Ellwood Patterson Cubberley (June 6, 1868 – September 14, 1941) was an American educator, a

eugenicist Eugenics is a set of largely discredited beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetics, genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter the frequency of various human Phenotype, phenotypes by ...

, and a pioneer in the field of

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. He spent most of his career as a professor and later served as the first dean of the

Stanford University Graduate School of Education The Stanford University Graduate School of Education (Stanford GSE or GSE) is one of the top education schools in the United States. It offers master's and doctoral programs in more than 25 areas of specialization, along with joint degrees with ...

in California.

Biography

Cubberley, who was born in Andrews, Indiana, was the son of Edwin Blanchard Cubberley and Catherine C. Biles. He graduated from

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

in 1891, and then served as president of

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from 1891 until 1896. On June 15, 1892 he married Helen Van Uxem, a fellow student he had met at Indiana University. He was superintendent of schools in

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from 1896 until 1898. He joined the faculty of

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

, then went to

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

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

eugenic Eugenics is a set of largely discredited beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter the frequency of various human phenotypes by inhibiting the ferti ...

intelligence, and in his work, he propagated

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views about fundamentally lower intelligence in non-white races.

Work & influence

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. 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. Cubberley pioneered the use of the school survey as an instrument to improve education, in his reports on the schools in

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; New York City;

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;

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; and

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. In conducting surveys, he applied an integrated theory of organization, administration, and teaching, to assess the strengths and weaknesses of individual schools. He used the latest statistical and quantitative methods. His surveys were significant steps down a new road toward improving school functions. Cubberley's work influenced the establishment of the factory model of curriculum implemented widely throughout North America well into the 21st century. Cubberley's academic legacy has been controversial. Since his death in 1941, Cubberley's impact has been attacked, most memorably by

Lawrence Cremin Lawrence Arthur Cremin (October 31, 1925 – September 4, 1990) was an American educational historian and administrator. Biography Cremin attended Townsend Harris High School in Queens, and then received his B.A. and M.A. from City College of N ...

's ''The Wonderful World of Ellwood Patterson Cubberley'' (1965). Some academicians have used Cubberley's methodology as a cautionary tale and termed his approach anachronistic and evangelistic, and some of his administration stances have been attacked as sexist and autocratic. The Ellwood Patterson Cubberley Papers, 1886-1965 (3.25 linear ft.) are housed in the Department of Special Collections and University Archives in the Stanford University Libraries.

Recognition

*The Cubberley Education Library at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

is named for him, as is Cubberley Auditorium in the Stanford School of Education.Cubberley Auditorium
/ref> * Ellwood P. Cubberley High School (1956-1979) in

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was named for him; the site of the former school now houses the

Cubberley Community Center The Cubberley Community Center, known locally as "Cubberley", is a community center in Palo Alto, California, that has been in operation since 1990. It is housed on the campus of the former Ellwood P. Cubberley High School. Space is available for ...

. *Elementary schools in

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and

Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

, California, are named for him.

Selected publications

Cubberley published a total of 30 works during his life, including: *''Syllabus of Lectures on the History of Education'', 190
online
*''Changing conceptions of education'' (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1909
online
*''Public Education in the United States'', 191
online
*''The history of education: Educational practice and progress considered as a phase of the development and spread of western civilization'' (Houghton Mifflin, 1920
online
*''Readings in the History of Education'', 192
online
*''A Brief History of Education'', 192
online
*''Public School Administration'', 192
online
*''Public Education in the United States'', republished in 1947 *''State and county educational reorganization ; the revised constitution and school code of the state of Osceola'', 191
online

Notes

External links