Early School Reform and Progressivism

1800s-1950s

“Arriving at one goal is the startin

g point to another.” –

John Dewey

“Failure is instructive. The person who really thinks

learns quite as much from his failures as from his

successes.” -John Dewey

“Just as a flower which seems beautiful and has color but

no perfume, so are the fruitless words of the man who

speaks them but does them not.” -John Dewey

“No man's credit is as good as his money.” -John

Dewey

“The good man is the man who, no matter how morally unworthy he has been, is moving to become better.” -John Dewey

“One lives with so many bad deeds on one's conscience and some good intentions in one's heart.” -John Dewey

“Luck, bad if not good, will always be with

us. But it has a way of favoring the intelligent

and showing its back to the stupid.” -John

Dewey

Key Terms

• Committee of Ten• Carnegie Unit• Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education• John Dewey• Progressive Education

“To find out what one is fitte

d to do, and to secure

an opportunity to do it,

is the key to happiness.”

-John Dewey

“To me faith means not worrying.” -John Dewey

“We only think when we are confronted with problems.” -John Dewey

“Without some goals and some efforts

to reach it, no man can live.” -John Dewey

Purpose of Education During This Time Period

This was a time when the United States was going through a huge Industrial growth.

This caused massive numbers of immigrants to arrive in our country looking for work and bringing their families with them.

The huge increase in the number of students was the cause of necessary changes in the school systems.

We needed a better and more effective way to bring consistency and order into the high school curriculum.

“Education is a social process. Education is growth. Education is, not a preparation for life;

education is life itself.” -John Dewey

Committee of Tenboth created by the National Education

Association (NEA)• The 1st Committee of Ten

– 1892– Made up of 10 men. For the most part College presidents and

professors.– Guided curriculum so that high school students would be

prepared for college. – Focused on the elite moving on to college.

• The 2nd Committee (not officially called the Committee of Ten)

– 1918– Not just 10 people. Made up of Education professors, High

school principals, the U.S. commissioner of education, and other educators.

– Guided curriculum so that high school students would be prepared for the work force.

– Focused on the bettering of education for students who knew high school would be their final level of education

Info You Should Know

• After the Cardinal Principles in 1918 not a decade has passed without a committee or commission reporting on reforms needed to improve US schools. “Time and memory are true artists; they remold

reality nearer to the heart's desire.” -John Dewey

Progressive Education• Most influenced by John Dewey, who was highly criticized for it.• Assumed that students learn best when their learning follows

their interests.• Passively listening to the teacher, is not the most effective

learning strategy. • The role of the teacher is to identify students needs and

interests and provide an environment that builds on that.• Shares some characteristics with problem-based and authentic

learning.• A study was done in the 1930s to see which educational

approach was more effective. Progressive and traditional schools.

– Progressive had a higher GPA, – higher grades in all fields except foreign languages, – more academic honors, – Students were more objective, more precise thinkers, higher

intellectual curiosity, and drive.

Works Cited

Harris, John. (2002). Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/carnegie_unit_and_student_hour

John Dewey. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved September 11, 2010, from BrainyQuote.com Web site: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/john_dewey_2.html