Education Reform Overview Reports Of Historical Significance

REPORTS OF HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCERick Ginsberg In 1983 American education reform entered a new era. It was in that year that the federal government published a report of the National Commission on Excellence in Education entitled A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform. Commissioned in August 1981 by President Ronald Reagan's secretary of education, Terrel H. Bell, and chaired by David P. Gardner, then president of the University of Utah, this eighteen-member blue-ribbon panel of educators and elected officials examined the quality of elementary and secondary public education in the United States and found a "rising...

In inflammatory tones, the commissioners reported that the United States had engaged in unthinking, unilateral educational disarmament, asserting that if an unfriendly foreign power had attempted to impose on America the mediocre educational performance... In support of their conclusions, the commissioners presented numerous indicators of risk, including Americans' poor academic performance relative to students overseas, high levels of functional illiteracy among U.S. adults and seventeen-yearolds, and declining achievement-test scores. The commissioners also cited increasing enrollments in college remedial courses, increasing business and military expenditures on remedial education, and a diluted curriculum in the schools. They detailed low expectations for student performance and college admissions, less time devoted to instruction and homework, and poor-quality teaching and teacher preparation. According to the commission's analysis, the nation's schools narrowly emphasized basic reading and computational skills at the expense of other essential talents, such as comprehension, analysis, problem solving, and the ability to draw conclusions.

For the first time in U.S. history, the report concluded, the educational skills of one generation would not surpass, nor would they even equal, those of its predecessors. This development was particularly striking as it would occur during a period of increasing business demand for highly trained workers. The commission called for a new public commitment to excellence and education reform anchored in higher expectations for all students. It encouraged students to work harder and elected officials to encourage and support students' efforts. The rhetoric of reform proclaimed that all children can learn and that public policies should do everything possible to fully develop the talents of America's youth.

Specifically, the commission recommended tougher high school graduation requirements, more rigorous and measurable standards of student performance and conduct, more time devoted to learning, better teaching and teacher preparation, more effective school leadership, and... The report struck a national nerve, defining the public dialog about school quality and sparking state action in education reform. California acted first, adopting omnibus education reform legislation that increased high school graduation requirements, lengthened the school day and year, raised expectations for homework and student conduct, expanded student testing, and increased education funding. Other states followed California's lead, adopting education reforms of varying magnitude. The excellence era in education reform was launched, ushering in more than two decades of federal, state, and local initiatives to improve America's public schools. “Education reform” is a term used frequently and freely.

We hear it in political campaigns, in school board discussions, and in media coverage of anything related to education. But what does “education reform” mean? Simply put, education reform encompasses a variety of efforts aimed at improving learning outcomes in schools. These efforts seek to address systemic issues within the education system to ensure that all students, regardless of their background or socioeconomic situation, have access to high-quality learning. There is ever-changing debate surrounding what content makes learning high-quality. And with rapidly changing technology—especially AI—the landscape of education reform will need to quickly move with it.

But the focus remains constant: education reform means continually improving schools to create educated individuals and an educated society. Education reform directly impacts our society’s future minds and aims to provide our children with vital skills and knowledge. In this comprehensive overview, we will cover the history of education reform in the United States, the key components of education reform and its significance and impact. Education reform means continually improving schools to create educated individuals and an educated society. Education Reform Movements encompass the various initiatives aimed at improving educational systems in the United States, spanning over centuries. These movements reflect society’s changing needs and values, with a history marked by distinct periods, including the Common School Movement, Progressive Era, Equity Movement, and Standards-Based Reform Movement.

Each era emerged as a response to societal shifts, such as industrialization, civil rights, and global competitiveness, while grappling with the ideological divides among educators, policymakers, and communities regarding the purpose and methods of... The Common School Movement established the framework for public education, emphasizing access and citizenship, while the Progressive Era introduced new pedagogical approaches, advocating for child-centered learning and the relevance of education to students' lives. The Equity Movement focused on addressing disparities and ensuring educational opportunities for marginalized groups, spurred by landmark legal rulings and civil rights legislation. The Standards-Based Reform Movement, ignited by concerns over academic performance, emphasized accountability and standardized testing, yet faced criticism for potentially stifling creativity and diversity in educational practices. Throughout these reform efforts, the interplay of political, social, and economic factors has profoundly influenced outcomes, revealing a persistent challenge in achieving lasting change. As educational needs continue to evolve, the historical context of these movements serves as a crucial reference for future reforms.

The following article summarizes the major periods of reform in American education. Although each period of reform—the Common School Movement, the Progressive Reform Era, the Equity Movement, and the Standards-Based Reform movement—are all distinct from one another, educational reform in general shares some common characteristics. These common characteristics are discussed first, especially as they help explain the cyclical and persistent nature of reform. Keywords Administrative progressivism; Child-centered progressivism; Committee of Ten; Common School Movement; Dewey, John; Equity Reform Movement; Intensification; Progressive Reform Movement; Restructuring; Standards-Based Reform Movement Your use of JSTOR indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use and the Privacy Policy. Use your account to permanently save your acceptance.

The public school system is a significant part of the American landscape, an institution that many people take for granted. It's difficult to imagine a time in history when education was a privilege, not a right, a time when only the children of the wealthy received an education. But in the United States as recently as the mid-1800s, the idea of free, publicly funded education for all children was considered extremely radical. Due to the efforts of nineteenth-century reformers such as Horace Mann (1796–1859), the public school system became a reality. Although the American public school system is far from perfect, and undergoes nearly continuous reform, it remains one of the great democratic institutions of the nation. It holds the promise of equal educational opportunity for all children.

During the early years of the American colonial era, the opportunity for education depended primarily on a family's income level and place of residence. Colonial governments did not require any sort of education, and schools existed only in communities where the residents or the local church established them. Some communities valued education more highly than others, offering even poor children the opportunity for some learning. A thorough education, however, was the privilege of upper-class children, primarily boys, who were sent to private schools in preparation for a university education. Children in private schools were likely to focus on studying the Bible, Latin, English, and Greek. Although some schools only allowed boys to attend, others allowed girls as well.

In some communities, boys attended school during the winter, leaving them free to work on family farms during the summer; girls attended school during the summer, allowing them to focus on indoor chores during... In many communities, young children whose families could afford to pay modest sums attended "dame schools," which were run by women in their homes. The students in dame schools memorized Bible passages and learned basic reading, writing, and math skills. In areas that were sparsely populated, including much of the South, families that could afford to educate their children hired tutors to come to their homes. Some sent their children to one-room schoolhouses, where students of all ages learned together. On occasion, privileged children were sent away from home to live at boarding schools and receive a broad education.

Religious groups were instrumental in creating schools in the American colonies. For some children, Sunday school was the only type of education they received. Religion was a prominent subject in the teaching program of nearly every school. Puritan (English Protestant) leaders in colonial America advocated literacy so that all children could read the Bible and keep the devil at bay. Education was highly valued by the Quakers, a Protestant sect that promoted equality and tolerance. The Dutch Reformed Church, along with the Dutch West India Company, opened schools in Dutch communities such as New Amsterdam, which was later renamed New York.

Even among the very poor, many children learned to read, tutored by their parents at home, so that they could study the Bible. The story of the education reform movement in America is a story of passionate advocates, landmark legal decisions, and ongoing debates. From the birth of public schools to today’s discussions on individualized learning and equity concerning LGBTQ+ issues, the nation has forever been on a journey to build an education system that is both superlative... The mid-20th century was pivotal for education reform, driven by the Civil Rights Movement. The landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 declared that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, setting the stage for desegregation efforts across the country.1 Still, progress wasn’t always smooth and often required federal intervention.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 strengthened efforts to eliminate racial discrimination in education.2 Around the same time, President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 aimed to bridge the gap between disadvantaged students and their wealthier peers by providing federal funding to schools in low-income areas.3 Jump to the late 20th and early 21st centuries, when the focus shifted to standards-based education reform. The publication of “A Nation at Risk” in 1983 by the National Commission on Excellence in Education warned about declining performance and called for more rigorous academic standards and teacher training. In response, states began developing standardized tests and accountability systems to measure student performance. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, signed by President George W.

Bush, required annual testing in reading and math for students from grades 3-8 and again in high school.4 Schools that didn’t meet performance targets faced consequences, including potential restructuring and closure.

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