Historical Roots of Education in the United States

1. Historical Roots of Education in the United States ED 1010 Mar 3 2009

2. The New England Colonies Puritans - Religion/Bible dominated Local Control of education, but no separation of church and state. • 1642 – General Court of Massachusetts Law • Required that children attend school. First attempt to make education compulsory • 1647 Old Deluder Satan Act • Required every town of 50 families to hire a teacher of reading or writing. Established public responsibility for education. • Schools controlled by religious leaders • Dame schools / Blab Schools • Rote memorizations & Recitation

3. Middle Colonies • Made of more diverse group of emigrants. Came from different parts of England than the Puritans. • Quaker Schools taught to a diverse group of learners (Native Americans, African Americans and others) • Franklin Academy offered students a choice in their course of study free of all religious ties (traditional subjects including navigation, math, surveying, bookkeeping). “Real world” classes • Secondary level education had a place • Precedents included practical (hands on) rather than intellectual course work, nonsectarian (public) schools, and much diversity offered in course work.

4. The Southern Colonies • Difficult for a lot of the children to attend school because of few towns and great distances between landowners. • Education was left to the wealthy landowners (Traveling tutors) Many sent sons to England to be educated in English schools. • Education for slaves was nonexistent – educating a slave could be a felony before the civil war.

5. First Amendment • Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Establishment Clause

6. Current Religious Controversies from the Colonial Period • Should prayer be allowed in schools? • Should federal money be used to provide instruction in religious schools? • What role should religion play in character and sex education? Other discussion questions 1. How did the diversity of the original colonies shape the educational system in the United States? 2. What role did religion play in colonial schools? What are the implications of this role for contemporary schools?

7. Early National Period (1775-1820) • Established a major educational role for states (Tenth Amendment to Constitution) • Also established the idea that the federal government should use education to improve people’s lives and help the nation grow

8. Tenth Amendment • The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. Why is this so important and still discussed today?

9. Common School Movement(1820-1865) Horace Mann, Massachusetts lawyer and legislator, believed in having taxpayers help finance public education. Wanted a public school for all including education for women, felt women were better suited to teach the young. In 1839, first Normal School set up to prepare people for careers as teachers. Established the trend of education available to all, NOT just the rich • Taxes used to support public schools • State education departments created to coordinate statewide efforts • Curriculum standardized and schools organized by grade levels (versus one-room schools) • Teacher preparation improved

10. Land Ordinance – 1785 –Northwest Ordinance: Thirty-six sections in a township – Section (block) no. 16 was the center of the township and designated as a site for a school. Few educational interventions were introduced. Unskilled workers were needed for growing industries including farming.

11. 1900 to World War II • John Dewey: A philosopher – founded the laboratory school at the University of Chicago. • Believed that for democracy to work, citizens had to be educated to understand and share in the duties and responsibilities of society. • Believed learners needed to master the Scientific Problem Solving method • Recognized individual differences among children

12. The Education of Native Americans • Mission schools in the 1700s and 1800s, run by religious groups, were the first educational attempt to assimilate Native Americans. • Federally funded and run boarding schools attempted to “Americanize” Native American students. • Currently, most (91%) of Native American students attend public schools, but problems persist: • Underachievement • High dropout rates • Low rates of college attendance

13. Education of African Americans • Before the Civil War, education participation and literacy rates were abysmally low. • Literacy rates increased dramatically after the Civil War, but education efforts were plagued by substandard funding and resources. • Booker T. Washington, who endorsed separate but equal, clashed with W.E.B. Dubois, who advocated integration and social activism. • A “separate but equal” policy (Plessy v. Ferguson, 1896) was supported by federal courts until 1954 (Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka).

14. Education of Hispanic Americans • Education of Hispanic Americans began in the Southwest with Catholic mission schools. • Early emphasis on Hispanic American education was on assimilation. • Language has been a major controversial issue in the education of Hispanic Americans.

15. Education of Asian Americans • Asian Americans experienced discrimination, both in schools and society at large. • Asian Americans are a diverse group of students from many different countries and cultures. • In general, Asian American students do well in school, excelling in achievement.

16. The Modern Era: Schools as Instruments for National Purpose and Social Change • The Cold War with the Soviet Union during the 1950s and 1960s focused federal educational efforts on math and science. • President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty attempted to use schools to eliminate the pervasive poverty in the U.S. • Compensatory education programs like Title I and Head Start attempted to provide enriched experiences to the children of poverty.

17. The Federal Government’s Role in Pursuing Equality • The Civil Rights movement, culminating in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, attempted to eliminate discrimination based on race, color, or national origin. • Title IX, passed in 1972, attempted to eliminate gender bias in schools. • Segregation, especially in large urban districts, continues to be a persistent problem. • Magnet schools are designed to attract and integrate students from diverse social and cultural backgrounds.

18. Federal Government Reform • Federal attempts to reform schools: • Setting standards • Creating testing programs • Offering (or withholding) financial incentives • Major issues with federal reform efforts: • Federal versus state and local control of educational standards • State versus federal control of testing programs • Incentive programs that increase the influence of the federal government on education