Showing 137 results

The series consists of records created by the Dept. of Education and includes rural district assessment forms from 1906-1909. The series also contains various account books, including two from the Belgian Children's Relief Fund, 1916-1919, and one from the Education Office, 1894-1897.

Series contains departmental circular notices pertaining to school regulations, curriculum changes, special events, etc. Also 8 pp. brief prepared by the Association of Provincial Government School Inspectors (1947) regarding salaries of inspectors and directors of Educational Divisions.

This series contains correspondence inward to J.W. Gibson, Director of Elementary Agricultural Education. The series includes reports on "Caring for School Gardens" [1913] and notes on correlation of rural science with manual training. It also includes "Remittance Forms" from "Patriotism and Production School Campaign" [1917], a patriotic fund-raising exercise held in schools to assist the war effort. The forms give the name of schools, teachers, and a description of projects undertaken by pupils. There are over one hundred (mainly) rural schools represented. This series may be used in conjunction with GR-0458 and GR-1446 (Elementary Education correspondence, 1915-1929).

The series consists of circulars and brochures pertaining to patriotic activities and special events, created by the Dept. of Education, dating mainly from the 1930s. It includes "Instructions to Teachers Regarding the Use of the Flag on School Premises" (1930), "Suggestions for celebrating Good Will Day [18 May 1932] in B.C. schools," commemorative booklet and "Suggestions for Coronation Programmes for the Schools of B.C." (1937). This unit also includes brochures re: the Overseas Education, 1976.

The series consists of speeches given by S.N.F. Chant (Dean of Arts at the University of British Columbia between 1949 and 1964): On university freedom, 1967, and The future of higher education in British Columbia, 1969.

This series contains the records of the Correspondence Education Branch. The records mainly consist of curriculum outlines, instruction books, and examination papers for courses offered through provincial correspondence education programmes.

Consists of correspondence inward to Superintendents John Jessop (1872-1878), C.C. McKenzie (1878-1884), and S.D. Pope (1884-1899). Types of records include petitions for school buildings, applications for teaching posts, minutes of local school boards, school trustees' reports, etc. This series may be used in conjunction with GR-0449 (Superintendent of Education, Indexes to Correspondence Inward, 1881-1915) and GR-0450 (Superintendent of Education, Correspondence Outward, 1872-1919).

Researchers should also be aware of the Correspondence Inward files of the Provincial Secretary, 1871-1892 (GR-0526). Since the Provincial Secretary was responsible for the Education Department, these files contain many records pertaining to teachers, schools, and education matters in general. Access to documents in GR-0526 is through GR-0524 (Provincial Secretary. Registers and indexes of letters inward, 1872-1924). Documents pertaining to education, etc. are indexed under the headings "SCHOOLS", and "EDUCATION, SUPERINTENDENT".

The series consists of records pertaining to teacher training and certification. It includes minute books of the Board of Examiners (1884-1949), teachers certificate registers (1892-1947), student registers at provincial Normal schools (1901-1938), high school examination results (1924-1927), and minutes of the Dept. of Education Appointments Board (1937-1945).

Prior to 1901, teachers in British Columbia were drawn either from outside the province or (after 1876) from graduates of provincial high schools. All teachers required teaching certificates, which were awarded by the Superintendent of Education. Teachers from outside the province were required to sit an examination set by the Provincial Board of Examiners. Candidates were awarded different grades or classes of certificates, depending on the results of their exam. High school graduates qualified for certificates in a similar manner, depending on their scores on terminal examinations. Standards of certification changed frequently over the years, as did the questions which appeared on the "Public School Teachers' Examinations." Basically, though, several classes of certificates were available: Academic and First Class (awarded to university graduates and/or to candidates scoring over 70% on the exam); Second class (awarded to candidates scoring over 50% on examinations); and Third class (awarded to candidates scoring 30% and above on a series of exam questions). First class certificates were permanent, 2nd class were valid for 3 years, while 3rd class certificates were generally good for one year, with the possibility of renewal. "Temporary certificates," valid until the annual examinations were held in July, were also issued under certain circumstances.

In 1901, the province's first Normal School for teacher training was opened in Vancouver. (A second school, in Victoria, was opened in 1915.) Thereafter, graduation from the Normal School replaced the "Public School Teachers' Examinations" for those seeking Academic, First, and Second class certificates. Only Third class certificates valid for a limited period of time were still awarded on the basis of candidates' high school examinations.

The series consists of correspondence between the director of Elementary Agricultural Education (J.W. Gibson) and school boards throughout the province, created between 1915 and 1929. The correspondence is mainly concerned with gardens in local elementary schools and includes detailed reports on the types of gardens being cultivated at various schools. Some reports also include plans and drawings of gardens.

The files are arranged alphabetically by name of community and chronologically by year.

The series consists of correspondence files created by the Assistant Superintendent of Education between 1965 and 1968.
The files deal with a broad range of topics, including teachers' conferences, data processing, school inspectorates and staff meetings.

The series consists of School Inspectors' reports created by the Dept. of Education between 1918 and 1957. The reports are arranged alphabetically, by name of school or community, for the years 1918-1938; thereafter, reports are filed alphabetically by name of teacher.

Evaluations of a number of private schools are included, as well as assessments of manual training and domestic science programmes in various schools. These reports contain evaluations of individual teachers and assessments of education programmes in all types of schools throughout the province.

The report forms varied over the years, but in most instances they contain information on teachers' qualifications, teaching methods and classroom discipline, pupils' progress, and the availability and condition of teaching equipment. Early reports on provincial elementary schools also contain information on the size and condition of the school buildings and grounds.

As a rule, the inspectors' reports were arranged alphabetically, by name of school inspected, and filed chronologically under various categories. During the years 1918-1937, the main categories were "Elementary Schools," "High Schools and Superior Schools," and "Manual Training and Domestic Science."

There were, however, frequent exceptions and alterations to this filing system. For example, during the years 1929-1931 Vancouver schools (i.e. those administered by the Vancouver School Board) were filed separately from other municipal schools; during the years 1934-1938 the Jericho Hill School for the Deaf and the Blind was accorded a separate file. Between 1928 and 1937 files pertaining to certain "private schools" were also kept separately. "Private schools" in this instance included some independent schools such as Crofton House, Vancouver, several religious colleges, and a number of Indian residential schools.

In addition, rural elementary schools were listed separately from other provincial elementary schools during the years 1928-1937. The "Rural Schools" reports were prepared by Miss Lottie Bowron, Rural Teachers' Welfare Officer (Women's). Her reports often contain detailed accounts of the conditions faced by teachers in small, isolated communities.

The Department of Education adopted a new filing system in 1938. From that year until 1957, when this series ends, all public school inspectors' reports, irrespective of school categories, were filed alphabetically under the names of individual teachers.