From Holland to Hamburg: the experimental and community schools of Hamburg seen through the eyes of Dutch observers (1919–1933)

In the period 1919–1933 the experimental and community schools in Hamburg tried to put into practice a new model of schooling without a set curriculum that was based on providing a considerable amount of freedom for pupils and teachers. These experiences were introduced in the Netherlands by way of magazines published by the New Education Fellowship (NEF) or Dutch journals edited by educationalists and university professors. The Hamburg schools were also visited by Christian Anarchist teachers who were connected with new schools in the Netherlands and who already had experimented with new ways of life in small communities. In this article we describe their experiences in Hamburg. Their observation reports would not trigger a growing interest in a social community type of schooling; in general Dutch teachers, even the socialist ones, did not change their preference for the traditional classroom system of education. More individualistic methods from Montessori and Parkhurst (Dalton Plan), supported by university professors and inspectors of education, were considered to have more potential for changing the classroom system from within.     

Educational theory and practice in post-revolutionary times: the European academic debate on the experimental schools in Hamburg (1919–1933) in the 1930s and 1970s

After the revolution in 1918, many reformist teachers were convinced that they could put into practice their dreams of a free and independent school in a democratic republic. Four state schools in Hamburg became anti-authoritarian school communities, in which teachers, parents and students experimented with revolutionary concepts of education. For two schools, the experiment lasted until 1930, when they voluntarily gave up their status as experimental schools. The remaining two schools lost this status in 1933 after the National Socialist seizure of power. The experimental schools in Hamburg attracted the attention of educationalists worldwide, welcoming a large number of visitors during their existence and inspiring academic studies. The German–Swiss educationalist Robert Jakob Schmid presented a critical study on the Hamburg school communities in his doctoral thesis, published in French during his stay in Geneva in 1936. His work fell into oblivion for more than three decades, until it was reprinted in French and later translated into Spanish, German, Portuguese and Italian in the 1970s. The publishers of these editions were not interested in spreading Schmid’s critiques regarding the school communities and distorted his argumentation by different means, such as partial translations, shortening the most critical aspects or adding long introductions. In this way, they tried to use Schmid’s study as a tool to support their own argumentative interests in the educational discourse of the 1970s.     

Circulation and internationalisation of pedagogical concepts and practices in the discourse of education: The Hamburg school reform experiment (1919–1933)

In the context of the international exchange of school reform ideas and concepts, the new schools in Hamburg were recognised as exemplary instances of a revolutionary and forceful reform in the public elementary school systems. Based on studies of transfer and their premise that the transnational transfer of ideas, practices and objects does not occur spontaneously, but requires specific mechanisms of transmission, this contribution explores the circulation and exchange of pedagogical practices and concepts within the discourse of New Education by looking at the example of the Hamburg experimental and community schools (Hamburger Versuchs- und Gemeinschaftsschulen). A key question in this process is how the Hamburg schools could acquire the great international importance they held. The analysis includes both personal and institutional communication networks of the experimental schoolteachers, the international journals and conferences of the New Education Fellowship, school visits and various reports and documentations of the schools produced by foreign visitors. It shows not only the key role that transnational exchange played in the education reform debates of the 1920s, but also offers clues to the cultural patterns and beliefs that influenced the circulation and reception of ideas.     

Heroism and Volksgemeinschaft (ethnic community) in National Socialist education 1933–1945

Abstract

This article pursues the question of what the significance was of the discursive construction of heroism for the National Socialist indoctrination of children in the context of communication processes at school. In particular, it is about ideological-educational intentions pursued in the context of teaching early readers as well as about topical foci and ways of communication. This is analysed by the example of reading primers. Based on the category-guided qualitative topical analysis of a representative body of 113 reading primers, the presentation of heroes as well as the constructs of heroic behaviour is worked out.     

Community and the myth of the ideal school: Circulation and appropriation of the Hamburg Gemeinschaftsschulen in Spain (1922–1933)

The progressive education movement was known in Spain from its very inception, and in fact many of its pedagogical theories and practices reached Spain before reaching other European countries. Yet traditional historiography has always maintained that Spain was never integrated in the progressive education movement, a misconception that helps explain the lack of research in the field. Recent historiographical research, however, has shown that numerous Spanish schools served as laboratories for the implementation of progressive education methods in the 1920s and 1930s. The Spanish educational system proved itself to be especially open to international innovation in general and Spain actually enjoyed a privileged position for the study of how innovative pedagogical ideas could be incorporated and appropriated. Proof of this affirmation can be found in the introduction and dissemination throughout Spain of the experimental public school movement of Hamburg known as Gemeinschaftsschulen.

This article will focus on the way this movement was received in Spain. We will examine the phenomenon from a double perspective, corresponding to the different positions that scholars found themselves in within the educational panorama of the time. On the one hand we will examine the role of the “grass-roots” educators who wished to change schools “from below”, starting with classroom practices. On the other hand we will take a look at the representatives of “high pedagogy”, who were intent on formulating a pedagogical theory on which to base a political–ideological model that would serve to change the school “from above”. Tensions arising among the different pedagogical groups, along with the ambiguity of the translation into Spanish of the term Gemeinschaftsschulen, led to the different groups appropriating the concept in different ways. The evolution of the term Gemeinschaftsschulen, from its original identification with a localised school experiment in Hamburg to its becoming a symbol for virtually all European school vanguards, will be addressed at the conclusion of the article.     

The end of Hamburg’s Anglophilia: Wilhelmine Hamburg attitudes viewed through school examination essays and a university lecture (1912–1914)

Late nineteenth-century German–English rivalry changed attitudes in Hamburg. Previously, the once fiercely independent city and its burgeoning mercantile middle class had developed an Anglophilia that justified Hamburg being labelled a ‘London suburb’ and ‘the most British town on the Continent’. The affinity for all things English – from liberal politics to refined fashion sense – had developed on the back of close business links by seafaring merchant adventurers, Hanseatic traders and shipping magnates. Only hesitantly did the people of Hamburg join Bismarck’s Germany, but the prospect of war demanded a drastic shift towards German patriotism. Pragmatically, the Hamburg bourgeoisie complied – and severed their intellectual and emotional bond with England. This paper investigates the extent of Hamburg’s compliance by looking at essays that were produced at extreme ends of academe. The key sources are 1913 Abitur examination essays by secondary school students on the topic ‘England and Germany – two rivals’. They are assessed here alongside a 1914 public lecture from the English faculty at Hamburg’s university. The dual ambition of this study is to examine how Hamburg’s intelligentsia coped with new loyalties brought on by changing political contexts and to assess the validity of school essays and examination papers as historical sources (in so far they must be considered a niche interest). In many ways the results are sobering. While at university level Anglophilia prevailed in a strange form of nostalgia for a great Britain of peaceful gentlemen and honest workers, who should have resisted the imperial ambitions of a corrupt banking elite that provoked the war, the students’ essays almost betray Hamburg’s heritage by simply repeating the popular and one-dimensional propaganda about warmongering British imperialists attempting to suffocate Germany’s earnest ambitions for its rightful place on the world stage. On paper at least, German nationalism had thoroughly replaced Anglophilia. There are, however, indications that while teachers and students were compliant with current popular opinion, they did not expect it to last: the England-bashing essays are written in perfect English. A lot of time and effort went into the study of English, which surely would have been superfluous if Anglo-German relations were not expected to improve again soon. Seen as a whole then, students’ essays can be valuable sources – if one looks beyond their content.     

Migrants’ educational success through innovation: The case of the Hamburg bilingual schools

Although Germany has experienced net in-migration for the past five decades, this fact has only recently been officially acknowledged. Furthermore, Germany is marked by a general monolingual self-concept very much attached to the idea of a nation-state with one homogeneous language. However, in large urban areas of Germany about 35 per cent of the population has a migration background, as has almost every second child enrolling in primary school. Hence the country is marked by this dichotomy between a monolingual policy discourse and a multilingual society, manifested in everyday life and, as a consequence, in educational institutions. The fact is that this political attitude towards Germany’s own migration history and migrants has led to an educational gap between students with a migration background and their monolingual peers. In 2000, a project was started in Hamburg, aiming to overcome this educational gap and involving the creation of bilingual schools for some of the largest migrant languages. Bilingual classes were thus set up for the following language combinations: German-Portuguese, German-Italian, German-Spanish and German-Turkish, and were evaluated by the University of Hamburg. This paper reports on the model used and the specific school outcomes of the students attending these classes.     

Education and disadvantage: the role of community‐oriented schools

The proposed development of extended schools in England is part of an international movement towards community‐oriented schooling, particularly in areas of disadvantage. Although on the face of it this movement seems like a common‐sense approach to self‐evident needs, the evaluation evidence on such schools is inconclusive. In order to assess the likelihood that community‐oriented schooling will have a significant impact on disadvantage, therefore, this paper analyses the rationale on which this approach to schooling appears to be based. It argues that community‐oriented schools as currently conceptualised have a focus on ‘proximal’ rather than ‘distal’ factors in disadvantage, underpinned by a model of social in/exclusion which draws attention away from underlying causes. They are, therefore, likely to have only small‐scale, local impacts. The paper suggests that a more wide‐ranging strategy is needed in which educational reform is linked to other forms of social and economic reform and considers the conditions which would be necessary for the emergence of such a strategy.     

The space between: building liberatory capital in a school–community partnership

Even before withstanding one of the most devastating economic crises in American history, families living in poverty have battled a dominant discourse that labels them as lacking personal responsibility, initiative, and the ability to make “good” choices. This discourse is reflected in the parent-involvement mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act, where parents living in poverty are expected to sign contracts promising to take a more active role in the education of their children. This study describes what it looked like when a grassroots, Community Based Organization (CBO) dedicated to speaking back to this dominant discourse partnered with an urban public school system to simultaneously help families leave poverty and improve the academic success of their children. This paper illustrates what it looks like when families living in poverty speak back to the dominant discourse, seek validation for their non-dominant discourses, and enter a potentially liberating Third Space between.     

The corporal punishment ban in schools: Teachers’ attitudes and classroom practices

This study examines Indian teachers’ perceptions of corporal punishment (CP), the reasons why CP still persists despite a ban, and the ways in which CP controversy reflects on social climate of the schools. Drawing from literature on custodial views of pupil control and systems theories, this qualitative study primarily uses observations and interviews to examine teachers’ perceptions related to use of CP in Delhi, India. Based on the data analysis this study concludes that alternatives to CP and successful implementation of the CP ban depend on compatibility between local and national sociocultural norms, teachers’ attitudes and beliefs towards the policies’ objectives, and the availability of resources. This study helps with understanding educator’s perception of corporal punishment as a disciplinary tool to spur meaningful action and change in the society. Additionally, this study creates a context for the policy-makers to develop equitable policies capable of helping teachers effectively to deal with students’ misbehaviour and creating safe learning environments.     

Social and educational modernisation in Spain: the work of Segell Pro Infància in Catalonia (1933–1938)

During the Second Republic of Spain (1931–1939) and within the framework of ambitious social reform, the government of the Generalitat of Catalonia launched a social and educational assistance system. This new system would be independent, modern, and capable of surpassing the traditional welfare system based on religious charity that was predominant in Spain at the time. One of the initiatives performed to obtain funding consisted of the sale of Christmas seals, whose earnings would be allocated to the fight against childhood tuberculosis. The Segell Pro Infància organisation was created for this purpose. This article analyses the origins of this institution within the socio-political context of Catalonia during the Second Republic and the Spanish Civil War, in addition to its work and activities during its brief existence. The series of actions financed by Segell were primarily directed at improving institutions that provided a social welfare system, such as crèches and nursery schools. In this analysis, the commitment of early twentieth-century Catalan nationalism to social and educational modernisation, in addition to its development of social justice policies, is revealed. This reform fits into the framework of a broader pro-sovereignty project in which Catalonia would build state structures independent of Spain.     

Achievement inequalities in Hamburg schools: how do they change as students get older?

A handful of studies have found evidence of a gap in academic achievement between students of high- and low-socioeconomic status (SES) families. Furthermore, some scholars argue that the gap tends to widen as students get older. Evidence is, however, inconclusive and relies mostly on limited methodological designs. Drawing on the Hamburg School Achievement Census 1996 to 2000 (LAU 5, 7, and 9), the authors examined the trajectory of the math and reading achievement gap associated with SES from the age of 10 to 15 years by means of cross-random-effects, panel data, and hierarchical linear models (HLM). The use of 3 time points and statistical techniques well suited to the longitudinal data contribute to the methodological advance of measurement of the gap trend. The findings indicate a narrowing gap over the course of secondary school years and are interpreted in light of the relatively open and egalitarian school policies in Hamburg.     

Agency–structure dynamics in an indigenous mathematics education community in times of an existential crisis in education

Educational Studies in Mathematics - This article is a synthesis of the historical account of the ongoing suppression of Māori indigeneity (language and cultural knowledge) in mathematics...