1. 1. The History of Mass Education Dr Rachel Buchanan
2. 2. History of mass education Australian Experience What was the job of a teacher? Overview
3. 3. Key terms Dr Rachel Buchanan3 Mass Education Formal systems of compulsory schooling, Education policy - Government policy related to Education Ideology - the body of doctrine, myth, belief, etc., that guides an individual, social movement, institution, class, or large group. Socialisation modification of an individuals behaviour to conform to the demands of social life
4. 4. Why is the history of mass education in Australia like Shrek? Dr Rachel Buchanan4
5. 5. Did you say layers? We will now explore the layers within the Australian school system Dr Rachel Buchanan5
6. 6. Dr Rachel Buchanan6 Prior to the Enlightenment, Medieval Europe was a highly segregated and structured society. Difficult to move between classes and roles within society. Nation states, as we understand them today, did not exist changing territories and kingdoms. The institutions of society (such as Marriage, Monarchy, Church) were believed to be of divine origin and therefore unchallengeable. Every society has always educated their young. However, mandatory formal systems of schooling are a relatively recent historical development
7. 7. Origins of Mass Education Dr Rachel Buchanan7 The Reformation and the Enlightenment slowly changed these perceptions. Newly emerging belief in progress being achieved through reason and scientific exploration and discovery. Education becoming increasingly important for a higher percentage of the population. Between 1869 and 1882 most western countries implemented compulsory education for both sexes. Education is linked to state formation
8. 8. Dr Rachel Buchanan8 By 20th century education systems accounted for the second largest amount of expenditure (armies accounted for the largest) Employed the greatest number of people Supervised by large, gendered, bureaucracies.
9. 9. The wealthy believed that education was a means of controlling the masses and avoiding revolutionary turmoil Children of the people, they believed, could be taught docility, humility and resignation. They could be trained to obey orders with precision, joyously, without being given a reason, promised a reward, or threatened with punishment (Miller, 2004, pp. 132-33).Dr Rachel Buchanan9
10. 10. Schooling was seen as means by which people could be inculcated with the values of the home and the church. The working classes could be trained out of their habits of insubordination. The three Rs was a means of training children in meekness, and morality (Miller, 2004). Dr Rachel Buchanan10
11. 11. Education systems set up by the wealthier classes with their own needs in mind Development of a two-tiered system Working classes under represented in higher education Lower retention rates for secondary school Lower rates of tertiary education Dr Rachel Buchanan11
12. 12. Dr Rachel Buchanan12 By the Twentieth century, most countries developed parallel educational systems with distinct clienteles and purposes: one leading to university, and usually charging fees; the other catering to the vocational needs of clerks, teachers, tradesmen, nurses and mothers
13. 13. Gender and Education Dr Rachel Buchanan13 The teaching profession - a gendered hierarchy From the late 1880s teaching was a female dominated profession With the development of state systems female workforce overseen by male bureaucracy 19th century beliefs about the female brain and purposes of education continue to impact education More female students study humanities and male students study STEM subjects Ongoing efforts to
14. 14. Dr Rachel Buchanan14 The gender patterns in education and culture established in Europe accompanied Europeans wherever they set up colonies, with racial and ethnic hierarchies added to those of gender and class. Schools that were established for the children of colonists were often divided by gender, with higher education reserved for boys. White colonists used school to civilise the natives often an explicit attempt to destroy
15. 15. Dr Rachel Buchanan15 The development of Mass Education is a global process that has local permutations, we shall now turn to the Australian experience. 19th Century developments NSW Department of School Education was established in 1880 and compulsory state schooling introduced at the Primary school level Mass schooling consolidated by Federation but remained under the jurisdiction of the states. With the introduction of compulsory schooling, non-attendance became illegal rather than immoral.
16. 16. Dr Rachel Buchanan16 The 20th century saw Expansion of schooling - development of state based high schools and strengthening of universities after WWII. Desire for equality of opportunity. Expansion of Higher Education, becoming more accessible from 1980s
17. 17. Dr Rachel Buchanan17 The development of an extensive private school system owes a lot to Australias Irish Catholic heritage and the sectarianism that divided Australian society until after World War Two Due to Australias colonial establishment the Irish were a discriminated under-class who established and maintained their own education system in order to protect not only their cultural identity, but to ensure their success in Australian society Government funding of private schools remains a contentious issue, but the Goulburn school strike of the 1960s suggests that the State school system could not handle the influx of students if government funding to private schools was withdrawn.
18. 18. Dr Rachel Buchanan18 Public versus Private schooling Inequities remain with the way that school systems are funded. State versus Federal funding Colonial origins mean that private education is embedded in Australia and remains a contentious political issue Issue of school choice;
19. 19. Education was seen as a means of controlling the Indigenous populationDr Rachel Buchanan19
20. 20. Before 1770 there were more than 500 different peoples populating the continent of Australia each group with its with its own languages and stories (Heitmeyer, 2004) Dr Rachel Buchanan20 Race and Education in Australia Control Denial Assimilation (removal) Reconciliation/Redress? Closing the Gap
21. 21. Dr Rachel Buchanan21 Public Instruction Act 1880 Any child who lived within a two mile radius of a school house, must attend school (regardless of race, creed) Clean, Clad, Courteous Policy of 1884 Aboriginal children singled out by this policy 1902 Exclusion on Demand Policy No Aboriginal children could attend school if one non Aboriginal parent objected (See Heitmeyer, 2004) Closing the Gap new policies have been introduced which attempt to redress the racism of past policies and incorporate Aboriginal perspectives and history into education (National Curriculum debate regarding History Curriculum suggests we are not reconciled with our colonial past) Community consultation, parental involvement, and language/s considerations, remote and rural geographic locations
22. 22. Dr Rachel Buchanan22 Rules for lady teachers in 1915 ~ "Part of Historical display at Halls Gap, Victoria 1. Will not marry during the term of your contract 2. You are not to keep company with men. 3. You must be home between the hours of 8pm and 6am unless attending a school function 4. You may not loiter down town in ice-cream parlours 5. You may not travel beyond the city limits with out the permission of the chair man of the board. 6. You may not ride in a carriage or auto mobile with any man unless he is you father or brother. 7. You may not smoke cigarettes. 8. You may not dress in bright colours 9. You may under no circumstances dye your hair 10. You must wear at least two petticoats and your dresses must not be shorter than two inches above the ankle. 11. To keep the school clean you must: a. Sweep the floor a least once daily b. Scrub the floor with hot soapy water at least once weekly c. Clean the blackboard at least once a day d. Start the fire at 7:00am so that the room will be warm by 8:00am.
23. 23. Dr Rachel Buchanan23 We can see from this lightning tour of the historical foundations of mass schooling in Australia, that while there have been significant changes in the operation of mass education, the dominant ideologies that formed the basis of the mass schooling system have ramifications that continue to impact today.
24. 24. Dr Rachel Buchanan EDUC100824 References Heitmeyer, D. (2004). Its not a race: Aboriginality and Education. In . In J. Allen (Ed.) Sociology of Education: Possibilities and Practices (pp. 220-249). Southbank, Vic: Social Science Press. Kyle, N. (1999). Reconstructing childhood. In D. Meadmore, B. Burnett, & P. OBrien (Eds.), Understanding Education: Contexts and agendas for the new millennium (pp. 18- 25). Sydney: Prentice Hall. Miller, P. (2004). Gender and education before and after mass schooling. In M. E. Wiesner-Hanks, & T. Meade (Eds.), Blackwell Companion to Gender History (pp. 129- 145). Melbourne: Blackwell. Teese, R. & Polesel, J. (2003). Undemocratic schooling: Equity and quality in mass secondary education in Australia. Carlton, Vic: Melbourne University Press. Theobald, M.R. (1996). Knowing women: origins of womens education in nineteenth century Australia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Vick, M. (2004). Watching the clock: Changes and continuities in schools and society. In J. Allen (Ed.) Sociology of Education: Possibilities and Practices (pp. 54-80). Southbank, Vic: Social Science Press.