Historical research on women’s education in the
United States has shifted from focusing on policy initiatives to internal dynamics of schools
and classrooms. The additive nature of the new writings of women’s education
causes concern that it has been increasingly challenging to write women’s
education in a way unfettered by the established, sometimes ideologically
dominated, paradigm of historical research. In response to this claim, I
examined and evaluated historical writings on women’s education in three
historical periods in the United States: the antebellum era from the 1780s to
the 1860s, the progressive era from 1860s to 1920s and the era of World Wars
and Cold War from the 1920s to 1980s. I argue
that most of the “additive” works in the history of women’s education
are based on an integrative understanding and examination of socio-economic
forces that shaped the landscape of education for all. The agency of women in
higher education, as reflected in these historical studies, has gradually
transformed the history of women’s education. An innovative research paradigm that synthesizes the divided, sometimes
contradictory, historical scholarship is needed to better reveal the history of
women’s education.
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