Wragg, E.C. 1938–2005

(Edward Conrad Wragg)

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born June 26, 1938, in Sheffield, England; died November 10, 2005, in Exeter, England. Educator and author. A leading educationist in England, Wragg was a professor emeritus at the University of Exeter, where he also directed its school of education. Beginning his education with studies in German, he completed a degree at Durham University in 1959. He then concentrated on degrees in the education field, earning a diploma in the subject in 1960 at Durham, followed by an M.Ed. in 1967 from the University of Leicester, and a Ph.D. in 1972 from the University of Exeter. Wragg's career as an educator began in the early 1960s, when he was a grammar-school teacher in Wakefield, England. From 1964 to 1966 he taught German at a boys' school in Leicester. With these jobs behind him, Wragg entered the university classroom with not only a theoretical knowledge of education but also firsthand experience. He was a lecturer in education at Exeter from 1966 to 1973 and a professor at the University of Nottingham from 1973 to 1978. He then returned to Exeter for the rest of his academic career. While there, Wragg helped build one of the most respected departments of education in Britain, serving as the School of Education's director from 1978 to 1994. After stepping down as director, he continued to serve as a professor of education until his retirement in 2003. As a leader and outspoken voice for educators in the United Kingdom, Wragg was a champion of commonsense approaches to teaching children and training teachers. For instance, Wragg did not agree with the notion that children of different learning abilities should be taught in the same classroom; this approach, he stated, necessitated that teachers spend too much time trying to bring the less-advanced students up to speed while neglecting the brighter students. He also believed that education students should gain experience in the classroom and not be limited to book knowledge when being trained to become teachers. His views, often leavened with a good sense of humor and wit, made him a natural for television appearances. He also wrote a very popular column about teaching for the Times Educational Supplement. His knowledge of the education field was in great demand by the government, as well as broadcasting companies. He therefore served as a special advisor to Parliament from 1976 to 1977, and chaired the Educational Broadcasting Council from 1981 to 1987, the BBC Regional Broadcasting Council for the South and West from 1989 to 1992, and the BBC Regional Broadcasting Council for the South from 1992 to 1996. Wragg's many books have become standards for educational professionals as well. Among them are Class Management and Control (1981), Teacher Appraisal (1987), Failing Teachers? (2000), and Assessment and Children's Learning in the Secondary School (2001).