Progressive Education and Catholic Schooling in the Archdiocese of Vancouver, British Columbia, 1924-1960

• In Event: Roundtable Session 29
  In Roundtable Session: Perspectives in Catholic Education: Changes Over Time

Abstract

Between the early 1920s and 1960, Catholic schools in the Vancouver Archdiocese grew considerably from an assortment of independently operated private and parochial schools to a centralized diocesan system with over three-dozen schools. In the same time period, public education underwent significant changes with the introduction of progressive education. This study used archival research to examine the influence of progressive education on the curriculum, pedagogy, and philosophy in Vancouver’s Catholic schools. Without government funding, Catholic educational leaders in this period were seeking to raise academic standards and demonstrate the legitimacy and necessity of Catholic schooling. While they were willing to implement progressive methods and curriculum, Catholic schoolteachers and administrators were unwilling to compromise their philosophy of education.

Author

• Katie Gemmell, The University of British Columbia