CURRICULUM CONTROL IN U.S.   Term Paper ID:25248 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Overview of social forces & trends shaping educational goals & courses in U.S. from Colonial era to 21st Cent. projections.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Overview of social forces & trends shaping educational goals & courses in U.S. from Colonial era to 21st Cent. projections. Paper Introduction: OVERVIEW OF CURRICULUM CONTROL IN THE U.S.A. Who, or what, determines which elements will be included in the classroom curriculum? The individual elements have changed significantly during the last 300 years of U.S. history…and therein one finds the most telling details about the influences on the contents of school curricula. Among all the European settlers, the English had the greatest influence on American education. The New England colonies (Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, and New Hampshire) were settled by intensely religious Puritans who believed that there was no separation among Church, State and schools: schools were frequently governed by the same men who governed the church. Education was religious and its major aim was personal salvation. The Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. In theearly 19th century, the colonial Latin grammar school declined and waslargely replaced by the academy, a private secondary institution thattaught more varied and practical courses. 1). The concepts of republicanism,science, and nationalism became key elements in American education, whichimplied imparting the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that would help thenew republic flourish. This leadsto the matter of individual standards and the specter of censorship. as quoted in Teeter, 1998). Available:http://eric.uoregon.edu/issues/edgov/index.html McCarthy, M. The 1787 Ordinance included astatement of the federal government's philosophy of education, saying thatit was "necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind" (Gutek,G. The Common School Movement was first successful in the New Englandstates, with Massachusetts leading the way. Eugene, OR: ERICClearinghouse on Educational Management. As educators respond toexternal pressures, schools cannot accomplish their mission without theactive support of the community, including parents, businesses, andgovernmental agencies (Guthrie, G. Henry Barnard (1811-19 ) was one of the founders of the CommonSchool Movement, and he proposed that the Common School teach basic skills,civic values, health, diet, and thinking skills. history from about 19 to 192 ), which was an antidote to traditional, conservative education. Available:http://www.ualr.edu/~coedept/AE23 /CHAPTERS/UNIT1/CH4.HTML (1993). as cited in Teeter, 1998). REFERENCES Conley, D. Arguably, the most severe modern expression of curriculum control isthe home-schooling movement, in which 1.5 million children are opting outof the public school system. Who, or what, determines which elements will be included in theclassroom curriculum? OVERVIEW OF CURRICULUM CONTROL IN THE U.S.A. as cited in Conley, 1992). For the most part, the first century of America's existence saw localcontrol of education, under the leadership of clergy or independentthinkers. Itwas based on John Dewey's philosophy of pragmatism. Guthrie, G.& Guthrie, L. Professionallytrained teachers are a 2 th century addition. Education was religious and its majoraim was personal salvation. 2). During this time, Sunday schoolswere created to teach the basics of reading, writing and religion to thechildren who worked six days a week in the factories. External pressure and demands are important motivators aswell. Maclure believed that schools should beused to bring about social change. One of the trends in 2 th century education was Progressive Education(a part of the larger Progressive Movement in U.S. Not until the years 1776 through 183 did education become a formalstate responsibility. (1995). These efforts were insufficient to meet the needs of Americansociety, and the Common School (the forerunner of the American publicschool) came into existence between 183 and 185 . William Torrey Harris(1835-19 9) argued that schools should transmit cultural heritage through acarefully designed curriculum, which stressed the values of self-discipline, obedience, respect for property, and good citizenship. The "controllers" have rangedfrom absolutist clergy, to social reformers, to parent groups. Local districts will be expected to meet the standards, but willbe given greater autonomy in determining how" (Lashway, 1998, p. The small school-based councils may be comprised of parents, teachers, principals, and localbusiness owners. The 199 s witnesses states beginning to offer localdistricts more freedom of action in pursuit of their goal of reforming thesystem (Lashway, 1998, p. For example, the business community has articulated a need foremployees with skills in teamwork, problem solving, communication andinterpersonal relationships (Conley, 1992, p. The Common School ideagrew out of New England's locally controlled schools. American Education Chapter 4 Summary. The Middle Atlantic colonies (Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, andDelaware) housed a great diversity of settlers without a common language,religion or cultural heritage. Newsweek, pp. The Middle Atlantic wasslower, with Lancasterianism holding on. The individual elements have changed significantlyduring the last 3 years of U.S. Among the reforms currently proposed isstandards-driven governance, which "envisions a system in which states willspecify educational outcomes...and will design assessments to measureresults. And, last, thisperiod gave rise to the Infant schools, prototypes of modern day-carecenters, devised by Robert Owens for the young mothers who worked in hisfactories (Gutek, G. 3: Little Rock, AR. William Wirt used Dewey's ideas to create anentire school system in Gary, Indiana. Streamlining interagencycollaboration for youth at risk. Challenges to the public school curriculum: Newtargets and strategies. ED 344 329) Available:http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed344329.html. Generally, the Southern colonies left the matter of education tochurches and parents (who hired tutors to teach their sons and daughters).The children of the poor rarely had an opportunity for formal education. Available:http://www.enc.org/reform/journals/ENC2322/nf_2322.htm Oswald, L. (1991, September). When American society changed from a rural-agricultural society to anurban-industrial society, which needed workers with at least basic literacyskills, America saw the birth of Industrial schools based on the ideas ofWilliam Maclure (1763-184 ), which taught basic science and its industrialand agricultural applications. The second century saw control increasingly centralized in thestate governments. Today'sprincipals and district administrators have a daunting challenge: reatecurricula for the 21st century that meet the needs of local neighborhoodscharacterized by differing religions, cultures and political persuasions,each fighting for what they believe to be the ideal curriculum. 64-7 . The New England colonies (Massachusetts,Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, and New Hampshire) were settled byintensely religious Puritans who believed that there was no separationamong Church, State and schools: schools were frequently governed by thesame men who governed the church. These children are home-schooled for a varietyof reasons, ranging from a parent's perception of the local school'sinability to meet his/her child's needs, to religious objections, to familyissues (Kantrowitz & Wingert, 1998, pp. School-based management. (1998). The standard curriculum included the 3Rs, spelling, and perhapshistory, geography, or elocution (Gutek, G. (Gutek, G. By the 195 s, the ProgressiveMovement had effected a permanent transformation in the character of theAmerican school. EDFN 23 ,sec. The South did not have publicschool systems until after the Civil War. Among all the European settlers, the English had the greatestinfluence on American education. The inhabitants of the Southern colonies (the Carolinas, Maryland,Virginia, and Georgia) emigrated primarily to improve their familyfortunes. Progressive educatorsadvocated teaching problem-solving skills, hands-on learning, using achild's interests as the basis for developing a curriculum, self-discipline, and flexible methods (small-group learning, independentresearch, and field trips). 2, 6). Educational Leadership 49, 17-22. Lashway, L. as quoted in Teeter, 1998). Historically, the purpose of controlling curriculum has ranged fromsaving souls, to meeting the needs of an industrialized society, tosystemic reform of the public school system. as cited in Teeter, 1998). Learning at home: Doesit pass the test? Some believe that the actual outcomes will define futurecurricula, as well as the specific methods people will use to educate theyoung. as cited in Teeter, 1998). Subsequent to 185 , locallyelected school boards established and ran virtually every aspect of theschool. During this period, education for citizenship became more importantthan education for personal salvation. Among the most important contributors toeducational thought at this time were Benjamin Franklin, who founded theEnglish grammar school in 1749 (important because it was an alternative tothe Latin Grammar School and anticipated the rise of academies and highschools) and Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the "Bill for the More GeneralDiffusion of Knowledge" (1779), which assumed that the state wasresponsible for providing schools and that schools should be secular notreligious (Gutek, G. Columbus, OH: Eisenhower National Clearinghousefor Mathematics and Science Education. Teeter, T. Additionally, the federal government showed aninterest in the development of state educational systems by enacting theNorthwest Ordinances of 1785 and 1787. Recent efforts to controlcurriculum have evidenced both a shift in identified targets (a specifictextbook versus an entire course) and a change in the strategies used toeffect change (electing conservative officials versus litigation)(McCarthy, 1993, pp. Efforts to make fundamental changes in public schooling for the 21stcentury will face challenges from citizen groups objecting to particularinstructional strategies and materials. 64-7 ). history...and therein one finds the mosttelling details about the influences on the contents of school curricula. (ERIC Document ReproductionService No. One of the key issues in restructuring schools is outcomesmeasurement. (1992). 1). Restructuring is not occurring simply because educators want toimprove schools. ED 384 95 ) Available:http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed38495 .html. 1). Eugene, OR: ERICClearinghouse on Educational Management (ERIC Document Reproduction ServiceNo. Kantrowitz, B.& Wingert, P. This led to the establishment of separateparochial (denominational) schools, private venture schools (which preparedstudents for the commercial trades), and apprenticeships. Trends and issues: Educational governance. (1998, October 5). Five key issues in restructuring. This period also saw the birth ofMonitorial schools which were based on the ideas of Joseph Lancaster(Lancasterianism), who claimed that educating large numbers of childreneffectively and cheaply was possible. (1998). Eventually eachgrade was conducted in its own classroom with its own teacher, andeducation became compulsory, universal, and non-sectarian. The early Commonschools taught grades 1-8, were tax-supported, and free. Eugene,OR: ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management. Another reform with the potential to redefine curriculum is School-based Management (SBM), which has been "defined as the decentralization ofdecision-making authority to the school site...Over the past decade, manyschool districts have implemented this method of managing school budgeting,curriculum, and personnel decisions" (Oswald, 1995, p. The very purpose of education may be redefined as well: Should thepurpose of the school system be to prepare students for work, for advancededucation, to become good citizens, or to help each child fulfill his orher potential (Conley, 1992, pp.1-2)? If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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