A Study On The Higher Educational Thoughts And Practice Of C. W. Eliot

Charles W. Eliot (1834-1926) was a famous educationalist and reformer during the period from the mid-19th to the early years of 20th Century in America. He held the President post for 40 years, and contributed not only to the development of Harvard University reputably, but also the whole American higher education, secondary education and community education. Especially, his higher educational thoughts and practice has influenced comprehensively on the world.Through a long-time laborious reform, Eliot realized the Harvard transformation from a small regional denomination college to a top-ranking national modern research university. Beginning with the dissertation on the functions of college, focused his mind on the innovation of curriculum, forced with the introduction of elective system, chanced to the reconstruction of traditional colleges, ensured with the improvement of institution and reinforcement the administration, based on the seeking for society endowment, he carried out the reform in Harvard all-around. From reforming the curriculum to constructing the college, from enlarging the freedom of students to protecting the rights of teachers, from strengthening the social service function to insisting on the tradition of autonomy, from encouraging competition to favoring the equality of opportunity, Eliot constantly enhanced the adaptability of Harvard to American society. He accomplished his mission to localize the Harvard, and modeled the American modern university. Meanwhile, he became the model followed by the world for his unique charm and successful experience of president administration.Eliot was not only the pride of Harvard, but also the glory of America. He cares not only of higher education, but of secondary, elementary and community education. He loves both the educational enterprise and the public. He managed to solve all the problems in the development and reformation of American society. The spirits of American sustained his exploitation in all realms, and the belief in Unitarian inspired his service to the common. For the great contribution to education and society of America, he was praised the first citizen of republic, deserved the hero and prophet. The higher educational thoughts and practice of Eliot came from his strong responsibility to common and faithfulness with American democracy and free society. His words and deeds were vivid portraiture of collision between individualism and nationalism in the later of 19th century and fusion with them, the reflection of educational demands from development social economy, and also the results of action between unique personality and surroundings. Studying on Eliot's higher educational thoughts and practice not only has the value of learning, but can also guide our present university reform. His experience of reform can be used for reference to our learning foreign experience and inheriting national tradition. His dissertation on function, curriculum and administration of university provides us the theory good for our university continuable development. His successful president's experience provides us the material and inspires us reflecting the relationship between the university and her President, exploring the making of modern President and his cultivating system.By the means of literature-reading, psychology-analyzing, graphology and comparative method, the dissertation united the history and logic, through analyzing the connotation of Eliot's thoughts and the factors of his reform. The study discusses all the contents by the numbers, exhibits the course of reform by rule and line, evaluates his influences and historical status impersonally, reveals the essence character and individual feature, displays the practical significance of his thoughts and reform. The study consists of five parts:the first starts with Eliot's life and the development of his thoughts and practice, sets out the schema in order to lay a foundation to catch on the deeper meaning.the second, third and fourth parts are the core of the treatise. They exoatiate the functions, curriculum and school-running respectively in detail, then abstract major idea. The last one is the soul of the study, also the ultimate aim. It stresses on Eliot's contributions to American higher education and on the significance of his thoughts and practice.