Studies in Educational Change by Richard D. Heyman, Robert F. Lawson, Robert M. Stamp (review)

452 THE CANADIAN HISTORICAL REVIEW present anaccurate historical pictureof TheCanadian Forum asitwas, coming intothe homes andlives ofthoughtful, liberal-minded readers monthbymonth,yearbyyear, throughout the country'schangefulhistory since •9•o. Instead, despitethe chronological format of the book, they createa picture colouredand shaped specifically tomeetthetastes andviews of manymid-•97osCanadians including, no doubt,thecurrentmanagers of themagazine's destinies. The resultisanundeniably fascinating anthology high-lighting greatmoments in thepolitical andculturalhistory ofmodernCanada. The political history isofcourse seen inaprogressive perspective, notably underthebrilliantlightofF.H. Underhill's searching candourandintelligence. Butthewholepolitical spectrum isdiscernible, angled fortheinterest oftoday's audience, fromJ.S. Woodsworth's bizarre andwildly utopian notionsabout 'a systemof unemployedinsurance'in •9•, to concern expressed in •9•4 about'aSeparatist movement inFrenchCanada,' andtothearrival onthescene of allthemodernprimeministers onebyonefrom Mackenzie King('as Premier of Canadahe is an absurdand preposterous person')to Trudeau and Trudeauism. The sense ofrelevance totoday's concerns is just as strong inthe much-emphasi•.ed culturalaspects of theselection. There isscarcely awriternowconsidered tohavea placeinthecanon ofEnglish-Canadian literaturefromthetimeof Pratttothearrival of MargaretAtwoodwhoisnotrepresented in thesepages. There isa mostimpressivebody of poetry,and alsosomeimportantcriticalwriting, as, for example, NorthropFrye'smasterly essay onA.J.M. Smith's Book ofCanadian Poetry in •943. Confrontedwith a collection whichiscertainlya delightto hold and to browse through,a reviewermayseemungratefulto showdisappointment, evena little dismay,at the creaturebegotby Granatstein and Stevens out of the voluminous originalfiles.This editorialselection essentially tries to make over TheCanadian Forum in theimageofthe•97os magazine: 'Generally, articles thatdiscussed foreign phenomena were...excluded, andtheemphasis throughoutisdeliberately focussed onCanada.'Whatawealthof intelligent,concerned thoughtanddiscussion hashad tobesacrificed, andwhata distorted pictureresults. The editorialstaffof the •97os journal are withintheir rights,and indeedare operatingin the generously flexible traditionof theirpredecessors, toconcentrate thejournalonthenationalconsciousness . They aredoingsowithbrilliantsuccess, andnodoubttheirsisoneof themost vitalepochs in thejournal'shistory.Nevertheless, throughoutmostof thathistory, TheCanadian Forumwasnot primarily a nationalist voice.Its achievement wasto bring to consciousness a whole range of subjects, both nationaland 'foreign phenomena,' sothateducated, civilized, modernpeoplecouldbehelpedtoviewthe worldin perspective. TherewasagreatdealmoretoTheCanadian Forum's distinction thanForumchooses to recognize. F.W. WATT University ofToronto Studies inEducational Change. RICHARD D.HEYMAN, ROBERT F.LAWSON, andROBERT M. STA•aP. Toronto,Holt,Rinehart andWinston, •97•. Pp.xii, •59. $4.95The history of education hasmadegreatstrides in recentyears. No longerdoesit REVIEWS 453 consist primarilyof hymnsof praisetodeceased administrators orcelebrations of the egalitarianvirtuesof the publicschool.Scholarshave now cometo recognizethat educational systems havefrequentlyfunctionedasameansof social control.Assuch theyembodythevaluesanddesires of thedominantgroupsin society, ratherthana disinterested desirefor thespreadof learning. The authorsof thisvolumehaveclearlybeeninfluencedbythesenewcurrentsof thought.What theyundertakeis'aninvestigation of the sources andreasons for educational reforminanumberofdifferentsocieties.' Assuming thatmovements for change canbest beunderstood asattempts byonegrouporanother tosecure political or economic advantage, theyprovidethereaderwiththreehistorical case studies. Professor Stampanalyzes curriculum reformin earlytwentieth-century Ontario, Professor Heymandeals withevents inEastAfricasince•92o,andProfessor Lawson discusses theschool systems setup in EastandWestBerlinsince theSecond World War. This approach works most effectively inProfessor Heyman's case. Hedescribes the clearconflictbetweenthe educational aimsof Kikuyu subjects and their British imperialmasters inKenya.Present-day educational planning inTanzania,hepoints out,isgoverned bylong-termprojections concerning theneedfortrainedmanpower to develop thenational economy. The section on Germanyismuchless successful. Too muchof it istakenup witha description of theBerlinschool system, andthe conclusions sometimes smack of bureaucratic propaganda, languageandall: 'The newsystem model[sic],whilestaying withinthefundamental Germaneducational framework,broadensand extendsopportunitiesfor all children, further individualizes theschool programme, andintegrates educational, vocational andsocial learnings [sic]foranimproved transition fromtheschool totheworkworld.' Here, I think, a significant weakness of the approachadoptedis revealed.As Professor Heymanhimselfadmits, theconcern iswiththeproducers of education, notitsconsumers. All threeauthors adoptatime-honoured approach tothestudyof publicpolicyformation:pressure groupslike churches, unions,parties,or trade associations seemtointeract withpoliticians andbureaucrats inavacuum withonlya fewgeneralities aboutthesocial environment aroundthem.Nowheredowelearn whatindividual students (ortheirparents) thoughtabouttheschool system, orwhat theywishedit todo for them. Withinthisrathernarro•w framework Professor Stamp hasprovided uswitha usefulaccount of certainchanges whichtookplacein Ontarioearlyinthetwentieth century.Althoughhighly praised,the schoolsystemcreatedduring the Mowat regimewasprimarilydesigned for thetinypercentage of students whoaimedto attendtheuniversity. Asaresultsome educators became disenchanted and,drawing uponexperience gainedin othercountries, determinedto try and introduceboth newmethods of teaching anda newrangeof subjects with practical application to everyday life.Kindergartens madetheirappearance, alongwithmanualtrainingand domestic science attheprimarylevel,whiletechnical education wasbegunin secondary schools. The role of suchforgottenbureaucrats asJamesHughesandJohn Seathinbringingaboutthesereformsiswelldescribed. Ontariowas undergoing rapidurbanization andindustrialization atthistime,and the introductionof technical education, in particular,wassupportedby boththe 454 THE CANADIAN HISTORICAL REVIEW CanadianManufacturers'Association and the Trades and Labour Congress asa means offittinggraduates totheconditions of modernlife.The Whitneyadministration respondedto this pressurewith the Industrial EducationAct of •9 • •. This sectionof the book concludes with a rather cursorysurveyof the changing philosophy oftheOntarioDepartment ofEducation fromabout•9•o tothepresent. There can be no doubtof the...