This monograph provides an overview of the major events, developments, trends and changes that have shaped public education—primarily elementary and secondary education—in Alberta from 1905 to 2000. It also touches on the territorial period before the province entered Confederation and on key developments in postsecondary education.
In 1967, the 100th anniversary of Confederation, J W Chalmers wrote Schools of the Foothills Province: The Story of Public Education in Alberta. In a modest way, this monograph attempts to extend that classic work by focusing on the many events since the late sixties that have influenced public education in Alberta and that form the historical backdrop against which teachers currently practise their profession.
The high regard in which Albertans hold public education is epitomized in the work of Myrna Kostash. In her 1978 book All of Baba's Children, Kostash, an Albertan, describes the marvel of public education on the Canadian prairies as seen through the eyes of her grandmother. Born a peasant in the Ukraine before the upheaval of World War I, her grandmother was constantly amazed that ordinary people in this new country had the opportunity to attend school and improve their lives. For Baba, public education, which by mid-century had come to be taken for granted, was something astounding and wonderful.
This monograph attempts to answer, among others, the following questions about public education in Alberta: What are its origins and roots? What has been its shape since the founding of the province? What were its great periods? What have been some of its great accomplishments? What were its most challenging periods?
The story of public education is deeply woven into the social, economic and political history of the province. As the following pages tell, public education in Alberta has gone through pioneer times, times of accomplishment, times of reversal, times of change and times of challenge. Furthermore, the educational currents in which students, teachers and the public navigate today flow, at least in part, from events of the past.
For the purposes of this monograph, the history of public education in Alberta can be said to begin in the 19th century and to be limited to events that took place in North America. The narrative moves forward chronologically, beginning with the territorial period before 1905 (the year in which Alberta became a province) and progressing gradually to the year 2000.
In general, the story is presented by considering the milestone events that took place in each decade of this period. Occasionally, influential educators and other people who figured prominently in the story of public education are mentioned. For each period, the monograph describes the social setting in which public education operated. The monograph also assumes that Alberta's system of public education is, by its very nature, part of the social, economic and political fabric of the province. Public education both shapes society and is shaped by society.
The monograph concludes with a summary of the major developments that influenced public education in Alberta. An epilogue then attempts to put these developments into perspective. Two appendices follow: a chronology of significant events that occurred in the period under study and a set of study question.
Motivations for exploring our educational past can vary. One ready source of inspiration for exploring Alberta's educational history is simply pride. As Dr Walter H Worth, author of the well-known Worth Report, declared, "It is important that Albertans realize how good we are in the field of education because pride in past accomplishments can spur us on to future achievements" (McIntosh and Hodysh 1992, 43).
« Previous | Next »
