Chapter 5: The History of Schools in the United States

"Expectations for education have come a long way since colonial times. Write a brief summary of how the curriculum has developed over the last 300 years. Describe some of the debates that have occurred over time. In what ways were the debates in the past similar to those heard today about what should be taught in schools?"

 In The Joy of Teaching by: Gene E. Hall, Linda F. Quinn, and Donna M. Gollnick, make a point of how everyone should have a public school education and how it has developed over time. In early society, Puritans and Protestants put their children through school for the sole purpose to learn about and therefore obey the laws of God. After the Constitution was written, and the tenth amendment made to put the State in power of its education laws schools were organized to teach children how to read, write, and be a good citizen. Later on, Horace Mann made common schools that were tax-supported, locally controlled elementary schools, which included the curriculum skills for everyday life, ethical behavior, and responsible citizenship. Before Elementary schools were invented, most young children were taught at home by their mother until they came of age. As more and more textbooks were being created and introduced into the curriculum students were asked to memorize what was in them; in fact in 1779, the new way of teaching included a spelling book, a grammar book, and a reader (Joy of Teaching, 2008). As high schools were invented (which became a guide to college) the curriculum included English, geography, arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, history, navigation, and surveying. Today, text books and local cultures have influenced the curriculum taught in schools, except now we have a basic curriculum to go by that has become common across the country.

Over time, there are certain debates that have occurred, some of them are described in The Joy of Teaching by Gene E. Hall, Linda F. Quinn, and Donna M. Gollnick. As America has changed over time so has the curriculum taught in our schools, in the beginning schools were most geared towards preparing students for their future lives. Religion was the biggest decider in what should be taught in schools. During specific times in history, like Industrial Revolution, schools became more efficient because of the need to help new immigrant populations become literate and disciplined workers. Today, schools are not as influenced by religion or immigration as they once were. Nowadays, school is based on absolute truths, and there are special, private schools for those who want to practice an individual religion or subject.