Pioneering Global Education for the 20th Century: Dr. Isaac L. Kandel’s Ideas

• In Event: The world in Teachers College, Teachers College in the world

Proposal

Dr. Isaac Kandel, a Romanian-born English scholar, entered Teachers College as a doctoral student at a time when many researchers were seeking to understand education in international contexts, detailing historical underpinnings and common characteristics of schools and teachers. Kandel joined fellow Teachers College students in this exploration of global schooling, notably Frederick Earnest Farrington who inquired into the training of public primary school teachers in France (Farrington, 1904); and Peter Sandiford whose studies focused on teacher training in England and Wales (Sandiford, 1910). Kandel’s studies focused on elementary school teacher training in Germany with his dissertation detailing the six-year training course established for teachers (Kandel, 1910). Even in this early work, his emphasis on the influence of sociocultural factors on public education systems was apparent. Kandel discussed the difficulty of considering the value of the educational system of a foreign country from an American standpoint given differences in government and educational systems. He concluded that some standardization of requirements in training was necessary and lacking in the American educational system. However, he warned against complete centralization, as in Germany, which disregarded local needs and variations (Kandel, 1910).

Kandel continued to pursue his interest in comparative education as an instructor and then Associate Professor at Teachers College. In 1923 he became a professor of education and an associate in the Teachers College International Institute where he worked until 1946 (Wraga, 2003). At the International Institute, established by Dr. Paul Monroe, Kandel joined William F. Russell, John Dewey, George Counts, William Heard Kilpatrick, Will McCall, and Thomas Alexander in researching educational systems around the world. Kandel also served as editor of the Institute’s Educational Yearbook, which detailed the progress of education in countries worldwide (TC Today, 2009). His work argued for the importance of examining the sociopolitical context of schooling, warning of the limitations of statistical comparisons of student achievement for making inferences about educational systems (Wraga, 2003). As Kandel (1933) stated in Comparative Education, "The chief value of a comparative approach to [educational] problems lies in an analysis of the causes which have produced them, in a comparison of the differences between the various systems and the reasons underlying them, and, finally, a study of the solutions attempted" (p. xix).

Dr. Kandel’s scholarship, spanning educational history, philosophy, and testing, was rooted in Essentialism, arguing for the learning of basic skills, arts, and sciences with an emphasis on effort and discipline (Pollack, 1989). Kandel opposed many of the tenets of Progressivism that were being promoted in the early twentieth century, as outlined in The Cult of Uncertainty (1943), instead emphasizing “common understanding, common knowledge, common ideals, and common values” through liberal education (p. 126). Kandel fulfilled this role as a doctoral advisor and professor to numerous international students at Teachers College, supporting the Institute’s successful recruitment efforts, which drew some 4,000 international students to the college during its lifespan (TC Today, 2009).

Author

• Kara Gavin, Teachers College, Columbia University