The evolution of alternative: 120 years of experimental schooling in New South Wales, Australia
Brett RolfePurpose
Since 1900, most schools in Australia's largest state, New South Wales (NSW), have operated within a set of normative practices prescribed by government regulation, pedagogical convention, and community expectation. Outside of these norms have been small numbers of experimental schools that offer an “alternative” to this “mainstream”. This article is the first attempt since the 1970s to systematically map the establishment of experimental alternative schools in NSW. In doing so I sought to identify large patterns over this period and establish a baseline for future research.
Design/methodology/approach
Through triangulation of current and archival data sources, I compiled a list of 92 experimental alternative schools established in NSW, between 1900 and 2020.
Findings
As anticipated, a modest first wave of schools was aligned with the global Progressivism of the 1920s and 1930s, followed by a larger second wave associated with the counter-cultural movements of the 1970s. Interestingly, the language of these earlier periods has been adopted by a third wave of schools over the past two decades, where alternative approaches are being used to address the social issue of young people disengaging from school. I argue that these waves have been produced by a combination of broader sociocultural trends, government funding, and compliance requirements.
Originality/value
The history of alternative schools informs our understanding of how education has developed, and provides insight into contemporary opportunities for educational innovation. Despite this, there has been little historical research beyond studies of individual schools since the 1970s. This article addresses this historiographic gap by presenting a statewide overview and extended history of the establishment of experimental alternative schools.