In Russia, there is a strong tradition of learning foreign languages. This led
to the development of specialized foreign language schools. In many ways these
schools are similar to other Russian public schools. They are comparable in one
very important way: the students do not have to pay for their education. The
schools also teach similar subjects. However, their differences are quite
noticeable. One major difference is that most of the school subjects are taught in
a foreign language (French, German, or English). Second, the students are
different. Unlike the students in regular Russian-language schools, students are
selected to attend these schools. Quite often they come from families with
higher levels of education. The greatest difference lies in the language abilities
of the students. In contrast to other Russian children, they learn to express
themselves fluently in a foreign language.