1. Chapter Three
An Overview of Schooling in America

2. “Social Capital”
Connections among individuals that give access to cultural & civic experiences
Kids get libraries, travel, concerts, museums
Parents know how to get the best education for kids (have info., negotiation skills)
First 150 years of our nation:
High-quality ed. only for rich white males
Few schooling options for girls, Native Americans, African Americans, the poor

3. Evolution of Schools Consider:
Role of wealth, privilege, & social capital
Effect of geographic location on access
Goals of education
Effects of immigration
Transmission of values & beliefs
Roles of local, state, federal governments

4. Origins of Formal Education
Old Deluder Satan Act (Mass., 1647):
Why was it called that?
A town of 50 households: Must appoint & pay a teacher of reading & writing
100 households: Must offer a grammar school
Result: The spread of Latin grammar schools
Forerunner of American high school
Run by town board
Financed by students’ families

5. Geography & Early Educational Access
Northern colonies: Mostly Puritans, town schools taught scripture, schools abundant after 1647
Mid-Atlantic: Diverse population created range of grammar & private schools, apprenticeship programs
South: Tutors & travel for the rich, fewer schools

6. After Independence Congress set aside land for public schools
One-room schoolhouses, multi-age class
Common schools: Public, tax-supported elementary schools (1820s)
Academy: Private secondary school
Broader, practical curriculum with electives
For rich, some open to girls

7. Rise of the Public School
Jefferson, Franklin, Mann:
Democracy needs informed citizens & an education system that promotes meritocracy
Immigration in 1830s-1840s created new tasks for schools:
Workforce training
Assimilation of “morally dubious” immigrants into dominant culture

8. “Normal Schools”: Teacher Education
Two-year programs in educational philosophy & teaching methods (1830s)
Catherine Beecher: Train women teachers
Booker T. Washington: Train African American teachers
Was your college or school of education first a normal school?

9. Key Events in American Education

10. “Essentialism”: William Bagley
Core knowledge is essential to person’s life in society, so schools should teach it
A.k.a. “back-to-basics,” the “three Rs”
Math, science, literature, history
America should have a common culture
“Teacher knows best”

11. “Progressivism”: John Dewey
Active learning through problem solving, projects, hands-on experiences
School = laboratory driven by student curiosity
Integrate subject matter & make connections to real life experience
Teach students to collaborate

12. “Perennialism”: Mortimer Adler
Single core curriculum focused on the enduring ideas of the great thinkers
A.k.a. the “Great Books” or “great ideas”
Focus on classic Greco-Roman literature, history, art, philosophy, moral instruction
Curriculum inflexible and unchanging
Emphasizes Socratic method

13. Reform Philosophies
Goal: Improve society by transforming oppressive systems through education
Social reconstructionism: Curriculum promotes social reform
Critical theory (Paulo Freire): Students should challenge oppression
Existentialism (Søren Kierkegaard): Truth lies within individual, so students should choose subjects & learning methods

14. Philosophy in the Classroom
Watch the TeachSource Video Case, “Philosophical Foundations of American Education: Four Philosophies in Action”

15. Aesthetic education (Maxine Greene)
Merges artistic expression with social justice
Learn by doing
Learn through inquiry (observation & analysis, the scientific method)
Focus: Equity, quality of school experience, use of imagination to break down barriers
The arts catalyze deeper understanding of ideas & critical engagement with the world

16. Addressing Inequities
Landmarks in quest for educational opportunity for all Americans regardless of race, gender, or ethnicity:
Brown vs. Bd. of Education (1954)
Civil Rights Act (1964)
Bilingual Education Acts (1968, 1974)
Title IX (1972)
Equal Educational Opportunities Act (1975)
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004)

17. Elementary & Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
Federal $ to poorest schools (via states)
Still single largest source of federal $ for K-12
Title 1: Better opportunities for disadvantaged
Early childhood education (Head Start)
Tutoring, other supplemental academic instruction
After-school centers
Computer labs for poor schools
Dropout prevention
Job training
Name changed to No Child left Behind Act in 2002
Name Changed back to ESEA in 2010

18. Standards-based Reform
“A nation at risk” (1983) calls for:
More attention on academic skills & standards, less focus on school’s role in building social understanding
Content area standards for knowledge & skills set by grade level for pre-K–12 (1989)
National guidelines developed by scholars from each discipline (math, language arts, science, social studies, foreign languages, the arts)
No Child Left Behind Act (2002)
Accountability through standardized testing
Race to the Top (2010)- to get big$$- states show evidence of proposed reform to US Dept of Education

19. Individuals with Disabilities Act
Free, appropriate education for all students with disabilities
Before 1975, such students marginalized in segregated classrooms w. inferior curricula
Various approaches:
Special education (students in separate class)
Partial inclusion (with gen. ed. for part of day)
Inclusion (class mixes students of all abilities)

20. Schooling Today Structure & design influenced by:
Geography
Legislation
Demographics
Educational philosophies of past & present
Global events
Technology
We have many local & national standards but no standard student!