brands in the pedagogical terminology (like communist education, creative collective activity, pedagogical innovations, pedagogical strategies, student-centered approach, competences and expertise) used in the Russian education and pedagogy of the previous century. By overlapping and coexisting, pedagogical brands, like paradigms, not only reflect the object of scholars and practitioners’ interest by symbolizing some “starting point” but also determining the context for analysis and design of educational process in this sphere. The notion of identity has been increasingly claimed to become such a brand in the Russian pedagogy and education for the last decade. What is the reason of such steadfast interest and what has been its real outcome so far? This research paper is an attempt to answer these questions.