
A Vision for Girls
Gender, Education, and the Bryn Mawr School
Andrea Hamilton(Author)
Johns Hopkins University Press
Published on 28. July 2004
Book
Hardback
256 pages
978-0-8018-7880-0 (ISBN)
Description
"To educate American girls and women in ways beyond the traditional has been a dangerous experiment that has challenged basic notions of female nature and has seemed to threaten the social order...One such bold venture in female education-the Bryn Mawr School of Baltimore, Maryland-is the subject of Andrea Hamilton's lively and well-researched book...In Hamilton's telling, the story of the Bryn Mawr School moves beyond its local particulars to illumine much about the history of American education and life...The importance of Hamilton's contribution is that she never loses sight of the complexity of the school and its relation to society. Her history of the Bryn Mawr School helps us understand aspects of the unique position held by American women in national social, intellectual, and cultural life."-from the Foreword by Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz Baltimore's Bryn Mawr School was founded in the 1880s, the first college-preparatory school for girls in the United States. Unlike other educational institutions at the time, the Bryn Mawr School championed intellectual equality of the sexes.
Established with the goal of providing girls with an education identical to boys' in quality and compass, it endeavored to prepare girls to excel in a public sphere traditionally dominated by men. Narrating the history of the Bryn Mawr School, Andrea Hamilton's A Vision for Girls examines the value of single-sex education, America's shifting educational philosophy, and significant changes in the role of women in American society. Hamilton reveals an institution that was both ahead of its time and a product of its time. A Vision for Girls offers an original and engaging history of an institution that helped shape educational goals in America, shedding light on the course of American education and attitudes toward women's intellectual and professional capabilities.
Established with the goal of providing girls with an education identical to boys' in quality and compass, it endeavored to prepare girls to excel in a public sphere traditionally dominated by men. Narrating the history of the Bryn Mawr School, Andrea Hamilton's A Vision for Girls examines the value of single-sex education, America's shifting educational philosophy, and significant changes in the role of women in American society. Hamilton reveals an institution that was both ahead of its time and a product of its time. A Vision for Girls offers an original and engaging history of an institution that helped shape educational goals in America, shedding light on the course of American education and attitudes toward women's intellectual and professional capabilities.
Reviews / Votes
A Vision for Girls is a skillfully written book that places Bryn Mawr in the context of girls' education in America across the 20th century... excellent work of scholarship. -- Mike Bowler Baltimore Sun Hamilton's treatment of what some might regard as controversial material cannot be faulted. -- William W. Cutler, III American Historical Review 2005 Valuable as a testimony to the import of academic freedom. -- Chara Haeussler Bohan History of Education Quarterly 2005 A Vision for Girls adds a new chapter to the history of American education and women. -- Amy Thompson McCandless Journal of American History 2005 A compelling account of how the history of the Bryn Mawr School parallels the history of female education in the United States, as well as the broader history of the changing roles and expectations of women in American culture. -- Alice Ginsberg Feminist Teacher 2005 Valuable... suitable reading for undergraduate and graduate women's studies or education courses. -- Rebekah Buchanan Feminist Collections 2007More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Baltimore, MD
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 160 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
503 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8018-7880-0 (9780801878800)
DOI
10.56021/9780801878800
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Andrea Hamilton teaches at Southern Methodist University.
Content
Foreword, by Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz
Preface
Introduction
1. The Bryn Mawr Vision: Imaging a Model School
2. Implementing the Vision: From Ideal to Institutional Realities
3. Transforming the Vision: The Bryn Mawr School in the Mid-Twentieth Century
5. Challenging the Vision: Broadening the Independent School Philosophy and Constituency
6. Reinventing the Vision: A School for Girls
Conclusion
Notes
Index
Preface
Introduction
1. The Bryn Mawr Vision: Imaging a Model School
2. Implementing the Vision: From Ideal to Institutional Realities
3. Transforming the Vision: The Bryn Mawr School in the Mid-Twentieth Century
5. Challenging the Vision: Broadening the Independent School Philosophy and Constituency
6. Reinventing the Vision: A School for Girls
Conclusion
Notes
Index