Functioning of private gymnasium for girls in Moscow governorate (using example of V.V. Pshenichkina gymnasium)

Savukova Julia

The main result of the reform of women's education in the 1870s was the rapid process of democratization of women's secondary school, which in turn is associated with the successful development of private gymnasiums and pro-gymnasiums. The article, based on the complex analysis of different archive sources, examines the activity of the private female gymnasium which existed in the territory of Moscow province at the beginning of the 20th century. The author has succeeded in finding out that the educational process was organized in accordance with the general principles which were stated for this type of schools in the governmental documents, resolutions and circulars. The gymnasium obeyed the rules and programs established by the Ministry of Public Education despite the nongovernmental support. The source base of the research includes correspondence of the trustee of the Moscow school district with the keeper about the appointment and transfer of teachers, about the revision of the school, teachers' forms, records of students' grades, registers of teachers' council meetings, annual logs of students' academic progress. For the first time we provide reliable data on the history, content of education and organization of educational process, which allows us to judge the importance of private educational institutions in the development of women's secondary education in the Russian Empire.

Keywords:gymnasium, Moscow province, educational process, Serpukhov, private female education.