School Acts and the Rise of Mass Schooling

This book examines school acts in the long nineteenth century, traditionally considered as milestones or landmarks in the process of achieving universal education. Guided by a strong interest in social, cultural, and economic history, the case studies featured in the book rethink the actual value, the impact, and the ostensible purpose of school acts. The thirteen national case studies focus on the manner in which school acts were embedded in their particular historical contexts, offering a comprehensive and multidisciplinary overview of school acts and the role they played in the rise of mass schooling. Drawing together research from countries across the West, the editors and contributors analyse why these acts were passed, as well as their content and impact. This seminal collection will appeal to students and scholars of school acts and the history of mass schooling. Chapter 9 of this book is available open access under a CC BY 4.0 license at link.springer.com

Johannes Westberg is Professor of Education in the School of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences at Örebro University, Sweden, and is a member of the editorial team of the Nordic Journal of Educational History. Lukas Boser is Senior Lecturer in the School of Education at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern, Switzerland. Ingrid Brühwiler is Head of the Public School Department in Canton Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Switzerland.