Today’s Schools Chapter 4

How schools are organized Most often at four levels: Early childhood education, elementary schools, middle schools/junior high schools, high schools Specialized Education services: special education, bilingual education, gifted and talented education, vocational-technical education

Early Childhood Education Growing number of mothers with young children entering the workforce: postmodernism Divided into three subgroups: infant/toddler programs (birth to 2), prekindergarten options (3 to 5), and primary education (5 to 8 years of age)

Elementary Education From colonial times through the earlier part of the twentieth century, grades 1-8 Self-contained classrooms…often with the exceptions of music, art, and physical education Kindergartens began in Germany in mid 1800s, begun by Friedrich Froebel…first for the rich kids, later for low-income kids to help success in later grades

Elementary education continued Core curriculum: reading, writing, spelling, arithmetic, science, social studies at the primary level Intermediate grades (grades four, five, sometimes six) often remain self-contained, but increasingly team teaching is becoming more common with teachers specializing in math/science or language arts/social studies

Junior High Schools Junior Highs often grades 7-9 began in early 20 th century, common by mid-century Junior highs were an extension down of the high school curriculum, better met the needs of older elementary students, provided a structure to smooth the transition from childhood to young adulthood

Middle Schools An effort to ease the transition from self- contained classrooms to departmentalized formats in high schools Middle schools often place greater emphasis on career counseling, personal counseling, relevant learn experiences than junior high schools

High schools Historically grades 9-12, for those who were able to continue education beyond grade eight…with the addition of junior high schools in early twentieth century, high schools began with grade 10. Initially high schools were privately supported through tuition and existed to prepare wealthy children for college…by late 1800s public high schools appeared

High school reform efforts The Paideia proposal…proposed a more classic high school curriculum based on the Great Books (Adler) A Nation at Risk…National Commission on Excellence in Education in 1983 proposed more rigor: 4 years of English, 3 each of math, science, social studies American high school study…increase academic core from half to two-thirds of total credits (Boyer)

Special Education For much of American history, kids with special needs segregated from broader population Kids with mild disabilities began to be located in regular public schools in early 20 th century Federal spending went from $100 million in 1975 to $4.9 billion in 2000

Bilingual education Has existed to help children who spoke another language to learn English (limited English-proficient students LEP Controversial among many, who believe immersion in English language classrooms is better approach (Proposition 227 in California in 1998)

Gifted Education Often the “forgotten minority” No clear legal rights, and emphasis usually on lower achieving students…so frequently overlooked About 7.2% of Minnesota kids and 15% of Wisconsin kids (must be the cheese) are identified as gifted…Wisconsin has mandated programs, Minnesota does not

Vocational-Technical Programs Have existed for most of the 20 th century An image problem with the greater emphasis on academics Some middle schools and most high schools offer vocational- technical education programs Career counseling is often available and coupled with classwork

Alternatives to traditional public schools Magnet schools: a reaction during the 1970s to “white flight” and an alternative to forced busing for racial integration Charter schools: began in the 1990s as an alternative to neighborhood public schools Year-Round schools Private schools Alternative schools