It is now time for you to research ONE particular topic/person/issue/event that is defined as a key reform in education in the 20th Century. This is the time for you to chose something that is relevant and important to your understanding of education reform efforts.
we will dive into three specific topics – the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), A Nation at Risk and then No Child Left Behind (NCLB). These three national reform efforts will have multiple issues embedded within each topic. Find a topic that is relevant in the early to mid-20th Century (since we will spend more time with the second half of the century during the next three modules). OR, you may want to research something that is from the 19th Century, and then discuss how the topic is still relevant or not in the 20th century.
You have read about some interesting reform efforts in Tinkering, and heard a preview of them in the videos. Pick one that is most interesting to you. Some examples to research may include:
Kindergarten
Bilingual education
Desegregation
The ‘feminization’ of the teaching profession (aka: Normal Schools and teacher training)
John Dewey and Progressive Education Model
The establishment of the FEDERAL Department of Education
Westward settlement, and how public education played into new statehood
Horace Mann (research him in a much more in-depth manner, and describe how his ideas are still relevant/not relevant)
…the sky is the limit
