When the ‘Rot’ Set In: Education and research, 1960–75

Abstract

Prior to 1960, educational research and development in Britain was relatively small-scale. In the period reviewed, public funding expanded at an unprecedented rate, until research became an integral part of administration and policy. Government control over research grew as a consequence of increased funding. In the 1960s autonomy of research was seen as a bulwark of democracy, but by 1975 this claim had been set aside. The article reviews this shift of attitude through quotations from speeches and publications, reminding us of principles once held to be important.