REMEMBER THIS: Ryerson was influential — for better and worse

The practice of "officially erasing" figures from our history has become more commonplace today, which has prompted me to undertake an examination of Egerton Ryerson.

Ryerson rose to historical stardom and then, recently, was practically erased from history.

In this column, we shall examine Ryerson — warts and all. Hopefully, I will present a balanced view of the contributions and blunders of the man and leave it up to you, the reader, to determine a fitting end to his narrative.

Let us begin with a general overview of Ryerson, the man.

Ryerson was a prominent Canadian educator and Methodist church leader in the 19th century known as the father of the public education system in what is now the Province of Ontario. He established a system of free, mandatory schooling at the primary and secondary levels, and founded the Provincial Normal School for the training of teachers.

Ryerson served as the superintendent of education in Canada West (now Ontario) from 1844 to 1876, during which time he implemented many of the reforms that are part of the education system today.

He was involved in the establishment of Victoria College in 1836, which later became part of the University of Toronto. He was also credited as the editor of the influential Journal of Education for Upper Canada from 1848 to 1875.

He oversaw the establishment of the provincial Educational Depository to supply schools and teachers with books and materials at reduced prices, and the adoption of a system of uniform textbooks and school inspection.

He travelled to Europe to study different school systems, and his 1846 report on his observations contained many recommendations that were later implemented through education acts. There is little doubt Ryerson earned the title of the Father of the Canadian educational system.

If you have been following the news in the past couple of years, you will be aware Ryerson was also involved in the development of the residential school system for Indigenous children, which has had a devastating impact. This led to the calls to rename institutions named after him, such as Ryerson University, now Toronto Metropolitan University.

This leads me to the reason I felt examining the story of Ryerson was both interesting and particularly relevant. The "rub" lies in the fact Ryerson’s legacy is particularly complex, as many of our early leaders were. There is little doubt he made numerous important contributions to public education in Ontario, but he also played a major role in the harmful residential school system. Like much of our history, his life and works continue to be the subject of discussion and debate.

It may be useful to examine Ryerson’s educational policies and reforms in Ontario and observe how heavily influenced they were by his travels and compare them to the policies in other countries, particularly in Ireland and the United States. Here is a brief comparison:

• Ryerson travelled to Europe, including Ireland, to study their public elementary school systems before implementing his reforms in Ontario. He would often incorporate many of the policies and practices he observed, such as the use of standardized Irish Readers textbooks in Ireland.
• Ryerson sought to emulate the mass education system Ireland had pioneered, based on a set of internationally renowned standard textbooks. This contrasted with the use of American textbooks in Ontario, which were seen as propagating republican ideas that were inconsistent with our Canadian ideals.
• Ryerson’s emphasis on teacher training and professionalization, including the establishment of normal schools, was influenced by practices in other countries like the United States. This would help to raise the status and qualifications of teachers in Ontario.
• Ryerson’s policies around centralized administration, standardized curriculum, and equitable access to education resources were also modelled on approaches seen in other jurisdictions he studied.

It is important to acknowledge that while Ryerson’s reforms were tailored to the Ontario context, he actively looked to the education systems of other nations, particularly Ireland and the United States, as inspiration and sources of policy borrowing. His goal was to create a comprehensive, standardized public education system in Ontario that could compete with the best in the world.

There were, however, some criticisms levelled at Ryerson’s educational policies when compared to those of other countries. Here are some key criticisms:

• Segregated schools: Ryerson supported the establishment of segregated schools for Black students in Ontario, which was different from the policies in other places. This was seen as an unjust policy that denied equal access to education.
• Centralized control: Ryerson created a highly centralized education system in Ontario with the chief superintendent and board of education having significant if not absolute authority. Some criticized this as a form of “Prussian despotism” that was too controlling compared to more decentralized models in other countries.
• Textbook selection: Ryerson banned the use of American textbooks that were seen as promoting republican ideas, and instead mandated the use of Irish textbooks. This was viewed by some as an inappropriate imposition of foreign materials rather than developing local Canadian content.
• Differentiated schooling: In addition to the segregated Black schools, Ryerson proposed separate industrial schools for lower-class students and specialized schools for deaf and blind students. Critics saw this as creating an unjust hierarchy of educational opportunities.
• Lack of consultation: There are indications Ryerson did not always seek input from local communities and stakeholders, unlike approaches in other countries that involved more collaboration. This top-down policymaking was seen as problematic by some.

Ryerson’s reforms were often implemented in a heavy-handed manner that was overly centralized and failed to fully address issues of equity and inclusion. None of this criticism seemed to alter Ryerson’s course.

One of the criticisms that seemed to stick was Ryerson’s failure to develop local Canadian content.

It is interesting that research seems to indicate Ryerson’s proposed separate industrial schools for lower-class students, specialized schools for deaf and blind students, and segregated schools for Black students did not raise much of an uproar. While many saw it as contributing to an unjust hierarchy of educational opportunities, this would appear to have been a minority view.

As for the criticism that Ryerson did not always seek input from local communities and stakeholders, this was seen as just part of the overall criticism of government and the reigning bureaucracy (Family Compact) and was "just the way it was back then."

Today, Ryerson is most harshly criticized for his differentiated schooling practices, which was part and parcel of the roots of his residential school mandate that would ultimately prove his flaw. Sources indicate he never officially defended his role and powers of implementation, even the establishment of the residential system.

Ryerson advocated for the creation of the residential school system for Indigenous children, which had a devastating impact and is a controversial part of his legacy. This has led to calls to re-evaluate how he is memorialized.

We must ask how Ryerson’s educational policies in Ontario influenced the development of public education in other Canadian provinces. Ryerson was seen as a pre-eminent authority on education in early Canada and, for better or worse, his educational policies and reforms had a significant influence on the development of public education systems in other Canadian provinces. His work laid the foundations for the public education systems across all of English-speaking Canada.

If you are interested in the particulars of the residential school system, I recommend reading my two-part series on the system and its horrors here and here.

So, how do you feel about the rewriting of our history? Do you feel the removal of individuals or events from our history serves to right wrongs done in the past? Let me know in the comments.

Sources: [PDF] Egerton Ryerson and Educational Policy Borrowing; The Legacy of Egerton Ryerson | Foundations of Education; Egerton Ryerson: Racist philosophy of ... - Academic Matters; [PDF] Victoria University Research Panel on the Legacy of Egerton Ryerson; History - About - Toronto Metropolitan University; Egerton Ryerson: Racist philosophy of residential schools also ...; Biography – RYERSON, EGERTON – Volume XI (1881-1890); [PDF] Egerton Ryerson And Its Influence On Education Development In Canada; The Legacy of Egerton Ryerson | Foundations of Education; Egerton Ryerson | Canadian Reformist, Educator, Visionary, The Britannica.com; Byname: Adolphus Egerton Ryerson Ryerson; EDUCATION POLICY SUCCESSES - Oxford Academic 

Newmarket resident Richard MacLeod, the History Hound, has been a local historian for more than 40 years. He writes a weekly feature about our town's history in partnership with NewmarketToday, conducts heritage lectures and walking tours of local interest, and leads local oral history interviews.