Public education has changed dramatically over the years, and with it so too has the job of the principal. But until now, no serious historical study in Canada has documented who principals are, what they do, and how their roles and public perception have changed over the decades. Author Thomas Fleming plugs this hole in the historical record with his investigation into the evolution of the principal’s position in one particular jurisdiction: British Columbia. He sets his analysis within the wider context of forces that shaped public education and society as a whole.

The first volume in this two-volume series covers the period from 1849-1960. Fleming examines the earliest role of the principal in BC, how the principal’s function changed when the foundations of modern public schooling were laid in the first part 20th century, how the Great Depression and Second World War enlarged the scope of the job, and how principals were at the forefront of the movement to democratize formal curricula in the postwar period.

"How do you write a book?" 24 year old Thomas Fleming asked bestselling writer Fulton Oursler in 1951. "Write four pages a day," Oursler said. "Every day except Sunday. Whether you feel like it or not. Inspiration consists of putting the seat of your pants on the chair at your desk." Fleming has followed this advice to good effect. His latest effort, "The Intimate Lives of the Founding Fathers," is his 50th published book. Twenty three of them have been novels. He is the only writer in the history of the Book of the Month Club to have main selections in fiction and in nonfiction. Many have won prizes. Recently he received the Burack Prize from Boston University for lifetime achievement. In nonfiction he has specialized in the American Revolution. He sees Intimate Lives as a perfect combination of his double talent as a novelist and historian. "Novelists focus on the imtimate side of life. This is the first time anyone has looked at the intimate side of the lives of these famous Americans, with an historian's eyes." Fleming was born in Jersey City, the son of a powerful local politician. He has had a lifetime interest in American politics. He also wrote a history of West Point which the New York Times called "the best...ever written." Military history is another strong interest. He lives in New York with his wife, Alice Fleming, who is a gifted writer of books for young readers.

Thomas Fleming's profile page

Fleming’s contribution belongs amongst a relative handful of important monographs on Canadian educational history published over the last three or four decades and deserves a wide readership—and not just amongst those particularly interested in British Columbia.

Historical Studies in Education