Ever since the beginning of America’s history, education was recognized by the country’s emerging society as somewhat vital to development. Considerably, this point of thinking has given way to the most definitive events in history that defined the path of educational development that the country is to take into account in the years that it shall tread through national improvement. From the early 1600s towards the current years, the changes in the shaping of the American education continue to spur on. The primary desire to make an accountable system of education in promoting and producing knowledgeable generations in the country remains the primary foundation of such purpose of existence and development in the said field.
In the discussion that follows, particular personalities in the field of education are to be given attention to. Discussing who they are and what they have practically done to shape the nation’s educational system, this presentation aims to provide a strong background that explains the different phases of educational advancement that benefits not only the Americans themselves, but also those that decide to come to America to master their studies of interest.
In 1779, the legislation signed by President Thomas Jefferson established the foundation of the purpose of the American education fully. This particular development has enable the introduction of public education that catered to the needs of the less fortunate individuals who cannot gain access to high-paying educational systems. The public learning system is believed by Jefferson to be the stepping stone of the nation’s capacity to face the major developmental challenges that the country is facing. Having the right skilled individuals to fill in the job positions that are needed to empower the economic development of the country was a vital part of how knowledge would serve as a backbone towards success that the country and its people need.
In 1837, Horace Man become the leader of the Common School Movement which was specifically established in Massachusetts to empower public schools in being able to take the proper initiative to respond to their need of determining the requirements that the public basically needs to attain especially in developing the different aspects of public education. The organization became focused on examining the different procedures of teaching and psychological assistance that children or the students need to be able to accomplish the goals they have set for themselves to reach. Up to this day, Horace’s idealism towards proper education and well-developed systems of teaching student remain strong as dependable reference as to how student-teacher classroom relationships could be further developed for the sake of high-quality education.
In 1916, John Dewey introduced the progressive movement in education; imposing that education ought to take different steps towards modernization. He points out that as the world progresses, so does the systems of education need to take relative advancements. Such progressions ought to identify well with the goal of making sure that the people get the educational assistance they need to be able to gain the opportunity of becoming better in their own fields of interest.
For people to be productive, they have to be educated. According to Dewey’s idealism, only through the development and transformation of teaching approaches will such advancement be realized fully. Nothing should be stagnant about education; this is the reason why teachers themselves ought to undergo comprehensive trainings every now and then and become more effective in presenting the lessons they have to teach their students. As times change, the additional information about subjects and lessons presented in class should also be updated and this could be accomplished through effective and regular teacher-training activities.
With the American educational system established fully, the administrative agendas from one administration towards another gets passed on from one president to the other. With such changes, it is assumed that each president sees a different need and desires to respond to such public demands accordingly. This is the primary reason why President George Bush felt the need to sign the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002. This initiative from the government aimed to pursue the process of letting children find a way to gain the proper education they are due no matter their race is or their educational and learning capacities may be. The government has basically sworn to support the educational needs of its people, and in this legislation, President Bush strengthened such process of responding to such administrational responsibility.
Overall, the changing conditions in the society became the deciding elements that administrators and educators used to make sure that the needs of the public for good and effective education is given proper attention. Realizing that time changes and needs change as well, the evolution of American education continues to take place in many phases at present.
Reference:
History: timeline of American Education. http://lc.gcumedia.com/zwebassets/courseMaterialPages/edu576_eduTimeline.php. (Retrieved on February 27, 2014).
