Madeleine Sophie Barat (1779-1865) was a forward-thinking educator of young women in France in the aftermath of the French Revolution. In her earliest establishment in Amiens, she included in her curriculum, elements of scientific disciplines that had been reserved for male students up to that time.

Her purpose was to form enlightened, responsible women concerned for social justice. To carry out this aim, she founded a Catholic religious congregation for women, the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The philosophical basis of her plan of study, its flexibility and openness, have made possible adaptation to different countries, cultures and eras. Rethought and rewritten several times through the years, it remains timely and relevant in the twenty-first century in new environments.

Sister Marie France Carreel's research for her study of Sacred Heart education led her to the discovery of the original Plan of Study from 1804. From her analysis of that first plan she traced the development of the Society's educational work to its present expression in the Goals and Criteria of Sacred Heart Education.