The Early Erosion of Teacher Autonomy

• In Event: Poster Session 2
  In Poster Session: Division K Section 8 Poster Session 2

Abstract

This paper, part of a larger project on the history of standards in education, investigates the definition and understanding of teacher autonomy historically, to determine when--and where--teachers began to lose autonomy in the teaching and learning process. Through analyzing historical curricular documents, we find that by the 1890s, as states slowly began to play a larger role in schools, this autonomy began to recede. More specifically, teachers were explicitly given great freedom regarding how to teach, but not what to teach. This finding indicates that teachers have not had full autonomy over teaching and learning for over a century, and demonstrates the need for a clearer definition of autonomy to guide both researchers and reformers.

Author

• Sarah Anne Eckert, The Pennsylvania State University