Abraham Kuyper, the Dutch statesman in the late 19th and the early 20th century, impacted the Netherlands in politics, philosophy, religion, and education. A recent translation / publication of his writings on the sphere of education, On Education (2019), highlights Kuyper's philosophical beliefs about education. Much of my reflections in this blog comes from the excellent introductions, written by Wendy Naylor and Charles Glenn, found in this book.Interestingly, Kuyper's thoughts a hundred years ago about education are relevant today and are being discussed more and more. Not surprising, we find some of his beliefs on education re-appearing in the U.S. national conversation on education as Betsy DeVos, a product of schools founded in the Kuyperian perspective (Holland Christian Schools and Calvin University), is the U.S. Secretary of Education.
So what did Abraham Kuyper believe about Education?
(below is my summary of his beliefs, not Kuyper's or the editors of On Education)
1. Kuyper believed in the power of education to shape the minds and hearts of students (and ultimately the nation).
This presupposition caused Kuyper to take seriously the question of education. Politicians, in his time and in ours, must focus on the why and how of education and provide funding for education because of the impact that an educated populace (or uneducated populace) has on the country's success.
This belief led Abraham Kuyper's political work to focused on convincing the Dutch people and parliament to embrace "free" education for all students (including those attending public, private, and religious schools). A law was passed in 1920 (the year Kuyper died) to enact this fully; today, the Netherlands parliament still funds all schools.
2. Kuyper believed that all education was taught from a worldview.
Kuyper fought vehemently against those who argued that education can (and should) be neutral (especially, religiously neutral). He argued that it "was impossible to teach and learn outside a worldview which tied facts together into meaning" (Naylor, 2019, p. xx). Neutral education leads to rote memorization of facts, while deep learning must involve reflection from a worldview. Additionally, he asked, "How can a teacher nurture and form character and at the same time be neutral?" (Glenn, 2019, p. xlvii). So, according to Kuyper, education taught without a worldview is ineffective in shaping both minds (academic) and hearts (character).
If all education/learning happens within a worldview, Kuyper argued that student growth and development happens best when learning environments (homes, schools, churches) are aligned in their worldview. In fact, he believed strongly that conflicting worldviews are harmful to a child's development (i.e. if a student is taught from a Christian worldview in the home and a secular worldview in school).
Aligning with the first two points ... 1) the power of education 2) taught from a worldview. Abraham Kuyper also saw (and foresaw) examples of evil political leaders using education as a nefarious tool to "brainwash" students into believing an evil worldview and shaping a generation for evil purposes. Therefore, he wanted to protect against this temptation by decreasing the state's control over education, thus, the next philosophical point.
3. Kuyper believed in the parents' rights and responsibility to educate their children.
It is the parents' God-given right and responsibility to nurture their children. One of the most important ways to nurture children is through education. Therefore, parents should have the right to educate their children based on their "deepest convictions and values" (Naylor, 2019, p. xx). Kuyper worked diligently in parliament to ensure parents rights to educate their children in the way that they believed.
Looking at the first three points ... 1) the power of education 2) taught from a worldview 3) chosen by the parents ... AND knowing that Abraham Kuyper was a Reformed Christian, one may conclude that Kuyper was fighting for funding of Protestant / "Calvinistic" Christian schools. However, Kuyper believed in a pluralistic society, and he did not place any limits on the types of schools or worldviews that parents chose (except for those that promoted violence). In fact, he encouraged parents to bind together to start schools that aligned with their worldview. As one can imagine, this led to Christian schools (both protestant and Catholic), but it also led to schools of other religions (e.g. Jewish, Islamic) and schools from worldviews that aligned with educational philosophers (e.g. Pestalozzi, Montessori). Kuyper believed so strongly in the parents' God-given right and responsibility to educate their children that he honored those parents who didn't believe in his personal worldview.
4. Kuyper believed that selective funding of education hurts families in poverty.
In the Netherlands before Kuyper, state schools were free but taught from a "neutral" perspective, while private/religious schools were taught from a specific worldview but were tuition based. Therefore, Kuyper, due to his core beliefs, logically concluded that those who can afford to pay tuition for private/religious schools are getting a superior education than those who cannot afford to pay tuition. Equity for the poor was something that flowed out of Kuyper's Christian worldview, and he saw government funding for all schools as an answer to this socio-economic inequality.
In 1920, parliament passed a law that both allowed Dutch parents to chose an education for their children that aligns with the worldview taught in the home AND provided equal funding for all students at all schools. Today, almost 100 years after it was passed, that law is still in place.
5. Kuyper believed in respecting the profession of education.
Looking at the previous four beliefs of Abraham Kuyper, one may conclude that he would be a strong proponent of homeschooling or even un-schooling. However, Kuyper also highly respected the profession of education and educators. As in the first point, he believed in the power of education and wanted students in schools with professionally trained teachers and administrators. He also supported educational standards established by the state and the assessment of those standards, as long as they didn't interfere with the worldview of the parents/school.
Abraham Kuyper believed that these principles would positively impact education in the Netherlands. After 100 years of implementing these policies, the education system in the Netherlands has resulted in a tolerant, pluralistic and educated society. In 2019 the educational system in the Netherlands, when compared to other countries, was ranked number 10 in the US News and World Report. While the US News rankings are more "perception" based; more quantitative measures, like standardized test results (PISA) ranked the Netherlands number 14 (United States is ranked 31).
The educational system in the United States has seen Kuyperian-leaning movement over the past 10 years with an increase in school choice for parents, school vouchers / state funding of private schools, public charter schools with distinct worldviews, and homeschooling. Although the US Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, does not have the influence that Kuyper (as Prime Minister) had, she is clearly encouraging these movements from her position. "School choice" is the buzz-word today. Currently, over 10 million American students are attending schools that are not the traditional public schools:
- Private Schools - approximately 6 million students (CAPE)
- Public Charter Schools - approximately 3 millions students (NCES)
- Homeschools - approximately 1.7 million (NCES)
It is fascinating how the writings of Abraham Kuyper, a 20th century philosopher from a small European country, continue to impact education in America over 100 years after he first presented them. Today, educational leaders in America have many questions to answer and problems to solve, and it doesn't appear that there is a clear voice or educational philosophy. Embracing Kuyper's beliefs completely is not the answer for education in the 21st century, but looking back to educational philosophers, like Abraham Kuyper, will help to inform our future.
For more information about Abraham Kuyper and his views on Education, go to the source and read his essays in On Education.
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Kuyper, A. On Education (2019). W. Naylor & H. Van Dyke (Editors). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. https://lexhampress.com/product/148318/on-education
