Education in the USA has evolved over time from a privilege for a few to the mass education of today. Here, Beverly Bennett provides a brief history of education from the pre-independence era to modern times.
Ellen Plumb and Mary J. Watson, first graduating class at the Kansas State Normal School (now Emporia State University) in 1867. Normal schools are institutions that train people to be teachers.
The education system in America has come a long way from students frequently learning in informal environments to the formal and sophisticated public school system of today. The country has evolved to spend more and more on its education system over time, and while the system is far from perfect today, on many levels it was worse in the past.
Pre-Independence Era
There was often not good formal education (by which we mean schooling in state run institutions with principals and teachers) in the colonial years. This led to differing methods depending on the area. In what is now the state of Massachusetts, the Puritans encouraged informal learning - at home, with a parent or a custodian as a teacher. In such circumstances, some students had to make considerable efforts. Today, help can be found - a site such as EssayService provides a wide range of writing services to help students, but back then, you would have to mainly rely on yourself.
The larger the town, the more options there were. Some had elementary schools with three main subjects:reading, writing, and religion.
Generally, though, there was no countrywide learning requirement. The richer you were, usually the more educated your children were, while some poorer people could be apprentices.
The End of the 18th and 19th Centuries
Into the 19th century, textbooks came more frequently into use to teach students a wide array of subjects. They were used to plant the seeds of patriotism and the “correct” beliefs. Still there were not many universities, few writing papers for students, and it was still the case that the richer you were the more likely you were to have an education. Another downside and controversy was that textbooks showed some groups of immigrants and Native Americans in a bad light.
By the middle of the 19th century, the move to free, compulsory learning became stronger. The idea was that all children would become students and learn in specially equipped institutions. The main reason for the change, though, wasn’t the wellbeing of all sections of society; rather, the industrial economy needed more people who knew math, writing, and reading, unlike the former agricultural environment.
In addition, the government wanted the growing number of immigrants to believe in “true American values”. With a large population of people that was born outside of the US, it wasn’t desirable that the traditions and beliefs of the immigrants outshone American vales as disseminated in schools.
World War II and the Middle of the 20th Century
Compulsory education was still focused on the elementary and middle levels in the early decades of the 20thcentury. The quality of learning was improving, although the values in schools and purpose were still the same.
Meanwhile, until the middle of the 20th century, really only wealthy people could afford to go to college. The number of college enrolments increased dramatically after the end of World War II though. The quality of a college education was still often determined by the wealth of the student, but a lot more people got the opportunity to attend.
21st century
Today, education is provided in public, private, and at-home schools and can fit almost every student’s needs, while more students are able to attend college than ever before, even if there are still those who can’t afford it.
In 2002, a “No Child Left Behind” Act was passed to align schools to one standard and find those that were falling behind. The goal was that all students become proficient in the English language and math by the year 2014.
Indeed, education today involves providing skills for a 21st century workforce, including the new jobs emerging as a result of rapid changes and innovation. These skills aren’t only job-specific, but also skills such as analysis, teamwork, and problem solving.
Summary
As we can see, until at least the mid-19th century, the privilege of studying extensively was the domain of the wealthy. Girls’ study was very often informal and occurred at home, while there was widespread discrimination against African Americans. Consequently, there was little opportunity for women or people of color to get professional skills and a great career.
Besides, there remains debate on who benefitted most from changes to the education system in the past. Initially, the growth of education for less wealthy people was often in the interests of the rich. So being able to learn was more beneficial not to the workers, but to the capitalists who then made them their workforce.
The current situation in the US is improving, but there’s still a long way to go to obtain good educational outcomes across racial, gender, and wealth groups. It is difficult to change the educational system made over centuries quickly, but it is a challenge many people remain focused on solving.
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