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Impact of Noah Webster
Noah Webster initiated the idea that education was directly related to patriotism and citizenship. Deemed School Master of the Republic, he eliminated British textbooks and advocated the teaching of national history. Webster created the Blue-Backed Speller out of which emerged the Webster Dictionary still used today. -
Impact of Horace Mann- MOST IMPORTANT
Horace Mann, a politician, became the first Secratary of Education. He visited over 1,000 schools over 6 years to compose a report on the quality and condition of each school. Mann aimed to standardize aspects of education and created normal schools for teacher training. He advocated for government involvement in schooling as means for better education.
PBS Only a Teacher: Schoolhouse Pioneers- Horace Mann -
Significance of Horace Mann's Impact- MOST IMPORTANT CONTINUED
Mann's impact is still significant in our current society as observed through government involvement in education. His theory that good education is and should be provided by the government is still central to educational hierarchy. Further, his idea for regulated teacher training laid the foundation for formal teacher certification requirements. -
Population Growth and Immigration in the 19th Century
In the 19th century, the population of the United States expanded rapidly due to an influx of immigrants who migrated to Urban areas. The increase of city populations required a trained workforce and schools became the most efficient method to prepare next generation workers. Common schools were viewed as avenues for upward social mobility by immigrants while Protestants used school as a means of social control and extended suffrage. -
Secondary School Movement
The Secondary School Movement has roots in the Civil War era with the establishment of the Boston English High School in 1824 which focused on practical education. The movement grew with the economy and in 1831 the Comprehensive High School of Massachusetts was created. However, the movement gained significant momentum with the Kalamazoo Case in which the legistlature could tax for elementary and secondary public school support. The case began the regulation of compulsory laws. -
Committee of Ten
The Committee of Ten was chaired by Charles Eliot and comprised of members from higher education. The committee recommended an early introduction of basic subjects and uniform content in the cirriculum. They urged for consistent instruction and college preparation with few elective options in schools. The committee introduced the advocated for college preparatory cirriculum that when completed would be counted as 1 Carnegie Unit. -
Significance of Progressive Reform Movement- MOST IMPORTANT CONTINUED
While education moved away from the Progressive Reform Movement after 1917, current educational practices are reverting back to progressive ideas. Student-centered education is now considered to be good teaching. Schools are currently expected to reach beyond subject content to include socialization and basic life skills. The Progressive Reform Movement provided a foundation for schools to view education in terms of the child and not the content. -
Progressive Reform Movement- MOST IMPORTANT
The Progressive Reform, spear-headed by John Dewey, shifted schools towards child-centered education. Schools, such as the Emerson School, provided a school day that included both body and mind. The progressive movement aimed to make schools more hospitable and provide life skills in addition to subject content.
Additional Information on Progressive Education Movement -
Measurement Movement
The Measurement Movement emerged out of World War I for military determinations to classify soldiers into their most effective positions. Teachers began to use measurements that were quantifiable to analyze school achievements. In the beginning of the movement, measurements were laregly used to assess learning difficulties but subsequently the results of IQ, Thorndike and other tests made undo comparisons between students intelligence. -
Brown vs Board of Education
Brown vs Board of Education was a Supreme Court ruling that banned segregation in public schools. The ruling was was met with national resistance and led to a confrontation in Little Rock, Arkansas where nine black students attempted to integrate into a previously all white school. The ruling did not end segregation but became the beginning of a larger civil rights movement. -
Sputnik
As the Russian Sputnik was launched into space, the United States felt an instant lag in technological advancements. Many politicans and engineers expressed that the United States was losing the Cold War due to a shortage of trained teachers, engineers and students. The NDEA redirected Federal funds specifically to math and science cirriculum which also introduced increased Federal government involvement in schools. -
Impact of the Civil Rights Movement and War on Poverty
The Civil Rights Movement prohibited discrimination based upon race, color and national origin for students and teachers within schools. The end to de facto segregation and increased financial assistance as an incentive for schools to desegregate allowed for a shift in cirriculum to include bilingual education programs and advancement to Indian Education. Further, as lack of education was viewed as a major contributor to poverty, programs such as Head Start were formed. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act- MOST IMPORTANT
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act allocated $1 billion in Federal funds for low income Title I schools. The Act was viewed as an extension to support Head Start programs for poverished areas. The money was to be utilized for improvements to libraries, textbooks and other school materials. The Act was later expanded to include Native populations and others.
A Review of ESEA on its 40th Anniversary -
Significance of Elementary and Secondary Act- MOST IMPORTANT CONTINUED
The significance of the Act extended to the creation of No Child Left Behind in 2001. The allotment of Federal funds to low income schools established the governments responsibility to use education as a means to elevate those within poverty. Furthermore, the Act provided a standard for the government to ensure that equality in materials, textbooks and facilities reach all schools across the nation. -
Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act
IDEA established free and public education for all disabled children. The Act had six central components which included provisions for inclusion that designated disabled children have educational opportunities in the least restrictive enviornment. Physical changes to buildings were also required in order to provide accessibility for the disabled. -
A Nation at Risk Report- MOST IMPORTANT
The Nation at Risk Report was released by President Reagan and created the belief that the United States education was inferior when compared to other global education systems. The report instigated two waves of reforms within the education system that included higher graduation standards, increased testing, emphasis on technology literacy and increased homework. The report also altered funding patterns.
Full Nation at Risk Report -
Significance of A Nation at Risk Report- MOST IMPORTANT CONTINUED
The Nation at Risk Report began the shift towards our current educational system which focused on increased testing and longer school days for students. The attitude of more homework as a means of extended learning is still apparent in our school system as some high schoolers have 3-4 hours of homework per night. Instead of changing instructional methods to be more effective, the Report advocated for intense school days with clear measurable results that are a continued component of education. -
Growth of Standardized Testing
In order to measure the progress of A Nation at Risk Report components and the Standards Movement that followed, the Federal government drastically increased the use of standardized tests. The need for measurable reforms produced an era of high-stakes testing that designated teacher performance, student achieivment and allocation of Federal funds. The estimated cost of the growth in standardized testing reached over $500 million. -
No Child Left Behind- MOST IMPORTANT
No Child Left Behind is an initiative implemented by President Bush that provided additional funding and requirements for underperforming and low income schools. The Act required states to formulate standards for assessing students and placed sanctions on schools that did not meet those standards.
An Analysis of No Child Left Behind -
Significance of No Child Left Behind- MOST IMPORTANT CONTINUED
While No Child Left Behind had good intentions to close acheivement gaps for impoverished areas, the emphasis on testing and haphazard distribution of funds was ineffective. The Act created a divide among the Federal government and education community as teachers, administrators and students felt the government was working against progressive reforms with the weight of testing and sanctions. The unorganized implementation created a larger acheivement gap for students in poverty.
