The History of American Education

In the early 1800’s education in America grew and developed rapidly, largely because of the works of three very important men: Noah Webster, William McGuffey, and Horace Mann. These three men were catalysts for the growth of education throughout the nineteenth century, and without them the large strides America took during this time would not have occurred. These great men all shared one goal: to educate the youth of America as well as possible. This was no small task, however, because the educational system in place was disorganized and had several large problems that had to be overcome.

There was a time when America’s education system was top-notch according to the culture and society. With time, a myriad of things has changed, but unfortunately what has not evolved is the American education system. The country is still following a system which was not designed for the current global economic climate. Equality, as positive as it sounds is not as sufficient when it comes to education. The system treats students equally yet expect a similar culmination and outcome. Every child has his individuality and distinct abilities; one cannot judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree. Conversely, a few of the prominent reasons why the education system is failing are overcrowded schools, the rise of technology, and following the same old school hours.

School Life in the 1950’s was harder than today because the facilities were few and inadequate. Teachers were stricter and corporal punishment was still in use. They had fewer subjects and wealth, discrimination, sexism and racism meant they could only do certain subjects.

The American education system has not changed drastically since the 1900s. In the early 1900’s before grading, teachers were expected to communicate in depth to their students on how they were doing in the class. This worked well for small groups and individual tutoring. The ability for this information to be passed on to those who were not involved with the learning process, such as employers and parents was limited. By the mid 20th century schools changed drastically as they introduced grades in the form of letters. The American schools now became more standardized as A, B, C, D and F represented ones grade. Depending what percentage a student received determined letter they got. An example is an A is a mark of 90-100%

The United States of America used to be known as one of the greatest countries to be apart of. From the jobs to the economy to education people loved to be apart of the American culture. The problem many Americans are facing today is poor education. Since America is viewed as a high profile country many people have prominent expectations on what they are receiving, specifically the education. The fact is that there are major problems with all levels of the education system today. Starting with early education, teachers are quick to say children needs to be medicated or put into special education. Proceeding to the general or high school education where kids are graduating but not prepared for what’s after. Lastly how higher education or college can hardly be afforded in today’s society. As a result of the failing education system, many parents blame the child or society when in actuality the failing system is corrupted by some teachers, lack of preparation, and lack of affordability in higher education.

Education is a necessity across the globe, from America to Africa to China. Some education systems, however, are more successful than others and hold differing views and approaches to education. Culture greatly impacts education, which in turn impacts further opportunity. As unfair as it may be, a child’s cultural background largely determines their level of success. The American education system is lacking when compared to various other world cultures, and this is causing the socioeconomic gap to grow. Because of this inadequate education, more and more families are dipping beneath the poverty line. This could be due to poor discipline as well as the diversity of students. The diversity of the students results in a wide array of needs that are not being met by the public education system. This issue could be minimized by working to create a more inclusive academic environment to ensure equality and success.

In a progressively more globalized world that necessitates more effective educational practices, the U.S., once the biggest global force in education, has seen its dominance slowly slip out, and its educational status fall even lower than that of several third-world countries. The decline experienced in American school system academic achievement is not as a result of lack of funding, but as a consequence of the overall educational system watering down. According to Gatto, educating children through the existing public school system of America is crippling rather than helping them. From his essay, ‘Against School,’ it is established that the goal of the whole public school system is to limit people’s intelligence in an attempt to create a society that is manageable. Gatto continues to state that action is needed to change this situation. He supports his assertions using current and historical information about the American school system and his personal experience. After reading his article, one realizes that most of Gatto’s arguments are true. It is true that the American education system is making the students comfort to the government and society norms, which is why they are easily bored. This essay’s goal will, therefore, be to support John Gatto’s beliefs.

The human mind is perhaps the greatest object on the earth, animate or inanimate, but without the proper training, the mind is a relatively useless tool. Through the development of formal education systems, humans as a whole have tried to ensure the training of all minds so as to continue prosperity for the world. Most of the time, though, education systems do not realize the harm they are doing to developing minds and the subsequent negative consequences. Among the largest of these inadequate education systems is the American primary schooling system. The American education system is in fact failing; it continues to deplete children of their natural creativity and thirst for knowledge while preaching conformity, which in turn creates an

The educational system of the 1920s varied greatly from the educational system of modern-day America. Segregation and a lack of funding were huge issues during this decade. There were major concerns over the effectiveness of intelligence testing. The 1920s were also a key point in time for secondary education. The educational system may have faced many challenges during this decade, but it also made great strides towards shaping today’s schools.

The struggle for education for the african americans was like a crime. Not only weren't african americans allowed to go to school with the whites but they didn't have many school utilities like the whites did. The whites had many textbooks that were up to date and they had clean rooms and enough seats while schools for the african american were like prisons. They didn't have enough seats or books and sometimes they only had enough teachers to teach since white folk didn't want anything to do with african americans. Before the end of the civil war the education was a real struggle for the african americans. Even though there was effort to make schools for the african americans only a few could go to school since there was no money and they simply

This week’s timeline encompasses 1903 to 1947. Several key events took place during these pivotal years like World War I, The Great Depression, and World War II. Therefore it is not surprising that these events affected what was being taught in the public schools. In New York State laws had already been passed which required things like flags in every classroom and the incorporation of the Manual of Patriotism into the curriculum. Like today, a majority of the elementary school teachers were women. Since these women could not participate in the military during wartime, they took on the role of educating future military personnel and supporters. These teachers felt that by teaching their students how to be patriots who had faith in their country,

It was not until during the Civil War that Vincent Colyer, army chaplain, established the first school for freed people on July 23, 1863. Furthermore, in 1896 the United States’ Supreme Court established the “separate but equal” doctrine regarding the education between blacks and whites. This consisted of three main principles. The first stipulated that as long as the state provided education for whites, it must for blacks as well. The second stated that the treatment of black students must be the same as that of the white students. The third demanded that the educational building centers of the whites and blacks must be in the exact same quality. These requirements seem to be an automatic necessity now, yet then it was not. The educational system has changed so much, along with society

The short term significance of the 1870 Education Act can be seen in the political impact and the changes to equality within areas of politics, by introducing School Boards. School boards started or took over 3000 schools across the UK, which not only took control away from the Church in deciding what is learnt by children, it also allowed women to have a

“The period between 1965 and the end of the 1980s witnessed significant developments, not only in the provision of post-primary schooling in Ireland, but also in the way in which schooling was understood.”

“The period between 1965 and the end of the 1980s witnessed significant developments, not only in the provision of post-primary schooling in Ireland, but also in the way in which schooling was understood.”