Trends in the History of Medieval and Early Modern Education in HEQ

This issue of the History of Education Quarterly (HEQ) focuses on education in medieval and early modern Europe (c. 1100-1750), a period that has received limited attention in the journal. Within this chronological and geographical scope, our five authors examine diverse topics that shed light on the roots of modern educational traditions and structures. For example: What was the form and function of the medieval academic and daily calendar, which schools and universities generally follow today? What educational opportunities were available to girls and women inside, and especially outside, the medieval and early modern classroom? How should we account for private tutoring, domestic training, self-instruction, peer-based pedagogy, and other opportunities? In reconstructing the educational past (and present), should we focus on those Natalie Zemon Davis has termed “women worthies” for whom we have more abundant sources, or should we explore women (and men) at all social levels, even if they have left us fewer records? Lastly, how has the Catholic Church approached the education of young people from the sixteenth century to the present?