The History and Political Goals of Public Schooling

The History and Political Goals of Public Schooling Chapter 1 Mc. Graw-Hill/Irwin © 2012 Mc. Graw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

Historical Timeline of Educational Goals • 1820 s-1840 s: Teaching common moral and political values • 1880 s-1920 s: Americanization of immigrants, training labor force, urban reform, reform of family life and child care • 1920 s-1940 s: Expansion of high schools to control youth problem, life-adjustment education • 1950 s-1980 s: Racial and cultural harmony, War on Poverty, educating more scientists and engineers, equality of educational opportunity • 1980 s-2003: Community service, preparation for a global economy, control of learning through testing © 2012 Mc. Graw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. 2

Historical Goals of Schooling • Citizenship training • Equality of economic opportunity • Reduction of crime © 2012 Mc. Graw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. 3

Political Goals of Schooling • Create a national culture and educate qualified politicians for a republican government • Horace Mann – instill a common political creed • Emphasizing voting as a means for political change • Teaching loyalty, patriotism, and civic involvement © 2012 Mc. Graw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. 4

Censorship & Political Values • Whose values should be reflected in education? • Texas & California have great influence over the content of textbooks. • Recently, conservative and Christian leaders in Texas have approved a curriculum that upholds their political beliefs. © 2012 Mc. Graw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. 5

Important Court Cases for Education • Board of Island Union Free School District v. Steven A. Pico • Tinker v. Des Moines • Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlemier • Bethel v. Fraser • West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette © 2012 Mc. Graw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. 6

Political Values and Curriculum Standards • The No Child Left Behind Act required states to create curriculum standards. • Recent efforts have been made to standardize these at the national level. • Debates have arisen over history and science standards in many states. © 2012 Mc. Graw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. 7

The Fruits of Political Education • Voter participation has not increased alongside time spent in school. • A study has shown that American students have a primarily passive concept of good citizenship. © 2012 Mc. Graw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. 8

Issues about Politics in Education • Should there be a consensus of political values in America, and should public schools uphold that consensus? • Should the public schools teach patriotism through history, songs, and stories? • Who or what government agency should determine the political values taught in public schools? © 2012 Mc. Graw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. 9