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Stanley Hall and the Child Development Movement
This brought education away from the basic reading, writing, and arithmetic, where students would essentially memorize information to advance. There previously had been limited focus on the student and what was best for them. This movement opened the door for John Dewey and his laboratory schools. If It weren't for this educational movement, there would not be the push for individualized learning. There would only be the basic method of learning, which either worked or didn't for all students. -
The Cardinal Principles Report
The Cardinal Principles Report pushed for broader-serving high schools. This meant that the student who was not planning to attend college to study courses that would have more relevance to their post-secondary lives. This is still followed by the majority of schools in the country. By serving the whole student where they are and where they were heading, secondary education became more relevant and significantly more effective. -
The Great Depression and New Deal
When FDR and his administration put young people back to work with the PWA, the buildings many recognize as a modern-day school were created. Gone were the one-room schoolhouses. The WPA also funded those buildings for educators, supplies and even meals. This not only got kids learning again, but it implemented many of the things people have gotten used to having as a part of their regular education. These kids were no longer struggling on the street, but growing in school. -
Brown V. The Board of Education
By ending segregation in schools, Brown v. The Board of Education gave a boost to all students of color. NO longer were they forced to learn in dilapidated buildings with subpar curriculum and staff. Separate was never equal, and was never going to be. While there is still inequality based on location and poverty, skin color is no longer an educational disparity. -
Rehabilitation Act
The passing of this act paved the way for individuals with disabilities to no longer be hidden away, confined in homes or institutional settings. This also provided parents of these students to have a few hours a day to care for themselves. Education cannot be the great equalizer if it does not include the most vulnerable citizens.
