Julio Ortega Frier: Architect Behind Schooling During the 1916 U.S. Occupation of the Dominican Republic

• In Event: Ideology and the Shaping of International Education

Abstract

Julio Ortega Frier, a Dominican educated in the United States, was the key interlocutor in the project to modernize the education system based on the U.S. education policy during the U.S. occupation of the Dominican Republic, 1916-1924. Rather than relying on assumptions about U.S. influence over the adoption of the education policies during this authoritative regime, this paper uses historical methods to study the figure Julio Ortega Frier in order to comprehend the philosophies and motivations behind local actors’ decision to collaborate. Drawing from sources from the Department of Public Instruction in the Dominican Republic, this paper argues that examining the reforms through the perspective of Julio Ortega Frier provides crucial insights as to why the U.S. reforms were adopted.

Author

• Alexa Rodriguez, Teachers College, Columbia University