This paper examines what it calls the "theoretically methodological starting points" of educational reform within the larger context of social change. It states that educational reforms can appear as a result of radical social changes, that educational reforms are the operationalization and institutionalization of social transformation. These social changes appear in various realms, including science, economics, and politics. The paper analyzes various theoretical orientations, particularly those dealing with the theory of conflict and the theory of balance. The paper goes on to discuss two aspects of educational reform: aim (philosophical, ideological, and political goals) and process (how the reform is established, formulated, and realized). The paper states that the duality in detection of the aims and reform process presents methodological difficulty in the conception, realization, and evaluation of the reform because every reform results from the aims of education. (Contains 11 references.) (WFA)