Education in the United States Its Historical Roots - Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4: Education in the United States: Its Historical Roots Introduction to Teaching: Becoming a Professional 5th Edition Don P. Kauchak and Paul D. Eggen The Colonial Period (1607-1775) 1. What is significant about the date 1607? About 1775? 2. Education was reserved for whom in colonial America, and why was this the case? 3. How did the geography and economy of the Southern Colonies influence education in this region? 1. 1607 was the date of the founding of the Jamestown Colony, the first permanent English settlement in North America. 1775 was the year before our country declared itself independent from the British empire (July 4, 1776). 2. Education was reserved for wealthy males, largely because of the class and gender distinctions that existed in Europe at the time. 3. Because of large tracts of fertile land and warm weather, the Southern Colonies were largely agrarian, and large distances between farms and plantations often existed. Wealthy plantation owners hired private tutors for their children, and children of lower classes didn’t attend school. Southern aristocracy was dominant until the Civil War. The Colonial Period (1607-1775) Cont. 4. How were the Middle Colonies different from the Southern Colonies, and how did this difference impact education? 5. How were the New England colonies different from both the Southern and Middle Colonies? How did this difference, combined with the influence of the Puritans, affect education? 4. The middle colonies were more diverse, and because of this diversity, they created parochial schools consistent with their culture and religion, such as the Lutheran religion being part of the curriculum in German schools with instruction conducted in German. 5. The New England colonies were more homogeneous, which made creating schools with common goals easier. Their geography encouraged an economy focused on industry and commerce, which encouraged people to cluster into towns. The Puritans believed that people were inherently evil. By learning to read and write, people gained access to God’s word through the Bible, so education made people more righteous. Education was viewed as the vehicle for helping people follow God’s commandments and resist the devil’s temptations. Teaching in Colonial Schools 1. If you were a teacher in a colonial school, would you have been more likely a man or a woman, and how much training in teaching would you have received? Why? 2. What would your working conditions have been like, what would you have taught, and what kind of teaching strategies would you have used? 3. How eager would your students have been? Explain. 1. You would have been a male, and you would have received no training in teaching, because virtually all teachers were men waiting for an appointment in the ministry. In addition, girls were essentially excluded from school. 2. Your working conditions would have been harsh. You would have focused on reading, writing, arithmetic and religion (the 4 R’s), and because you would have had virtually no materials or resources, you would have emphasized memorization and recitation. You would have been underpaid and underappreciated. 3. Because of the unpleasant conditions, the fact that students weren’t allowed to ask questions, and lack of relevance to their lives, students would have been unmotivated. The Early National Period (1775–1820)How the Constitution Shaped Education 1. What two Amendments to our country’s constitution have had a major impact on education that continues to today? Explain why the amendments were originally created. The original colonies were very religiously diverse, so our country’s founders concluded that no religion should be placed above others. As a result, they created the “establishment clause” of the First Amendment which prohibited the government from passing legislation to establish any one official religion over another. This created the principle widely known as separation of church and state. Leaders couldn’t agree about who should organize and manage education, so our country’s leaders sidestepped the issue in the Tenth Amendment by saying that any areas explicitly assigned to the federal government would be the responsibility of each state. The Land Ordinance of 1785 Why was the Land Ordinance of 1785 so significant in shaping education in our country? At that time in our country’s history, Congress did not have the power to directly tax American citizens. The Land Ordinance was designed to raise money by selling land in the territories west of the original colonies. It specified that land was to be divided into townships consisting of 36 one-square-mile sections, with the income from one section reserved for the support of public education. How the Early National Period Shaped Education Today 1. You will likely be required to take an exam before you’re fully licensed to be a teacher. This will be a state-level exam. Why is that the case? 2. You’re not allowed to require your students to say any particular form of prayer in your classroom. Why not? 3. The federal government does play a role in education in our country. What set the precedent for this role? 1. Your licensure exam is administered at the state level because the Tenth Amendment to our Constitution specified that control of education would be the responsibility of individual states. 2. The principle of separation of church and state—the “establishment clause” of the first amendment—forbids promoting any religion over another in our country. 3. The Land Ordinance of 1785 set the precedent for federal funding—and therefore, federal involvement—in education. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a recent, prominent example. The Common School Movement (1820-1865) 1. What was the single most significant educational outcome of the Common School Movement? What conditions existed in our country that promoted this outcome? 2. Four significant events occurred during this period. What were they? 1. The most significant outcome of this period was the movement away from education designed for only the upper class elite and toward education for everyone. A dramatic increase in immigration and the increasing industrialization of our country resulted in a need for an educated, English-speaking workforce, and education was seen as the mechanism for reaching that goal. 2. The significant events were: The direct taxation of citizens to support public schools. The creation of state departments of education The organization of schools by grade level and the standardization of the curriculum Improvements in teacher preparation Some Universities in Our Country Look at the following universities. What do they have in common? Illinois State University Eastern Michigan University Sam Houston State University The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) They were all originally normal schools—schools designed specifically to train teachers. They focused specifically on preparing people to be better teachers. They targeted women. Prior to that time most teachers were men preparing for the ministry. The Comprehensive High School You likely attended a junior high or middle school and then a fairly large high school prior to enrolling in your college or university. Describe three ways in which your school experiences at these two levels were different from the experiences you would have had prior to the development of these schools. Your schools were designed to meet the needs of all students, regardless of ability or interests, and tracking students by ability was common. Your schools had a varied and practical curriculum that included all the content areas we see in schools today. Prior to the development of the comprehensive high school, the curriculum focused on narrow topics, such as the classics. Junior highs and middle schools didn’t exist prior to this conception of schooling. The Education of Native Americans Continued A small town named St. Ignatius exists on the Flathead Reservation. What might have been the initial reason the town came to exist? St. Ignatius was originally created as a town housing a mission school sponsored by the Catholic church. It was similar to other schools that attempted to assimilate Native Americans by helping them bridge the gap between their existing life and the dominant culture. Boarding schools were an additional attempt to assimilate Native Americans, but they were a complete failure. Why? Native American children were removed from tribal settings, forced to live at the schools, speak only English, and abandon all native customs. Imagine how we would feel if we were taken to Mongolia, for example, and were required to completely abandon everything with which we’re familiar. The Education of Hispanic Americans Identify two ways in which the education of Hispanic Americans—historically—was similar to the education of Native Americans? First, Hispanic education began with Catholic mission schools in the Southwest, and second, attempts were made to implement the policy of assimilation similar to the boarding schools for Native Americans. Problems existed that were similar to the problems Native Americans encountered, and some of these problems, such as low graduation rates, and low college attendance persist today. The Education of Asian Americans 1. In what way was Asian immigrants’ experiences in our country initially different from the experience of other ethnic groups, such as Native Americans, African Americans, and Hispanic Americans? 2. Asian immigrants’ experiences were similar to other ethnic groups in one way. How was it similar? 3. How are Asian American’s experiences now different from the experiences of other ethnic groups in our educational system? 1. Asian immigrants were initially welcomed, because they relieved a labor shortage, particularly in the west [such as working on the transcontinental railroad]. 2. They experienced discrimination similar to the discrimination experienced by other ethnic groups. 3. They have been more successful in school than members of other minorities, such as scoring higher on achievement tests and having higher rates of college attendance and completion. Schools as Instruments for National Purposes and Social Change How is the Civil Rights Act of 1964 related to the famous watershed case, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka in 1954? Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka ended legal discrimination on the basis of race, such as the policy “separate but equal.” Discrimination remained widespread, however, because the responsibility for desegregation was left to individual states and school districts, and many strongly resisted change. The federal government countered this resistance with the Civil Rights Act, which prohibited discrimination against students on the basis of race, color. Both—Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka and the Civil Rights Act—were federal attempts to eliminate discrimination on the basis of race. Schools as Instruments for National Purposes and Social Change Continued Describe the following: Title 1 Head Start Title IX Title 1: A federal compensatory education policy begun as part of the “War On Poverty” [initiated by President Lyndon Johnson in his 1964 State of the Union address] that funds supplemental education experiences for low income students in elementary and secondary schools. Head Start: Another compensatory education policy created as part of the War on Poverty, it is designed to help disadvantaged 3-5 year old children enter school ready to learn. Title IX: A federal policy stating, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” Title IX has had a significant impact on girls’ participation in sports at the high school and college level. Discussion Questions 1-4 1. What is the proper relationship between education and religion? Is the connection between religion and education likely to become closer or more distant over the next 10 years? Why do you think so? 2. Would our educational system be better if control were at the national level instead of the local and state levels? Why or why not? 3. How would you attempt to solve the problems Native American education has encountered in the past? 4. Do you believe that racial discrimination remains a major problem for society? Is affirmative action a viable solution? What could or should schools do to alleviate this problem? Discussion Questions 5-8 5. What is your position on bilingual education? Should it be generally banned as it has been in some states, or was this a mistake? Explain your position. 6. Are compulsory attendance laws an effective way to deal with our country’s drop-out problem? What should be the current compulsory age limit for school attendance? Is the goal of a college education for everyone a good idea? Why or why not? 7. How important is the gender gap in teaching? Should schools make a special effort to recruit more male teachers in the elementary grades? More female teachers in high school science and math? How will your effectiveness as a teacher be influence by your gender? Will you be more effective with students of the same gender? 8. We are in the midst of a technological revolution in society with the development of the Internet, social networks, and smart phones. How should our schools respond to this revolution? If you had unlimited funds to spend, how would you redesign your classroom in response to these technological advances? Click to edit Master title style Click to edit Master subtitle style The Thirteen Colonies The Education of Native Americans The Education of Native Americans See the Flathead reservation below. A small town named St. Ignatius exists on the Reservation. What might have been the initial reason the town came to exist? Think about the town’s name. CHAPTER 4: Education in the United States: Its Historical Roots Introduction to Teaching: Becoming a Professional 5th Edition Don P. Kauchak and Paul D. Eggen The Colonial Period (1607-1775) 1. What is significant about the date 1607? About 1775? 2. Education was reserved for whom in colonial America, and why was this the case? 3. How did the geography and economy of the Southern Colonies influence education in this region? 1. 1607 was the date of the founding of the Jamestown Colony, the first permanent English settlement in North America. 1775 was the year before our country declared itself independent from the British empire (July 4, 1776). 2. Education was reserved for wealthy males, largely because of the class and gender distinctions that existed in Europe at the time. 3. Because of large tracts of fertile land and warm weather, the Southern Colonies were largely agrarian, and large distances between farms and plantations often existed. Wealthy plantation owners hired private tutors for their children, and children of lower classes didn’t attend school. Southern aristocracy was dominant until the Civil War. The Colonial Period (1607-1775) Cont. 4. How were the Middle Colonies different from the Southern Colonies, and how did this difference impact education? 5. How were the New England colonies different from both the Southern and Middle Colonies? How did this difference, combined with the influence of the Puritans, affect education? 4. The middle colonies were more diverse, and because of this diversity, they created parochial schools consistent with their culture and religion, such as the Lutheran religion being part of the curriculum in German schools with instruction conducted in German. 5. The New England colonies were more homogeneous, which made creating schools with common goals easier. Their geography encouraged an economy focused on industry and commerce, which encouraged people to cluster into towns. The Puritans believed that people were inherently evil. By learning to read and write, people gained access to God’s word through the Bible, so education made people more righteous. Education was viewed as the vehicle for helping people follow God’s commandments and resist the devil’s temptations. Teaching in Colonial Schools 1. If you were a teacher in a colonial school, would you have been more likely a man or a woman, and how much training in teaching would you have received? Why? 2. What would your working conditions have been like, what would you have taught, and what kind of teaching strategies would you have used? 3. How eager would your students have been? Explain. 1. You would have been a male, and you would have received no training in teaching, because virtually all teachers were men waiting for an appointment in the ministry. In addition, girls were essentially excluded from school. 2. Your working conditions would have been harsh. You would have focused on reading, writing, arithmetic and religion (the 4 R’s), and because you would have had virtually no materials or resources, you would have emphasized memorization and recitation. You would have been underpaid and underappreciated. 3. Because of the unpleasant conditions, the fact that students weren’t allowed to ask questions, and lack of relevance to their lives, students would have been unmotivated. The Early National Period (1775–1820)How the Constitution Shaped Education 1. What two Amendments to our country’s constitution have had a major impact on education that continues to today? Explain why the amendments were originally created. The original colonies were very religiously diverse, so our country’s founders concluded that no religion should be placed above others. As a result, they created the “establishment clause” of the First Amendment which prohibited the government from passing legislation to establish any one official religion over another. This created the principle widely known as separation of church and state. Leaders couldn’t agree about who should organize and manage education, so our country’s leaders sidestepped the issue in the Tenth Amendment by saying that any areas explicitly assigned to the federal government would be the responsibility of each state. The Land Ordinance of 1785 Why was the Land Ordinance of 1785 so significant in shaping education in our country? At that time in our country’s history, Congress did not have the power to directly tax American citizens. The Land Ordinance was designed to raise money by selling land in the territories west of the original colonies. It specified that land was to be divided into townships consisting of 36 one-square-mile sections, with the income from one section reserved for the support of public education. How the Early National Period Shaped Education Today 1. You will likely be required to take an exam before you’re fully licensed to be a teacher. This will be a state-level exam. Why is that the case? 2. You’re not allowed to require your students to say any particular form of prayer in your classroom. Why not? 3. The federal government does play a role in education in our country. What set the precedent for this role? 1. Your licensure exam is administered at the state level because the Tenth Amendment to our Constitution specified that control of education would be the responsibility of individual states. 2. The principle of separation of church and state—the “establishment clause” of the first amendment—forbids promoting any religion over another in our country. 3. The Land Ordinance of 1785 set the precedent for federal funding—and therefore, federal involvement—in education. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a recent, prominent example. The Common School Movement (1820-1865) 1. What was the single most significant educational outcome of the Common School Movement? What conditions existed in our country that promoted this outcome? 2. Four significant events occurred during this period. What were they? 1. The most significant outcome of this period was the movement away from education designed for only the upper class elite and toward education for everyone. A dramatic increase in immigration and the increasing industrialization of our country resulted in a need for an educated, English-speaking workforce, and education was seen as the mechanism for reaching that goal. 2. The significant events were: The direct taxation of citizens to support public schools. The creation of state departments of education The organization of schools by grade level and the standardization of the curriculum Improvements in teacher preparation Some Universities in Our Country Look at the following universities. What do they have in common? Illinois State University Eastern Michigan University Sam Houston State University The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) They were all originally normal schools—schools designed specifically to train teachers. They focused specifically on preparing people to be better teachers. They targeted women. Prior to that time most teachers were men preparing for the ministry. The Comprehensive High School You likely attended a junior high or middle school and then a fairly large high school prior to enrolling in your college or university. Describe three ways in which your school experiences at these two levels were different from the experiences you would have had prior to the development of these schools. Your schools were designed to meet the needs of all students, regardless of ability or interests, and tracking students by ability was common. Your schools had a varied and practical curriculum that included all the content areas we see in schools today. Prior to the development of the comprehensive high school, the curriculum focused on narrow topics, such as the classics. Junior highs and middle schools didn’t exist prior to this conception of schooling. The Education of Native Americans Continued A small town named St. Ignatius exists on the Flathead Reservation. What might have been the initial reason the town came to exist? St. Ignatius was originally created as a town housing a mission school sponsored by the Catholic church. It was similar to other schools that attempted to assimilate Native Americans by helping them bridge the gap between their existing life and the dominant culture. Boarding schools were an additional attempt to assimilate Native Americans, but they were a complete failure. Why? Native American children were removed from tribal settings, forced to live at the schools, speak only English, and abandon all native customs. Imagine how we would feel if we were taken to Mongolia, for example, and were required to completely abandon everything with which we’re familiar. The Education of Hispanic Americans Identify two ways in which the education of Hispanic Americans—historically—was similar to the education of Native Americans? First, Hispanic education began with Catholic mission schools in the Southwest, and second, attempts were made to implement the policy of assimilation similar to the boarding schools for Native Americans. Problems existed that were similar to the problems Native Americans encountered, and some of these problems, such as low graduation rates, and low college attendance persist today. The Education of Asian Americans 1. In what way was Asian immigrants’ experiences in our country initially different from the experience of other ethnic groups, such as Native Americans, African Americans, and Hispanic Americans? 2. Asian immigrants’ experiences were similar to other ethnic groups in one way. How was it similar? 3. How are Asian American’s experiences now different from the experiences of other ethnic groups in our educational system? 1. Asian immigrants were initially welcomed, because they relieved a labor shortage, particularly in the west [such as working on the transcontinental railroad]. 2. They experienced discrimination similar to the discrimination experienced by other ethnic groups. 3. They have been more successful in school than members of other minorities, such as scoring higher on achievement tests and having higher rates of college attendance and completion. Schools as Instruments for National Purposes and Social Change How is the Civil Rights Act of 1964 related to the famous watershed case, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka in 1954? Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka ended legal discrimination on the basis of race, such as the policy “separate but equal.” Discrimination remained widespread, however, because the responsibility for desegregation was left to individual states and school districts, and many strongly resisted change. The federal government countered this resistance with the Civil Rights Act, which prohibited discrimination against students on the basis of race, color. Both—Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka and the Civil Rights Act—were federal attempts to eliminate discrimination on the basis of race. Schools as Instruments for National Purposes and Social Change Continued Describe the following: Title 1 Head Start Title IX Title 1: A federal compensatory education policy begun as part of the “War On Poverty” [initiated by President Lyndon Johnson in his 1964 State of the Union address] that funds supplemental education experiences for low income students in elementary and secondary schools. Head Start: Another compensatory education policy created as part of the War on Poverty, it is designed to help disadvantaged 3-5 year old children enter school ready to learn. Title IX: A federal policy stating, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” Title IX has had a significant impact on girls’ participation in sports at the high school and college level. Discussion Questions 1-4 1. What is the proper relationship between education and religion? Is the connection between religion and education likely to become closer or more distant over the next 10 years? Why do you think so? 2. Would our educational system be better if control were at the national level instead of the local and state levels? Why or why not? 3. How would you attempt to solve the problems Native American education has encountered in the past? 4. Do you believe that racial discrimination remains a major problem for society? Is affirmative action a viable solution? What could or should schools do to alleviate this problem? Discussion Questions 5-8 5. What is your position on bilingual education? Should it be generally banned as it has been in some states, or was this a mistake? Explain your position. 6. Are compulsory attendance laws an effective way to deal with our country’s drop-out problem? What should be the current compulsory age limit for school attendance? Is the goal of a college education for everyone a good idea? Why or why not? 7. How important is the gender gap in teaching? Should schools make a special effort to recruit more male teachers in the elementary grades? More female teachers in high school science and math? How will your effectiveness as a teacher be influence by your gender? Will you be more effective with students of the same gender? 8. We are in the midst of a technological revolution in society with the development of the Internet, social networks, and smart phones. How should our schools respond to this revolution? If you had unlimited funds to spend, how would you redesign your classroom in response to these technological advances?