Shailey15

Educational developments in the USA

After reading this chapter you will know:

Know the history of primary education system of the USA and how it evolved throughout the years
Be able to identify economic, social and political influences that shaped the current primary education of the USA
Understand different political agendas, reforms and views on primary education in the USA
Positive initiatives to bring to Uzbekistan's education system

The Education System During the Late Colonial Period in America

The education system during the Late Colonial Period in America, the time roughly between the 1730s and the official surrender of General Cornwallis at Yorktown, looked very different than the one we know today. There were no formal schools that all people of a certain age group were required to attend, and teachers were often people within the community who had knowledge in a certain subject area rather than schoolmasters; at least outside of the major population centers such as Boston, New York, and the like.

In the small one-room schoolhouses of the 18th century, students worked with teachers individually or in small groups, skipped school for long periods of time to tend crops and take care of other family duties, and often learned little. Others didn’t go to school at all, taking private lessons with tutors instead.

Education, especially primary, was something that was mostly home based, unless you came from a family of relatively large means. After your primary education of reading, writing and basic math, it was the student and/or their parents’ responsibility to go out and locate someone who would be willing to train them in a trade that would then be that person’s job for their entire life essentially.

Job Training and College in the Late Colonial Period

Training could take the form of basic trainings for those in service industries, similar to modern job training, but more often than not, it was in the form of apprenticeship agreements where you would do work for the master tradesman, with or without pay, learning each facet of the trade one at a time until it was mastered. Apprenticeship agreements lasted a minimum of 5 years, but more often went closer to 10+ for the more intricate trades like metal smithing. If you were a person from a family of means, you would be allowed a chance to attend university to peruse the more academic fields, such as banking and law.

While most free men, white or black, were able to obtain some type of schooling during the Late Colonial Period, women and slaves were not allowed to attend formal education. It wasn’t seen as necessary for women or girls to have a formal education because it was their job to run the household, not to worry about the issues of men. Slaves were not able to attend formal education of any type by law because an uneducated population is more easily controlled. It was also bad for the slave owners if their slaves were able to communicate through writing because it would make it easier for them to organize against their masters (this is not a dissertation on the morality of the practice, I’m simply mentioning it as a historical factoid to be taken into account in a larger picture).

New Country, New Schools of Thought

After the Revolutionary War had concluded, the Founding Fathers expanded on the idea of what education was and what it would mean to this new country they were creating. The Founding Fathers knew that:

According to the Founding Fathers, in order for the citizenry to responsibly participate in this new republican government that had been established, they needed to be educated in the basic workings of both morality and government. This was part of the idea that only an informed citizen can consent to their governance. With this idea in mind, the Founding Fathers launched a campaign to have everyone from the poorest farmer to the most wealthy elite educated in the ways of economics, literacy and governance.

Some of the educational developments in the USA

The US has fewer children under 18, but higher school enrollment rates. There were more children under 18 in America in 2010 than there were in 2018: 74 million versus 73 million, according to the Kids Count Data Center. However, the National Center for Education Statistics reports there are more children enrolled in both public and private schools in 2019 than there were in 2010. In the fall of 2019, 56 million students enrolled in pre-K through 12th grade at both public and private schools, while in the fall of 2010 that same number was 54.8 million¹.

Classrooms have become more crowded. As the number of children enrolled in public schools has grown, so has the size of individual classes. According to a report by the National Education Association, the average class size in public elementary schools increased from 20.3 students in 2008-09 to 21.2 students in 2016-17. The average class size in public secondary schools increased from 23.3 students in 2008-09 to 26.8 students in 2016-17¹.

Homeschooling is on the decline. After a steady increase in the number of homeschooled students from 1999 to 2012, there has been a slight decrease in recent years. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there were about 1.7 million homeschooled students (3.4% of all students) in 2012, but only about 1.6 million homeschooled students (3.3% of all students) in 2016¹.

Charter schools have seen the most growth. Charter schools are public schools that operate independently from traditional school districts and have more flexibility and autonomy over their curriculum, staffing, and budget. According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, there were about 1.4 million students (2.9% of all students) enrolled in nearly 4,000 charter schools across 40 states and the District of Columbia in 2009-10, but about 3.3 million students (6.5% of all students) enrolled in over 7,000 charter schools across 44 states and the District of Columbia in 2018-19¹.

What elements do I want to see in Uzbekistan?

Expanding the access and opportunity for different groups of students, such as women, minorities, immigrants, and people with disabilities.
Increasing the standards and expectations for student learning and achievement, such as literacy, numeracy, science, and technology.
Diversifying the curriculum and pedagogy to reflect the changing needs and interests of students, society, and the world. For example, the progressive education movement in the early 20th century advocated for more student-centered, experiential, and democratic approaches to teaching and learning. The multicultural education movement in the late 20th century emphasized the inclusion and recognition of diverse cultures, perspectives, and histories in the curriculum. The 21st century skills movement in the early 21st century highlighted the importance of developing skills such as critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration for success in the global economy.

References

one-roomeducation.com/a-brief-history-of-education-in-america/

suny.buffalostate.edu/news/1871-2021-short-history-education-united-states

stacker.com/education/what-american-education-was-100-years-ago

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_the_United_States