Term Paper on "American Education System"

Term Paper 10 pages (3103 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

American Education System

The history of education in America is founded on two basic theories. One is a religious theory or belief that its people have a "manifest destiny" to fulfill in relation to the rest of the world. This theory, which later evolved into a political and military theory, assumed the rest of the world as inferior and savage since the landing of the first pilgrims in Plymouth 19th century. The view molded their ensuing principles of education. With the inclusion of successive waves of immigrants into the colonies, the union of states established for itself a history of destiny and redemption from outside political or religious force they disapproved of.

During the colonial period, education was a means of restoring the civilization left behind by the colonists in England. The colonists used the Bible and the New England primer as the primary sources of instruction to teach their history and their rationale for existence or morality. Their religion was hewn intimately with this manifest destiny and formed the basis of education in general.

The other theory is political. Social movements developed in the New World, which adopted the philosophy of French socialists. These groups built small communities in Illinois, New York and even Louisiana where they spread and taught the values of independence and hard work along with the devotion common ownership or sharing as influenced by the teachings of Karl Marx, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Adolph Hitler. Between the extremes of the Left and the Right was the "Religious Right," which sought to make public education more responsive and sensitive to Protestant ideals. A massive student movement emerged in the 60s to seek the de-control education and make it less public and more personal in the form of free school and counteculture. The historic ideology of the Right, however, characterizes the current American public education, wherein the control of the curriculum and the methods of instruction lie in the federal and state governments.

Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory of history was the guiding principle of thinkers who decided what should be taught in schools. These thinkers decided that the science was the best thing to teach because it taught children how to survive, more so because it was inherent in a competitive environment. Other thinkers held that private education was better because those who attended private schools later proved to be better in tests, which showed who excelled in what and who did poorly. Poor test scores indicated lack of fitness and a failure to learn. This latter thinking pointed to the most effective teachers and school where the best test scorers came from, and it developed into the concept that the nation's survival is the function of its people to be better and the best in the international contest for resources and superiority. As an organic principle, it prompted Americans always to rise over others to prove their worth, frowned at cooperation and prized competitiveness.

The major changes in education in the last half of the century were a broader philosophy that focused on progressive education and the social reconstruction movements, a new psychology and more sophisticated learning theories, vocational or special education for the handicapped and the gifted, the reorganization of schools that included junior high schools and correspondence courses, huge enrollments and the extension of formal schooling, the extension and improvement of teacher training and the effect or impact of vast cultural changes, such as the mass media, the internet, e-mail and multimedia systems. These changes now confront American educators on how to provide a varied, realistic yet individual education to young people in order to continue producing the breed of experts necessary to maintain its level of industrial democracy at the same time.

Many of these changes occurred in the 19th century and some developed only in recent years or as a consequence of economic and social changes in the last two world wars. They led to new problems attached to technological discovery and scientific development as well as legal reforms in government aimed at controlling waste and exploitation of natural resources. But the 1929 Great Depression rattled American optimism and trust in the role of government in economic affairs, particularly the gargantuan task of economic rebuilding during the term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932. After World War II, a swift technological revolution and achievements in space won federal support for teaching advanced science, math and foreign languages as well as the training of exceptional pupils as leaders in science and military development.

The new reforms and policies were introduced by the administration of the late President John F. Kennedy while increased federal aid to education characterized the succeeding Lyndon Johnson administration. The rapid increase of the U.S. population from only a hundred million in 1918 to more than 280 million today with accelerated migration from every part of the world is an essential point to ponder over. This phenomenal social mobility and the emergence of new industries now pose new and quite different educational problems. The U.S. became the most politically and economically powerful nation in the world, making the Americans the most affluent in history. This status of wealth correspondingly required that they be better educated every step of the way and every step of the way, there were problems to face.

Research shows that more than half of all high school students are interested in continuing their education in some college or university. This current demand for both general education - for children with common or similar school experiences - and increased specialization has risen. These aspects or factors in the development of education derived from cultural changes that occurred after World War I and endure to the present. Educators today question the adequacy of the educational system. Studies and observations show that many young children learn at a younger age than earlier assumed in skills learning, such as reading. Children also mature at different ages so that enrolling them all at age six has, in cases, been not too psychologically beneficial. Young children nowadays receive some form of early childhood education, such as a structured nursery or a Montessori format or in day care centers, which conduct learning programs ad teach social skills. The educational ideas of Maria Montessori became popular in 1911 but, like other private preschool programs, it requires high private tuition fees, which are beyond the reach of the majority of families.

Before the 20th century, the school system was a single track from the elementary grades through high school to college, with schools falling under the jurisdiction of the 50 different systems and asserting substantial control over local boards and their individual state departments. But in the last half a century, the trend shifted to larger units, standardized programs, and more schools came under centralized administration units. The National Education Association, through a 15-member committee, organized the program of primary and grammar school, which emphasized good English, including literature, U.S. history, geography, writing, arithmetic, physical science and music. Boys were required to learn manual skills, while girls were trained in cooking and sewing. These set the standards of the curriculum. In time, history and geography were merged into social studies, biological sciences were added and a new math replaced arithmetic. Greater focus was given the social sciences than spelling, minor subjects included, such as sex education, and subjects like drug education were required by legislators. On the other hand, the American high school has negotiated a phenomenal growth in the last 50 years in that it taught and responded to a comprehensive range of capabilities, interests, and goals: it has been a veritable school of all people. The approximately 2 1/2 million high school students in the U.S. In 1920, who were a third of the 14-17 population then, grew to 85% in more than 15 million high schools in the nation in 1965. Vocational or technical high schools have also been established, especially in big cities, but the typical American secondary school has remained a "comprehensive" public high school genre.

Comprehensive," as educator scholar James B. Conant used the term, means the public high school is designed to meet the various needs and interests of students, whether they would proceed to college or not. Trade or vocational courses have been offered, but the general direction was still college preparation, more so because of the increasing affluence of the American population and the increase of jobs, which do not require training in the field.

The 1993 Digest of Educational Statistics showed an increase in college enrollment by 41% between 1970 and 1980 and by 20% from 1980 to 1992, or from 12.1 million to 14.6 million. College enrollment today should be near or around 20 million. Public high school won tax support both as the academy and the cultural institution, which provides practical and cultural instructions aimed at admission in college. Training of the mind has been viewed as the very preparation for life and living and, therefore, a college course is the… READ MORE

How to Reference "American Education System" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

American Education Essay

American Education

America is facing an educational crisis, however the 2001 no child left behind policy did wonders for education because it made children from all different backgrounds receive a… read more

Essay 2 pages (736 words) Sources: 1 Topic: Education / Teaching / Learning

---

American Educational System and Solutions Major Term Paper

American Educational System and Solutions

Major educational challenges in the United States devolve around curriculum, funding, and control.

The first problem, curriculum, deals with the fact that educational curricula varies… read more

Term Paper 8 pages (2231 words) Sources: 8 Topic: Education / Teaching / Learning

---

How to Improve the United States Education System Essay

Education System

Cover Letter:

What was the purpose of this essay? In your response, explore the deeper meaning of this question. The goal is not to just complete the assignment… read more

Essay 4 pages (1462 words) Sources: 5 Topic: Education / Teaching / Learning

---

Education -- National Attitudes Toward Free Higher Term Paper

Education -- National Attitudes Toward Free Higher Education

In the United States, the cost of college education has risen continually for decades. Today, the average cost of attending a private… read more

Term Paper 4 pages (1296 words) Sources: 3 Topic: Education / Teaching / Learning

---

Effects of Standardized Testing on Teachers Research Paper

American education system has come under considerable criticism in recent years with such criticism rising to the level that there are those who are recommending a complete overhaul. As one… read more

Research Paper 6 pages (2427 words) Sources: 6 Topic: Education / Teaching / Learning

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>