Ellwood Patterson Cubberley: Difference between revisions

'''Ellwood Patterson Cubberley''' (June 6, 1868 – September 14, 1941) was an American educator, a [[eugenics|eugenicist]], and a pioneer in the field of [[education management]]. He spent most of his career as a professor and later served as the first dean of the [[Stanford University Graduate School of Education]] in California.<ref name="Maldonado">{{cite web |url=https://stanforddaily.com/2020/02/04/eugenics-on-the-farm-ellwood-cubberley/ |title=Eugenics on the Farm: Ellwood Cubberley |last=Maldonado |first=Ben |date=2020-02-04 |website=stanforddaily.com |publisher=The Stanford Daily Publishing Corporation}}</ref>

 

Cubberley, who was born in [[Andrews, Indiana]], was the son of Edwin Blanchard Cubberley<ref>Edwin Blanchard Cubberley (June 12, 1830 - December 10, 1905) - He was a pharmacist and dry goods merchant. Edwin married Catherine C. Biles on December 26, 1859 in New Hope, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.</ref> and Catherine C. Biles.<ref>Catherine C. Biles (June 18, 1833 - October 28, 1915) - aka "Kate" Biles.</ref> He graduated from [[Indiana University (Bloomington)|Indiana University]] in 1891, and then served as president of [[Vincennes University]] from 1891 until 1896. On June 15, 1892 he married Helen Van Uxem,<ref>Helen Van Uxem (August 4, 1871 - January 25, 1952) - aka "Nettie" Van Uxem.</ref> a fellow student he had met at Indiana University. He was superintendent of schools in [[San Diego, California]] from 1896 until 1898. He joined the faculty of [[Stanford]], then went to [[Columbia University]] where he earned a Ph.D. in 1905. He returned to the Stanford faculty in 1906 as a professor of education. He was the dean of the Stanford school of education from 1917 until he retired in 1933. Much of his work on "educational efficiency" was tied to the idea of [[eugenics|eugenic]] intelligence, and in his work, he propagated [[racism|racist]] views about fundamentally lower intelligence in non-white races.<ref name="Maldonado" />

 

For much of the 20th century, the dominant historiography of schooling in America was exemplified by Cubberley. His many textbooks emphasized the rise of American education as a powerful force for literacy, democracy, and equal opportunity, and a firm basis for higher education and advanced research institutions. He advocated enlightenment and modernization over ignorance, cost-cutting, and traditionalism in which parents tried to block their children's intellectual access to the wider world. Teachers dedicated to the public interest, reformers with a wide vision, and public support from the civic-minded community were the heroes. The textbooks helped inspire students to become public school teachers and thereby fulfill their own civic mission.<ref>Lawrence A. Cremin, ''The Wonderful World of Ellwood Patterson Cubberley'' (1965)</ref>

Cubberley was perhaps the most significant theorist of educational administration of his day. At the outset of Cubberley's career, school administration had no theoretical or scientific basis. There were no formal textbooks from which to teach educational administration; educational administrators were expected to learn solely from experience. Indeed, educational administration posts were often political plums requiring little, if any, formal training in education. Most universities lacked education departments.

*[[Ellwood P. Cubberley High School]] (1956-1979) in [[Palo Alto, California]] was named for him; the site of the former school now houses the [[Cubberley Community Center]].

*Elementary schools in [[San Diego]] and [[Long Beach, California|Long Beach]], California, are named for him.

 

==Notes==