For decades the American School Counselor Association has recommended that schools employ one counselor for every 250 students, but there is limited evidence the policy promotes student success. This article investigates the origins of the 60-year-old recommendation, examining how and why it has persisted. Drawing on historical documents, it…

There are currently very few brass bands in schools in Australia, however they were the predominant music ensemble in Australian schools up to the 1970s. The aim of this article is to document the popularity of British-style brass bands in Australia, and the corresponding development of brass bands in schools during the 20th century. The history…

In this essay, we explore the concept of path dependence through the example of the long-standing issue of racialized exclusionary school discipline. We argue that historians of education can reduce policy makers' tendency to continue down existing policy paths (especially unhelpful ones), a phenomenon known as "path dependence." We use…

Orff-Schulwerk has become a foundational element of U.S. music education. Often positioned as an open, exploratory, and approachable form of music teaching and learning, it is associated with developing musicianship and, importantly, creativity. This article, drawing from a curriculum studies approach, considers the epistemologies, histories, and…

We explore the literature on internationalization in higher education and distinguish between the mainstream and radical approaches to critical scholarship. We argue that the mainstream approach continues to steer internationalization towards socially progressive and equitable aims, while growing concerns have surfaced especially with regard to…

Prescriptive discourse, which favors certain variants over others, like "different from" vs. "different than," has usually been characterized in terms of correctness in spelling, punctuation, word meaning, or grammar. Yet usage guides in the 20th century have added numerous entries that focus more on style considerations than…

This case study of the Russian Empire, based on the analysis of more than 100 primary sources in the form of textbooks on domestic history (uchebniki otechestvennoi istorii) and archival documentation, is intended to help understand the evolution of the formation of domestic history as a school subject as an integral part of the imperialist…

This article is a quick inquiry into the quest for knowledge. Preliminary steps include the idea of light as it was promulgated during the period of Enlightenment, followed by the relevant role played by education, and then focusing on the passion for knowledge, as it is found in major literary and philosophical works. Curiosity and…

We are in the midst of yet another battle in the reading wars. Before the fog of war overcomes us yet again, we should recall recent history where an attempt at a resolution--Reading First--mostly left ambiguity in its wake. Moving forward, there is a foundation upon which to build. But doing so will require learning from the past, addressing…

This essay opens with a question about what science teaching would look like in a world where categorical seams of human diversity were not probabilistic determinants of science learning. After revisiting Hewson and Hewson's description of an "appropriate conception of science teaching," I detail the ways in which the field of science…

The terms giftedness and genius entered the research literature in the 19th century. Although not synonymous, both terms were defined according to potential or actual achievement in a specific domain. However, in the early 20th century, both terms became defined according to performance on domain-generic IQ tests. Given the empirical relations…

In the HPM (History and Pedagogy of Mathematics) literature, the three mathematicians Henri Poincaré (1854-1912), Felix Klein (1849-1925), and Hans Freudenthal (1905-1990) are often mentioned in relation to having opinions about the role of the history of mathematics in the teaching and learning of mathematics. Such mentioning often appears…

A crisis of immense magnitude persists in higher education in the United States. For this third edition of "The Racial Crisis in American Higher Education," Kofi Lomotey and William A. Smith have gathered outstanding scholars in the field to address this dilemma on several levels. In thirteen original essays, contributors establish a…

The notion of the human person, together with the importance that the Catholic community has, since its inception, given to the educational enterprise, has led various authors, including Augustine, Abelard, and Aquinas, among others, to reflect on the meaning of intellect and talents and their effects on education. Yet such reflections were never…

The first years of the 20th century saw an intriguing partnership between two high-profile figures in elementary education. Between them they offered a tantalising progressive vision for primary schooling. Harriet Johnson gained followers for Sompting School as far away as the USA and Japan, and the chief inspector of elementary schools, Edmond…