Robert MacDonald was born in Glasgow in 1902 and educated at Paisley Grammar School. He gained his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Glasgow 1922 . He also attended Lincoln College, Oxford (BA) and Moray House College of Education (Dip Ed). He taught English at Grangemouth and Edinburgh before being appointed H M Inspector of Schools, 1930 . He was awarded a Commonwealth Fund Fellowship ( 1938-1939 ) and became H M Chief Inspector of Schools in 1949 . He retired in 1962. From 1963-1966 , Robert MacDonald was assistant in the Department of Education, Glasgow University. He was also visiting Professor of Education, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada, 1966-1968.
From the guide to the Papers of Robert MacDonald, 1902-, Chief Inspector of Schools, Assistant in the Department of Education, University of Glasgow, Scotland, 1918-1939, (Glasgow University Archives Service)
