Dear friends and colleagues, new and old readers of our journal: I am happy to greet you in 2013 and to inform you that due to a number of circumstances we made a decision to combine the first and the second issues. So you are cordially introduced to this united 1-2 issue in Volume 5. For the first time in the journal’s history we directly address the field of comparative education and the research completed by Russian and foreign scholars. By the way, I intentionally use the word “foreign” – you will meet with not only traditionally represented Russian and American researchers but also learn from our colleagues in China, Moldova, Norway, and Uganda.