The “revolution in the school” and the problem of teacher training and access to the National teaching profession at the beginning of the second republic

Abstract

The object of this research is to determine the reality of teacher training and access to the national teaching profession during the early stages of the Second Republic. To achieve this, it employs the historical method, using primary sources from various archives to contextualize the implementation of legislative policies promoted during a short period. Specifically, we analyze the transformation of the Escuelas Normales in 1931, where students from the Bergamín Plan (1914) coexisted with those of the so-called "Modern Plan" or "Professional Plan" (1931) – after passing the Entrance Examination for the Teaching Profession (1931) – as well as the Preparatory Plan for entry into the Professional Plan (1931). Additionally, we examine the development of the Selection Courses (1931) and the resolution of the 1928 Competitive Examination issue. The documentary reality of this period for historical research is complex and far from uniform. In fact, few studies have been conducted on this subject. The initial results allow us to establish part of the reality of these reforms and trace the development of the Selection Courses or access to the national teaching profession up until July 1936, when their final sessions took place during the coup d'état of July 18, which marked the beginning of the Spanish Civil War.