Frank Tate (educator)
Encyclopedia
Frank Tate CMG
(18 June 1864 – 28 June 1939) was an Australia
n educationist who is best remembered for his efforts in expanding secondary education in Victoria
, Australia.
, the son of Aristides Franklin (usually called Henry) Tate, a storekeeper, and his wife Mary Bessy, née Lomas, both English born. Frank Tate was educated at the Castlemaine State School, the Old Model School, Melbourne, and the University of Melbourne
(B.A., 1888; M.A., 1894). Tate entered the teachers' training college in 1883 and gained the trained teacher's certificate with first and second honours. His first charge was a small school near East Kew on the outskirts of Melbourne. He quickly made an impression as an able and stimulating young teacher and many students were sent to his school for teaching experience.
district, and spent four years inspecting its 136 schools and incidentally learning a great deal about the problems of small rural schools and their teachers. Tate became a well-known speaker at teachers' congresses and enhanced his reputation as an educationist when giving evidence before the technical education commission.
Tate was appointed principal of the Melbourne Training College when it was re-opened in February 1900, and vigorously set to work to make up as far as possible the ground lost while the college was closed. Tate kept the subject of English in his own hands, considering it to be the basic subject of education, and steadily brought before his students the opportunities for service to the community possessed by enlightened teachers. In March 1902 when it was announced that he had been appointed as the first director of education in Victoria he was only 38 years old. Many men of much longer service had been passed over, but it appears to have been generally recognized that he was the fit man for the position.
When Tate took up his directorship, education in Victoria had long been starved and neglected. The state had been going through a period of lean years, but the new director felt that money spent on education would more than repay itself. Tate felt too that well-educated and capable men and women could not be attracted to an ill-paid profession with little prospect of promotion. He set out to do away with pupil-teachers, to improve the training of teacher
s, to obtain better pay for them, to encourage school committees, and to suggest to each community that the local state school was not merely a state school--it was their school. New methods of instruction were brought in, the chief object being the development of a child's mind instead of merely cramming it with facts. Tate felt too that secondary and technical education was being neglected and in June 1904 presented a report on "Some Aspects of Education in New Zealand" in which he showed how far behind Victoria was lagging in this field.
In 1905 a bill was introduced in the Victorian parliament
for the registration of teachers and schools not administered by the education department. This was passed and had much effect in raising the qualifications and status of secondary school teachers. When it was determined that Tate should attend the conference on education held in London in May 1907 he took the opportunity of making a special study of these problems in Europe
and the United States of America. Soon after his return he published a "Preliminary Report upon Observations made during an Official Visit to Europe and America" (1908). In this report he showed that a "ladder of education" was required. Primary schools formed a necessary basis, but on these must be imposed higher elementary schools, secondary schools and agricultural high schools, all leading on to the university or agricultural college. Technical colleges for young people engaged in industry must also be much more encouraged. In a striking diagram he showed that of the money spent by the state of Victoria on education 93.1% was for primary education and less than one per cent for secondary education. In another diagram he demonstrated that New Zealand
, whose population was 20% less than that of Victoria, was spending three times as much on technical education and over ten times as much on secondary education.
Tate persisted in his fight for a better state of things and gradually imposed his views on parliament. In the education act of 1910 which Tate drafted, provision was made for the constitution of a council of public education. It consisted of representatives of the university, the education department, technical schools, public and private schools, and industrial interests. Its duties were to report to the minister upon public education in other countries, and matters in connexion with public education referred to it by the minister. It also took over the duties of the teachers and schools registration board. The discussions of this council have proved of great value in the consideration of problems of public education in Victoria. Tate was chairman of this committee, and he also remained in touch with the university as a member of its council.
, and Southern Rhodesia
. After his retirement in 1928, Tate became president (1930–39) of the Australian Council for Educational Research
and never lost his interest in educational problems.
Tate died at Caulfield
, Melbourne on 28 June 1939; he had married Ada Hodgkiss on 2 October 1888, who died in 1932, and was survived by two sons and a daughter of their six children. The Imperial Service Order was conferred on him in 1903 and he was created C.M.G. in 1919. In addition to the reports mentioned Tate edited As You Like It in the Australasian Shakespeare (1916), and in 1920 published as a pamphlet, Continued Education, Our Opportunity and our Obligation. Tate was a good popular lecturer on Shakespearian and other subjects.
The Secondary Teachers College Hostel is named 'Frank Tate House'. There is also a building at The University of Melbourne's Parkville campus named after him.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(18 June 1864 – 28 June 1939) was an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n educationist who is best remembered for his efforts in expanding secondary education in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia.
Early life
Tate was born at Mopoke Gully, near Castlemaine, VictoriaCastlemaine, Victoria
Castlemaine is a city in Victoria, Australia, in the Goldfields region of Victoria about 120 kilometres northwest by road from Melbourne, and about 40 kilometres from the major provincial centre of Bendigo. It is the administrative and economic centre of the Shire of Mount Alexander. The...
, the son of Aristides Franklin (usually called Henry) Tate, a storekeeper, and his wife Mary Bessy, née Lomas, both English born. Frank Tate was educated at the Castlemaine State School, the Old Model School, Melbourne, and the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
(B.A., 1888; M.A., 1894). Tate entered the teachers' training college in 1883 and gained the trained teacher's certificate with first and second honours. His first charge was a small school near East Kew on the outskirts of Melbourne. He quickly made an impression as an able and stimulating young teacher and many students were sent to his school for teaching experience.
Career
In 1889 Tate was appointed a junior lecturer in the training college and became much interested in teaching methods. At the end of 1893, following the great financial crisis, the college was closed, but Tate was given charge of classes in Melbourne for the training of pupil teachers. In 1895 after an Education Department reshuffle, Tate was appointed an inspector for the CharltonCharlton, Victoria
Charlton "The Friendly River Town", is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is a small agricultural community straddling the Avoca River, located at the junction of the Calder Highway and Borung Highway and positioned in the last of the foothills of the Great Dividing Range...
district, and spent four years inspecting its 136 schools and incidentally learning a great deal about the problems of small rural schools and their teachers. Tate became a well-known speaker at teachers' congresses and enhanced his reputation as an educationist when giving evidence before the technical education commission.
Tate was appointed principal of the Melbourne Training College when it was re-opened in February 1900, and vigorously set to work to make up as far as possible the ground lost while the college was closed. Tate kept the subject of English in his own hands, considering it to be the basic subject of education, and steadily brought before his students the opportunities for service to the community possessed by enlightened teachers. In March 1902 when it was announced that he had been appointed as the first director of education in Victoria he was only 38 years old. Many men of much longer service had been passed over, but it appears to have been generally recognized that he was the fit man for the position.
When Tate took up his directorship, education in Victoria had long been starved and neglected. The state had been going through a period of lean years, but the new director felt that money spent on education would more than repay itself. Tate felt too that well-educated and capable men and women could not be attracted to an ill-paid profession with little prospect of promotion. He set out to do away with pupil-teachers, to improve the training of teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
s, to obtain better pay for them, to encourage school committees, and to suggest to each community that the local state school was not merely a state school--it was their school. New methods of instruction were brought in, the chief object being the development of a child's mind instead of merely cramming it with facts. Tate felt too that secondary and technical education was being neglected and in June 1904 presented a report on "Some Aspects of Education in New Zealand" in which he showed how far behind Victoria was lagging in this field.
In 1905 a bill was introduced in the Victorian parliament
Parliament of Victoria
The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria. It follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system and consists of The Queen, represented by the Governor of Victoria; the Legislative Council ; and the Legislative Assembly...
for the registration of teachers and schools not administered by the education department. This was passed and had much effect in raising the qualifications and status of secondary school teachers. When it was determined that Tate should attend the conference on education held in London in May 1907 he took the opportunity of making a special study of these problems in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the United States of America. Soon after his return he published a "Preliminary Report upon Observations made during an Official Visit to Europe and America" (1908). In this report he showed that a "ladder of education" was required. Primary schools formed a necessary basis, but on these must be imposed higher elementary schools, secondary schools and agricultural high schools, all leading on to the university or agricultural college. Technical colleges for young people engaged in industry must also be much more encouraged. In a striking diagram he showed that of the money spent by the state of Victoria on education 93.1% was for primary education and less than one per cent for secondary education. In another diagram he demonstrated that New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, whose population was 20% less than that of Victoria, was spending three times as much on technical education and over ten times as much on secondary education.
Tate persisted in his fight for a better state of things and gradually imposed his views on parliament. In the education act of 1910 which Tate drafted, provision was made for the constitution of a council of public education. It consisted of representatives of the university, the education department, technical schools, public and private schools, and industrial interests. Its duties were to report to the minister upon public education in other countries, and matters in connexion with public education referred to it by the minister. It also took over the duties of the teachers and schools registration board. The discussions of this council have proved of great value in the consideration of problems of public education in Victoria. Tate was chairman of this committee, and he also remained in touch with the university as a member of its council.
Late life and legacy
When Tate retired from the education department in 1928 no fewer than 128 higher elementary schools and 36 high schools had been established in Victoria, and there had been an increase of 50 per cent in the number of technical schools. Tate had also paid two visits to London and had sat on commissions dealing with education in New Zealand, FijiFiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
, and Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated north of the Limpopo River and the Union of South Africa. From its independence in 1965 until its extinction in 1980, it was known as Rhodesia...
. After his retirement in 1928, Tate became president (1930–39) of the Australian Council for Educational Research
Australian Council for Educational Research
The Australian Council for Educational Research , established in 1930, is an independent educational research organisation based in Camberwell, Victoria and with offices in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Dubai and India...
and never lost his interest in educational problems.
Tate died at Caulfield
Caulfield, Victoria
Caulfield is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Glen Eira...
, Melbourne on 28 June 1939; he had married Ada Hodgkiss on 2 October 1888, who died in 1932, and was survived by two sons and a daughter of their six children. The Imperial Service Order was conferred on him in 1903 and he was created C.M.G. in 1919. In addition to the reports mentioned Tate edited As You Like It in the Australasian Shakespeare (1916), and in 1920 published as a pamphlet, Continued Education, Our Opportunity and our Obligation. Tate was a good popular lecturer on Shakespearian and other subjects.
The Secondary Teachers College Hostel is named 'Frank Tate House'. There is also a building at The University of Melbourne's Parkville campus named after him.
External links
- Frank Tate and his work for education at the National Library of Australia