Day 3 Brief History of American Education.ppt

First session of two days reviewing history of Ed in America

1. A Brief History of
American Education
Learning is what most adults will
do for a living in the 21st century."
--Perelman
"Education costs money, but then
so does ignorance."
--Sir Claus Moser

2. Late 1800'sSweeping Changes in
US
•Immigrants
•Railroads
•Journalism
•Books
•Shift from agrarian society/small, isolated towns
to industrial society/ large cities
•Struggle for the identity of American education

3. Prevailing views until late 1800's 
Mental Disciplinarians
•Brain = a muscle that should be exercised
•Drill and practice
•Rote memorization
•Based in faculty psychology (compartmentalized)
•“Exercise” in one area willtransferto other areas
•Supported by the Yale Report (1828), the only
existing document guiding education
•Would be challenged by advances in experimental
psychology (e.g.,Thorndike, connectionism)

4. •Humanists
•Developmentalists
•Social Efficiency Educators
•Social Meliorists
-Fluid shift between these groups; no definite
dates for influence of each group
-Tend to parallel social and political
developments
4 Primary Groups of Influence
during the late1800's to present:

5. Humanists-1890’s –Curriculum dominated by the doctrine of
mental discipline -certain subjects had the power to
strengthen mental faculties. Guardians of ancient tradition
and Western culture.
Developmentalists-Natural order of development of the child
was most important -child study movement.
Social Efficiency-Reform society by increasing efficiency.
Saw schools as preparing students for adult-life roles.
Social Meliorists-social change & social justice through the
schools. Curriculum should address social justice issues.

6. Humanists (Mid to late 1800's)
•Some early members of this groups were former
mental disciplinarians
•Education should be based on the finest elements of
Western Civilization
•Ultimate goal of education: development of reason
and transmission of culture
•All students should receive the same education,
regardless of their direction in life
•“5 windows to the mind”: grammar, literature and art,
geography, history, and math
•Leaders: Eliot, Harris

7. •Committed to preserving the essence of
Western Civilization
•Desire to develop well-rounded individuals
capable of contributing to the world around them
•Everyone receives the ‘same’ education. Fought
against the worst parts of tracking.
Humanists: Greatest Strength

8. Humanists: Major Weakness
•Not in tune to the sweeping changes all around
them
•Growing industrial society need for skilled
laborers
•Transfer has never been shown to work

9. Humanist influence today…
•5 windows core coursework for most high
school students
•Liberal arts colleges humanities and
languages

10. Developmentalists (Late 1800's to
early 1900's)
•First reform group in American education
•Roots in the child study movement scientific study of
children (observing children’s behavior)
•Concerned with the natural development of the child 
education should address natural impulses of the child
•Differentiation of educational experiences based on
future direction of child -Tracking!
•Child’s interests should be a guiding factor in education
•Integration of subjects
•Leaders: Hall, Dewey (with reservations)

11. Developmentalists: Strengths
•Emphasis on the child as the starting point of the
curriculum
•Opposed the monotony and drudgery of
schools of the 1800’s
•Made strides in applying scientific principles to
the classroom

12. Developmentalists: Weaknesses
•Sorting students according to future direction in
life = tracking had social consequences.
•Believed students possessed varying levels of
ability determining factor in success
•Led to early identification of students who would
(a) go to college or (b) become manual laborers

13. Developmentalists: Influence
today…
•Child-centered early childhood approaches:
Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio Emilia
•Inquiry-based instruction
•Problem-based instruction

14. Humanists-1890’s –Curriculum
dominated by the doctrine of mental
discipline -certain subjects had the power
to strengthen mental faculties. Guardians
of ancient tradition and Western culture.
Developmentalists-Natural order of
development of the child was most
important -child study movement.
Go stand on the left if you agree with the
Humanists; go stand on the right if you agree
with the Developmentalists. Why?