Ernest L. Boyer
Ernest Boyer | |
---|---|
United States Commissioner of Education | |
In office March 31, 1977 – June 30, 1979 | |
President | Jimmy Carter |
Preceded by | Edward Aguirre |
Succeeded by | William Smith |
Personal details | |
Born | Ernest LeRoy Boyer September 13, 1928 ) |
Ernest LeRoy Boyer (September 13, 1928 – December 8, 1995)
Early life and education
Boyer was born on September 13, 1928, in Dayton, Ohio, to Clarence and Ethel Boyer. He was one of three males in his family. His father worked in the basement of their home managing a wholesale book store and running a mail-order greeting-card and office-supply. William Boyer, Ernest’s paternal grandfather, was said to be the most influential figure in his younger years. William Boyer was head of the Dayton Mission of the Brethren in Christ Church and directed Ernest toward "a people-centered life." He taught Ernest, primarily through his own life, that service to others was a high calling and obligation. Boyer believed deeply in the connectedness of all things. That was a primary reason why he would later propose the connection of teaching, service, and research in Scholarship Reconsidered. He worried that research had trumped the roles of teaching and service in the university and that faculty roles were lesser for it.
Boyer attended
Career
He began his teaching career at
In 1960 Boyer accepted a position with the Western College Association, as director of the Commission to Improve the Education of Teachers. Two years later he became the director of the Center for Coordinated Education at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In this position Boyer was free to administer projects for the improvement of the California education system, from kindergarten to college.
In 1965, he moved east to join the State University of New York system as its first executive dean.[4] He became Chancellor of the institution five years later.
In his seven-year term, he founded the
Dr. Boyer served on commissions to advise President
Toward the end of the
Reports
One of Boyer's major accomplishments was creating a dialogue between teachers and administrators about teaching methods and programs. He wrote many reports that changed the face of education during his time at the Carnegie Foundation. Boyer addressed issues of secondary and primary education and created discussions about issues in education reform.
After working on a fifteen-month study of the nation’s high schools, Boyer wrote High School: A Report on Secondary Education in America (1983). Boyer recommended adopting a "core curriculum" for all students and tougher foreign language and English requirements. He stressed the need for community service before graduation and excellence for all students and teachers.
Boyer's next report stated how many faculty members of
Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate challenged the then current views of faculty priorities and the true meaning of scholarship. Boyer classified four kinds of scholarship: discovery, integration, application, and teaching. This report has created debates around the country and has influenced many colleges and universities to evaluate their faculty differently.
In Ready to Learn: A Mandate for the Nation (1991), Boyer makes a strong point about the importance of preparing young children for school. Education of the parents of preschoolers was essential so that they might know "all of the forces that have such a profound impact on the children's lives and shape their readiness to learn." This study led to landmark legislation such as the Ready to Learn Act of 1994.
In 1995 the Carnegie Foundation published, The Basic School: A Community for Learning. This report talked about the importance of the first years of formal learning. The main point of the report was to help the public understand that the school is a community with a vision, "teachers as leaders and parents as partners." He also wanted a "powerful voice for the arts in education." This report led to the Basic School Network. The trial program was made up of sixteen schools, public and private. Boyer worked with school administrators and staff on the beliefs of the Basic School. This included new ways to create a curriculum, the importance of language and the arts, and the involvement of parents. The Basic School Network now has centers and affiliates around the country and is successful in improving elementary education.
Awards
Awards and recognitions of Ernest Boyer include:
- Charles Frankel Prizein the Humanities, 1994 (Presidential Award)
- James B. Conant Education Award, 1994
- President's Medal, Tel Aviv University
- Distinguished Service Medal, Teachers College, Columbia University
- Horatio Alger Award
- Educator of the Year, 1990, U.S. News & World Report
- Medalist, New York Academy of Public Education
- Friend of Education Award, National Education Association
- 1995 Education Leadership Award, Council for Advancement of Private Education
- Britannica Achievement in Life Award
- The Harold W. McGraw, Jr., Prize in Education
- Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.) degree from Whittier College.[7]
- Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement, 1984[8]
Works
- The Basic School: A Community for Learning. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 1995
- College: The Undergraduate Experience in America. New York: Harper & Row, 1987.
- High School: A Report on Secondary Education in America. New York: Harper & Row, 1983.
- Ready to Learn: A Mandate for the Nation. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 1991.
- Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 1990.
- Boyer, Ernest L., Philip G. Altbach, and Mary Jean Whitelaw. The Academic Profession: An International Perspective. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 1994.
- Boyer, Ernest L. and Fred M. Hechinger. Higher Learning in the Nation's Service. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 1981.
- Boyer, Ernest L. and Arthur Levine. A Quest for Common Learning: The Aims of General Education. A Carnegie Foundation Essay. Washington, D.C.: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 1981.
- Boyer, Ernest L. and Lee D. Mitgang. Building Community: A New Future for Architecture Education and Practice. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 1996.
References
- William H. Honan (9 December 1995). "Ernest Boyer, National Leader In Education, Dies at 67". New York Times. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
- OCLC 55976558
- OCLC 53693460, archived from the original on 2008-05-11, retrieved 2008-04-03)
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - ^ "Carter's Education Nominee; Ernest Leroy Boyer", The New York Times, p. B5, 1977-03-16
- ^ "Boyer, State U. Head, Named U.S. Education Commissioner; Black Lawyer to Lead Army", The New York Times, p. 31, 1977-01-20
- ^ Rose, Laurence M. "College Presidents and the NCAA Presidents ' Commission: All Bark and No Bite". repository.law.miami.edu. University of Miami. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
- ^ "Honorary Degrees | Whittier College". www.whittier.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
- American Academy of Achievement.
External links
- The Boyer Center at Messiah College
- Appearances on C-SPAN