Question

1. In one to two pages, give a brief history of the U.S. education system, and identify five important educational trends that have occurred since the 1900s.

Answer 1

During the earliest years of the twentieth century, the American education system encountered numerous obstacles. Only a few years of formal schooling attended the average American child, where only the most basic grammar and math skills were taught. In rural districts there were more than two-thirds of American schools. Most of these schoolhouses were one-room buildings with few formal training staffed by teachers. Students in the classrooms generally ranged from five to twenty years of age

Memorization and repetition were the most common methods of teaching. Unlike those in rural schools, students in urban areas were grouped by age and had a longer school year. Although children had been educated under these conditions for decades, many enlightened citizens began to realize that their students were not well served by traditional schools. They were increasingly demanding reform of American education.

One of many Americans ' primary concerns was that society was rapidly changing in the 1900s, and the schools of the nation failed to prepare their students for the many new challenges ahead. The most significant cultural change was the restructuring of the economy. Large industrial enterprises were gradually replacing agriculture and small-scale production, which were once the most powerful sectors of the economy.

The growing percentage of the population living in cities was a related cultural shift as rural Americans migrated to urban centers in search of jobs. Millions of immigrants (many from southern and eastern Europe) who landed on the shores of America joined them in the factories of the cities. The working and lower classes were filled with American natives who had little education and immigrants who were often unable to speak English.

In 1900, 78 percent of all American children were enrolled in schools between the ages of five and seventeen; by 1910, that percentage had only slightly increased to 79 percent. The average student spent in school has been much less time than it is for today's students. For example, in 1905, the average school year was only 151 days long and only 105 of those days were attended by the average student. The higher quality of teachers entering the classroom was one of the most important reasons for the vast improvement of many schools. Several colleges have extended their educational programs for educators. Hiring teachers who were barely more educated than their students was no longer acceptable. In 1900, only 11% of all children between the ages of fourteen and seventeen were enrolled and even less graduated from high school. By 1910, those figures had only slightly improved. The average number of school years over twenty-five years completed by Americans at the end of the decade was only slightly more than eight.