On May 4, 2006, French and German cultural ministers announced the publication of "Histoire/Geschichte", the world's first secondary school history textbook produced jointly by two countries. Authored by a team of French and German historians and published simultaneously in both languages, the book's release drew considerable public attention.…

In this paper, the author first cites passages that highlight the key developments and dilemmas of teacher education in Ghana in the 1960s, when the new nation resolved to prepare its largely untrained teaching force in "progressive" methods. Across the decade--and across subject areas--Ghana conducted in-service teacher training to promote group…

This article focuses on historical admissions policies and offers a more nuanced and more substantial treatment of the relationship between Populism and higher education. Prior accounts of admissions in the late nineteenth century have sensibly focused upon the tension between secondary school leaders who were mindful of their multiple…

The 1947 President's Commission on Higher Education, popularly known as the Truman Commission, offered a remarkable vision, one of an expansive, inclusive and diverse system of postsecondary education in the United States. It appeared just as hundreds of thousands of former GIs poured onto the nation's campuses, taking advantage of a little…

In the early twentieth century, many American educators pinned their hopes for a revitalized nation on the character education of "youth," especially adolescent boys. Although the emphasis on student morality was far from novel--nineteenth-century common and secondary schools operated as bastions of Protestant republican virtue--new perceptions of…

The title of this essay, comes from the Sherlock Holmes mystery entitled "Silver Blaze," which refers the "curious incident" as to the absence of an expected reaction. In this article, the author discusses an essay that will examine such an absent reaction, or at least a muted one: the limited impact of early intelligence testing on European…

In the Netherlands, the first girl admitted to a qualifying secondary education and the first female university student were sisters, Frederika and Aletta Jacobs, after the father and Aletta had made successful requests. In each case, the admission brought an end to a long-standing male privilege. And in each case contemporaries conceived of these…

Offers an account of the origins of the Regents examination system in New York providing an assessment of the preliminary examination results from 1866 to 1885 and a description of the development of advanced examinations. Discusses the implications of the New York case for understanding the emergence of credential markets. (CMK)

Explores the predominance of coeducation of secondary schools in The Netherlands, focusing on the years between 1871, when the first girl was admitted to a boys' school, and 1929. Considers topics such as the conditions of entry of the first generation of girls and the results of inquiries into school practices. (CMK)

Presents a consistent body of evidence to support the conclusion that, from the earliest decades of the 19th century, scientific subjects represented a significant and popular part of the curriculum in schools for girls. Includes evidence from primary and secondary sources. (MJP)

Presents an account of political and religious influences affecting the French secondary school, Louis Le Grand, during the eighteenth century. Shows how the development of a major institution of education can be related to historical events and pressures. (DB)

Explores the relationship between institutional structures and social values in nineteenth century England by examining features of traditional private girls' schools. Concludes that the reformed institutions served the interests of the feminist movement by answering to the social needs and cultural values of various social groups associated with…

Seventeenth Century Reformation leaders played an important role in establishing universal education in Germany. Their work created new opportunities for the individual, raised social conditions of countless people, and laid the foundation for modern science and learning. (Author/KC)

Discusses the "Anfang Movement" in Vienna and Berlin, which was the 20th century's first left-wing political movement whose main concern was independence from adult authority. The article attempts to understand the movement on the basis of recent psychoanalytic theory. (Author/KC)

Before the French Revolution, in 1789, 46 percent of the pupils in public secondary schools received free instruction compared to 13 percent of the pupils in 1842. The article examines the means by which the conclusion is arrived at, assesses its validity, and comments on some of its implications. (Author/SM)