In the 1600s, education was not a requirement. When colonies were established, each was required to have at least one school to teach students academics. Traditionally education was taught at home, teaching children Puritan values and how to read the bible. However, in 1635, the first free public school was opened, supported by taxpayer dollars (so, really not free). Mostly, it was the wealthy who took benefit. The concept of a public school was thought to provide civic virtue, meritocracy, social mobility, social stability, economic sufficiency, and freedom and liberty. There was no formal structure in place—no checks and balances to ensure students were provided with the highest possible quality of education.
In the 1800s we see a great many social reforms taking place in the U.S. and The Department of Education was created with the first public school established. It was guided from the belief that education was key to bridging social gaps, overcoming poverty, and creating a more equal society. Good citizens are not born, they need to be created and schools will help in this creation. A typical classroom at this time was a single room with all grades of students in attendance and typically an unmarried woman teaching the primary and secondary grades. Reading and arithmetic were the great areas of focus. In the colonies, 85% of white males were literate compared to only about 60% in England. The U.S. was advancing and becoming a leader in education to its rival. Things were moving forward, but because of the Civil War and overall economic depression in the late 1800s, formal education slumped and segregation was introduced. It was also during this time that fundamentally, society was not all that secure with the idea of government control. This is when we see the introduction of charity schools to deal with children of the poor and immigrants and the teachings of moral issues in order to bring about social stability, something much needed after the war and societal chaos that ensued.
In the 1900s the U.S. education system bounced back with children moving from factory work to public schooling, funded transportation was given, and the idea of “separate but equal” was established and then, segregation in schools was ended. It is during this time period correlating to the idea of “separate but equal” that private schools begin to surge among the middle class. Vocational schools are also introduced as a direct result of the industrial revolution. In this century we see education moving into the modern world with the introduction of the calculator and computers. By the 1960s and 1970s the U.S. is leading with the best-educated students in the world. In the 1970s, technology is making its play. But, alas, politics begin to play a leading role in education from the “separate but equal” ideology, proportion from the federal government decline and state government revenue increase, the educational system in the U.S. declines and by the 1990s it is noted that students in the U.S. are just reaching the equivalent educational standing of the 1970s student.
By the 21st century, U.S. students ranked 25th in math and 21st in science out of 30 developed countries. U.S. test scores are now below the global average, ranking 11th out of 79 countries in science and 30th in math. In 2009 the U.S. ranked 18th out of 36 industrialized nations. The U.S. spends 7.4% of its gross domestic product on education, ranking bottom worldwide in percentage of federal spending on education. We are not on the incline.
What we must note is that the tax dollar is the backbone of the endurance of the U.S. educational system. From the past and to this present day society still argues the benefits and deficits. One side angry and opposed to having to pay for someone else’s education and the opposite side having the idea of economic efficiency and that schools will actually promote economic growth and innovation bringing the U.S. to a key dominant figure in the world.
Today we see public school systems overseen by state departments of education, local school districts, and publically-elected school boards. With the advent of different thoughts and ideas on education, charter schools and magnet schools have begun to crop up giving students and parents options, bringing along the questions over school choice or a voucher system.
Ultimately public education today needs to incorporate an accurate national assessment system to determine the quality of education at each and every school in order to guide and help under-performing schools and districts in order for the U.S. to advance in this ever changing world. We should hold ourselves to a higher standard and accept no excuses for half measures.
Sources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxZOcT9wk6M
https://www.leaderinme.org/blog/history-of-education-the-united-states-in-a-nutshell/
https://www.publicschoolreview.com/blog/a-relevant-history-of-public-education-in-the-united-states
https://blog.aarp.org/bulletin-today/u-s-global-education-rankings-slipping-boomers-once-held-strong-lead
https://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/01/us/us-study-shows-pupil-achievement-at-level-of-1970.html
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/wherewestand/blog/statistics-did-you-know/310/
https://nces.ed.gov/pubs93/93442.pdf
https://www.thebalance.com/the-u-s-is-losing-its-competitive-advantage-3306225
https://www.historynet.com/was-the-usa-ever-no-1-in-education.htm