A History of Education: The American Educational System, In Summation

[Editor’s Note: This is the final blog in a series that examines how education developed throughout history until the present. Links to previous blogs are included at the bottom of the post.]

We’ve spent the last year with this series looking at how the American educational system developed from prehistoric times through the reforms of the early 20th century. It’s fair to say that, since that time, it has continued to evolve both structurally and pedagogically. Certainly, the global pandemic of the last few years revolutionized how we think about content delivery and the inequities within the system of accessing and manipulating content.

Why did we stop where we did? Well, by the end of the 1920s, the basics of our modern educational system were in place; what happened after was a lot of filling in the gaps and widening education’s reach. If you’re interested in learning more about education during the Depression and beyond, leave us a note in the comments section below, and we’ll provide resources.

So, what can the history of education tell us about the nature and state of education as we see it now?

First, you may have noticed that the timeline isn’t a straight line. Periodically, branches sprout off the main trunk as new innovations are tried, new content is included, and new methods are implemented. Whether these branches survive or not involves a lot of contentious debate over long periods of time; eventually, though, a consensus is reached between educators, parents, students, and, yes, politicians, and we move forward once more — at least until the next branch with the next contentious debate.

Second, we’ve seen that education was once the province only of the wealthy and those in power, who used their knowledge to control the masses. Over time, and for various reasons, education grew to encompass more and more people, until the common schools ensured a free public education for almost everyone. And, as time went on, more emphasis was placed on educating young children and those seeking higher education, until all the rungs of the educational ladder were cemented in place.

Education is now seen to be a fundamental right of all Americans, no matter their social class or vocational aspirations. Education is knowledge, knowledge is power, and the power to control the paths our lives will take allows us to move forward as a society.

Where education will go from here is being — you guessed it — contentiously debated.

 

To read part 1: Introduction, click here.

To read part 2: Purpose of education, click here.

To read part 3: Prehistory to pre-industrial, click here.

To read part 4: Mesopotamia and the Sumerians, click here.

To read part 5: Ancient Egypt, click here.

To read part 6: Ancient Greece and Rome, click here.

To read part 7: The Greek philosophers, click here.

To read part 8: China, click here.

To read part 9: The Olmecs and the Maya, click here.

To read part 10: The Islamic World: Basics, click here.

To read part 11: The Islamic World: The Golden Age, click here.

To read part 12: The Renaissance, click here.

To read part 13: American Educational System Overview, click here.

To read part 14: European Influences, Jon Amos Comenius, click here.

To read part 15, European Influences,  Froebel, click here.

To read part 16, European Influences, Herbart, click here.

To read part 17, European Influences, Herbert Spencer, click here.

To read part 18, Colonial Period, Puritans, click here.

To read part 19, Colonial Period, New England Books, click here.

To read part 20, Colonial Period, Massachusetts Education Laws, click here.

To read part 21, Colonial Period, Harvard College, click here.

To read part 22, Early National Period, Benjamin Franklin, click here.

To read part 23, Early National Period, Benjamin Rush, click here.

To read part 24, Early National Period, Thomas Jefferson, click here.

To read part 25, Early National Period, Noah Webster, click here.

To read part 26, Early National Period, Educational Ordinances, click here.

To read part 27, Early National Period, Dartmouth College/Yale Report, click here.

To read part 28, Common School Period, Horace Mann, click here.

To read part 29, Common School Period, Mary Lyon and Mount Holyoke College, click here.

To read part 30, Common School Period, McGuffey Readers, click here.

To read part 31, Common School Period, Catholic vs. Protestant Education, click here.

To read part 32, Common School Period, Compulsory Education, click here.

To read part 33, Common School Period, African American Education, click here.

To read part 34, Common School Period, National Education Association, click here.

To read part 35, Common School Period, Morrill Land Grant Acts, click here.

To read part 36, Common School Period Wrap-Up, click here.

To read part 37,  Leadership in Transition, click here.

To read part 38,  A Time of Reform, click here.

To read part 39,  School Choice and Structure, click here.

To read part 40, Vocational Education, click here.

To read part 41, Curricular Differentiation, click here.

To read part 42, The Great War, click here.

To read part 43, the Educational Ladder, click here.

To read part 44, Two New Rungs, click here.

To read part 45, Comprehensive High School,  click here.

To read part 46, Comprehensive High School: New Subjects, click here.

To read part 47, Purpose and Reflection, click here.