www.laurirobinson.blogspot.com |
September has arrived and along with it, a new school year.
Here’s a bit of history on schools in America.
As the New World formed, the act of educating children was
the responsibility of the family. From the time children were four or five,
girls were to be trained by their mothers to read and perform household tasks,
cooking, cleaning, sewing, weaving, animal care, etc. The boys were instructed
by their fathers to read and write as well as learning the necessities of hunting,
fishing, farming, trapping, woodworking, etc. If the family could afford it,
they might have hired a tutor who often lived in their home to educate the
children other subjects. It was believed boys needed to learn to read and
write, but girls only needed to read and were restricted to religious material
only.
After families began to flourish, in 1647 The Massachusetts
Bay Colony General Court decreed any town of fifty or more families should
establish a school for children to read and write. This was at the expense of
the families and meant mainly for the male children only.
This model, of those whose family could afford to pay
tuition continued for over a hundred years. In 1779 Thomas Jefferson proposed a
‘two track’ system, in which he referred to for the ‘the laboring and the
learned’. This meant scholarships could
be provided to a select few in hopes of ‘raking a few geniuses out of the
rubbish’.
In 1790 Pennsylvania called for free public education for
the poor, rich people where still expected to pay for their children’s
education. By 1805 New York had established a public school system that
included a model where one teacher oversaw classrooms of hundreds of students. The
teacher would provide rote lessons to the older children who then passed them
down to the younger children. It was believed this system would prepare children
for their future roles of factory and manufacturing workers.
In 1817 Boston called for a tax system that would provide
education for all. Many opposed it because they didn’t want to pay taxes to aid
poorer families, however it eventually passed. By 1827 this law spread through
the larger cities—fast growing industries were looking at schools to provide
them with a disciplined workforce. Major industrialists offered up their own
money to create state boards of education to assure they received the workers
needed for their growing business. In 1847 the first ‘reform’ school opens in
Massachusetts—for children who had refused to attend public schools, and in
1851 Massachusetts passed an educational law that insisted all children of immigrants
attend school to assure they become civilized and learn obedience so they could
become good workers.
New Orleans was ahead of many others, especially pertaining
to girls. They opened their first girl only school in 1727 and accepted girls
of all races, included freed slaves and Native Americans. Educating women didn’t
become more popular in the New England states until the 1840’s.
The school ‘systems’ of the New England spread west with the
pioneers—the south was more prone to private tutors and a hodgepodge of
publically funded schools in the larger towns and remained so until after the
Civil War. While opening the west with land grants, the government withheld
small parcels dedicated to schools with the mandate that upon formation, local
communities would financially support the school.
Schools in the west also brought another issue that the government
chose to address. In 1864 Congress made it illegal for Native American children
to be taught their native language. Children as young as four were gathered up
and sent to BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) boarding schools.
By 1880 all states were required to have free public schools—paid
for by local taxes and for elementary ages—usually up to age 12. This was extended
to 14 by 1900, and by 1918 every state had a law that required all children
(6-14) to attend school. By then most schools, even one room schools, had
adopted an age/grade system that separated children and their lessons based on
their age or ability.
Before 1920 most secondary education was private and only
for those bound for college. In 1910 only 9% of Americans had a high school diploma.
Women were far more likely to attend high school where available. Educators
across the nation insisted schooling at higher levels would improve citizenship
(child labor laws had changed since the first school laws had been enacted). As
more high schools began being built, educators discovered by adding vocational
classes needed for industry jobs and sports, such as baseball and basket ball,
high schools attracted more males. Within thirty years, the number of American’s
with a high school diploma grew to 50%.
###
1 comment:
Enjoyed your post, Lauri.
Post a Comment