This article explores the elaboration of Bolshevik educational policy that was underway in February--October 1917, even before the establishment of the Soviet regime. The initial steps towards formulating this policy were undertaken as soon as the Bolshevik party was legalized under the Provisional Government. In May--June 1917 a reassessment of the party's educational programme was proposed and a school municipal programme was developed. The Bolsheviks addressed seriously the role of propaganda among teachers and supported the organization of the Social Democratic Teachers' Group in Petrograd. Moreover, efforts to implement specific aspects of the Bolshevik programme were undertaken in the Vyborgskii district of Petrograd, where the Bolsheviks controlled the local Duma. The successes and failures of these early attempts to devise a communist educational strategy are scrutinized and assessed here. The study is based on an analysis of the contemporary press, archival materials and published documents. (Contains 127 footnotes.)