Education conceives itself as something that cannot end. Pedagogy talks of lifelong learning and teachers would never say that their work is finished just because students graduate. But education must also be planned and must therefore rely on organizations (schools, universities). On this level, education can distinguish between different school levels, between thresholds pupils have to overcome, between before and after, and can name its outcomes (qualifications and titles) -- all this depending on the given historical and social context. The contingency of its organizational forms is opposed to the universal necessity of education. The article advances the hypothesis that this contrast is 'hidden' by the idea of 'reform': the frequency and quantity of organizational changes affecting modern educational institutions has therefore the function of reconciling an endless education with the finiteness of its concrete forms.