Histories of Schooling in the U.S., Week 2, Blog #2

Watching the film "As American as Public School: 1900-1950," gave me a solid foundation of how our public education system was established and various developmental transformations in went through overtime. Three points from the film that I though was most influential was the implementation of John Dewey's progressive ideas, the reforms made for a far less cultural/racially biased education system, and the change and shift to more scientific and mathematical focus. 

The idea behind John Dewey theories and the progressive movement, was not just the importance of education to gain content knowledge, but also as a place to learn how to live. John Dewey became known as the "Father of Progressive Education" (As American as Public School, 2000). "Progressive education is designed to capture all of the talents of student and not just their academic talents. The goal is to make every workingman a scholar and every scholar a workingman" (As American as Public Schools, 2000). Dewey advocated for an educational structure that strikes a balance between delivering knowledge while also taking into account the interests and experience of the student.  The "learning by doing" methods of teaching and learning seems have shaped to what the type of school experience most of us I think received growing up. 

In the earlier years in America's public school system, there were racial biases that led certain racial and ethnic groups to focus on particular areas in school. For example, African American curriculum was domestic science for black woman and industrial education for the black men. Another example, was Native American and Mexican American men was more labor oriented. The belief was that this was preparation for  real world experience that would help them when they entered the work force. The reforms made for a far less cultural and racially biased public education system seemed to be shaping in the 1930's. 

Lastly, the change and shift to more scientific and mathematical focus came in light of the Soviet Union after the launch of Sputnik. The Soviet Unions launch into outer space made Americans belief that the Soviets had a better education system than America. Soon after the Sputnik, President Eisenhower signed the National Defense Education Act and funded one hundred million dollars to public education. "That would change America's public school system forever" (As American as Public Schools, 2000). The shift that occurred in the climate of the cold war seems to be the topic of most educators as well as the president in his attempts to focus on math, science and technology in today's world.