Description
Book SynopsisAmong the most radical of the Meiji reforms was a plan for a centralized, compulsory educational system modeled after those in Europe and America. But with almost no support from the government, local officials, teachers, and citizens pursued alternative visions. Their efforts led to the growth and consolidation of a new educational system.
Trade ReviewThis fascinating chronicle of the development of mass education in Japan before and after the watershed Meiji restoration of 1868 brings to life the complexity of educational development there. Japan was one of the first countries to develop a mass education system in the latter 18th-century, mostly as the result of local initiatives...This volume provides an excellent analysis of a central period of Japan's educational change and development, focusing on both policy shifts and local initiatives and reactions. -- P. G. Altbach * Choice *
Through a keen and lucid analysis, Platt shows the modern school system to have emerged in a complex negotiation among teachers, school administrators, local notables, and national bureaucrats. * Journal of Asian History *
