Description
Book SynopsisThe mid-18th to the early 20th century saw growing interest in the education of girls from all social classes in all regions of the world. During this time period of expanding empires and international travel, pioneering girls' schools were established by educational entrepreneurs, predominantly men, supported by dedicated women school administrators and teachers who ensured the smooth operation of the schools and well-being of the girls attending them. The schools preceded national and local interest in educating girls, and frequently encountered resistance from the communities they sought to serve for the challenge and potential disruption they threatened to the existing gendered social order.The author examines six of these pioneering girls' schools drawing her case studies from Britain, Colonial America, Singapore, India, Azerbaijan and Uganda. Placing each school in its geographical and historical setting, she analyses the driving forces that led their founders to undertake the o
Trade ReviewThis book purposefully and passionately examines the quest for the effective education of girls in different locations across the globe. Dr. Sperandio brilliantly captures the struggles, strife, and successes in the endeavor toward equal educational opportunities across time and geographical location. The themes of entrepreneurship, advocacy, and agency are guideposts to all of us who are concerned about truly equitable schools for all students. -- Dr. Floyd D. Beachum, Program Coordinator for Educational Leadership, Bennett Professor of Urban School Leadership, College of Education, Lehigh University
Jill Sperandio’s book provides a fascinating and inspiring account of the irrepressible role that girls’ education plays in the intersection of entrepreneurship and equality. Educating girls and the innovation that educated girls bring to their communities – both large and small – has often been a highly risky venture due to cultural, political, and social restrictions placed on women and girls worldwide. Sperandio recognizes and examines the risk and innovation associated with girls education to life in her study of six schools across time and space. More well-researched and equally fascinating work like this is needed in the field of comparative and international education broadly speaking! -- Alexander W. Wiseman, Texas Tech University
According to UNESCO (2016) 15 million girls of primary school age will never enter a classroom. So, Jill Sperandio’s research into advocates and entrepreneurs in girls’ education, that spans geography and time, has resonance for educators and educationists today. Themes cross time and space such as expanding empires, the modernizing of societies, domestic ideology, and social and religious responsibility. But there is resonance today between the differences such as the reassessment of women’s status, their rights to an education and their role in families and communities. In her final chapter, Jill Sperandio reminds readers of the philanthropy of Safeena Husain, Oprah Winfrey, Melinda Gates and the ongoing advocacy for girls’ education by Malala Yousafzai. This book is a must read for everyone with an interest in the education of girls and women. -- Kay Fuller, University of Nottingham
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Chapter 1: Schools for Girls Chapter 2: The Moravian School for Girls in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA Chapter 3: Schools for Davit Girls in Pune, India Chapter 4: Secondary Schooling for Girls in Norwich, UK Chapter 5: A School for Straits Chinese Girls, Singapore Chapter 6: Gayaza High School for Girls, Uganda, East Africa Chapter 7: The First School for Muslim Girls, Baku, Azerbaijan Chapter 8: Entrepreneurship and Advocacy: Themes Across Time and Space Chapter 9: The Present: Advocates and Entrepreneurs for Girl’s Education Bibliography About the Author
