Progressive Education Since World War 2 (WWII)

The era since World War II has seen dramatic changes in a variety of areas for American society. Many of those changes make a profound and deep impact on the nation’s future, but probably none so much as the changes in the American educational system.

In the decades since World War II, the American education establishment gradually came to implement the progressive educational ideas that were popular in the early twentieth century. Although the traditional methods of rote memory and factual, teacher-centered instruction were still used for a while in classrooms throughout the country, the ideas of creative, student-centered instruction soon became the norm. While many would adamantly promote and defend these progressive philosophies, the resulting product of ill-informed, superficially educated children seems to argue otherwise.

In addition to changes in the curriculum department, American education also has been seeing increased involvement by the federal government. In the years after World War II an explosion of court cases and legislation occurred, which attempted to make American schools offer an equal education experience to every child. In recent years, the emphasis on equality has spilled over into the classroom, and thus today’s schools commonly train children to embrace a multicultural, diverse world – a mentality that often dismisses or negatively portrays Western values and philosophical principles.

The educational policies that have occurred since World War II have definitely shaped the American educational system. Unfortunately, the American education system is in poor shape. This library section gives an overview of America’s recent education history and the steps that led us to the dilemmas of our current educational system.

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"I asked Fulton County high school teacher Jordan Kohanim to write a piece about what she wanted for her students this year. Jordan joined forces with fellow Centennial High School English teachers Larken McCord and Cathy Rumfelt to write a powerful letter about their goals for their students and for all students. School resumes in Fulton County on Monday

Here is their combined effort....

Peter Wood reports on the drive to reform schools through "21st century skills." According to Wood, these "21st century skills" are no different from the progressive ones of the 20th century, which effectually abolished any type of...

According to Robinson, "a quick review of the facts reveals that American universities often deliver easy, biased, or useless content—at great expense to students, parents and taxpayers. While college still helps many individual students achieve their financial...

In an interview with George Clowes, Diane Ravitch explains some of the failed methods that have been implemented in the nation’s schools. According to Ravitch, schools are employing ideas of "anti-intellectualism" by failing to teach history, phonics, and other basic scholastic...

In commenting on the willingness of congressional Democrats to support school choice efforts for higher education, George Clowes provides a brief history of the G.I. Bill and its effects. According to Clowes, the G.I. Bill dramatically...

For Walter Williams, the progressive changes that have induced a friendly, "anything goes" attitude toward proper education standards have been severely detrimental toward minority races. Williams condemns the passive attitude that...

The author discusses two problems: 1) The functional illiteracy of incoming college freshman and 2) The failure of freshman composition courses to teach students how to write well. Political correctness plays a key role in distorting the rules of the English...

According to Evers, there are some positive benefits to progressive education, one of which is the creative and energetic approach to learning. Despite this benefit, Evers believes that we have taken progressive education too far, for its philosophies are placed on...

This article takes a look at the growing educational emphasis on multiculturalism. The promotion of multiculturalism forces children to ingest material that diminishes their own western heritage, while extolling the cultures of other nations without addressing their numerous faults and horrendous practices. According to Journo, the progressive agenda of educational...

This article raises questions about President Bush’s early advances toward the "No Child Left Behind Act." Schneider looks briefly at past government interventions in education and declares that these were attempted for "social" and "competitive" reasons. Due to...

"New data show that fewer than 25% of 2010 graduates who took the ACT college-entrance exam possessed the academic skills necessary to pass entry-level courses, despite modest gains in college-readiness among U.S high-school students in the last few years.

The results raise questions about how well the nation's high schools are...

Can America's schools teach history? The question ought to be ridiculous -- of course they can. What do we pay them for? History is as essential as reading and writing to a republic of free citizens. America's schools have always taught America's history.

Amity Shlaes argues that "America’s love affair with progressive education" is the true reason why U.S. students are performing poorly and learning little of value. According to Schlaes, progressive education policies began to infiltrate schools in...

Chart or Graph

"Test scores remained essentially the same between 2006 and 2010 even though 30% more high school students have taken the ACT over this period and the group of students has become more heterogeneous, including more graduates from each racial/ethnic group.

Composite score averages ranged between 21.0 and 21.2 points during this...

Taken from a study which traces the changing landscape in higher education from 1914 to 1993, this graph demonstrates the changes in general education requirements. According to the study, "The proportion of the undergraduate curriculum devoted to general education in 1993 was only three-fifths of what it had been in 1914. Most of this decline occurred after 1964 (see Figure 1.1)."

"Sixty-six percent of all ACT-tested high school graduates met the English College Readiness Benchmark in 2010. Just under 1 in 4 (24%) met all four College Readiness Benchmarks.

In 2010, 52% of graduates met the Reading Benchmark, while 43% met the Mathematics Benchmark. Over 1 in 4 (29%) met the College Readiness Benchmark in...

"Data for 2010 high school graduates who took the ACT show performance stagnating, even when students take a curriculum intended to prepare students for college."

Analysis Report White Paper

Carl Kaestle explains the increased role the federal government played in education after WWII in this piece by the Center on Education Policy. According to Kaestle, federal involvement in education...

In an attempt to trace the changes in education policy since WWII, this report gives an overview of the various legislation pieces and court cases that have occurred in each presidential administration since Eisenhower. This piece demonstrates...

This piece provides some historical background on "Brown v. Board of Education" and the implications this case had for student learning achievements in light of school desegregation. Although the age of segregation is officially over, the author opines that some is still taking place...

"This historic context study spans more than a hundred years and the approximately 140 buildings constructed, acquired, maintained, expanded, and sometimes removed by the Minneapolis Board of Education between 1849 and 1962. The timeframe extends from the first public schools constructed in Minneapolis to the expansion of elementary and junior high schools for the post-World War II baby-boom...

This paper reports on the details behind the desegregation failures in Kansas City. According to the author, the Kansas City desegregation experiment was originally intended to prove that the progressive philosophies of more money, mixed races, smaller class sizes, and state of...

In a speech to the Heritage Foundation, Senator Lamar Alexander laments the lack of American principles and history being taught in today’s classrooms. The Senator implies that the increased concern for political correctness and "multiculturalism" in the schools has...

According to James Guthrie, the financial and bureaucratic growth of the school system in the last half century has served to facilitate many of the educational difficulties the U.S. faces. Guthrie traces the growing federal involvement in education that occurred in...

In the quarter century after "A Nation at Risk" was published, America’s schools have attempted to track and improve the education that children are receiving. This report acknowledges the need for a return to basic skills and education, but it also recognizes the great importance of...

"Since 1959, ACT has collected and reported data on students’ academic readiness for college. Because becoming ready for college and career is a process that occurs throughout elementary and secondary education, measuring academic performance over time in the context of college and career readiness provides meaningful and compelling information about the readiness...

This survey traces the education requirements at a number of distinguished American colleges from 1914 – 1993. Unfortunately, the study reveals the dramatic decline of high academic standards and basic knowledge requirements that have occurred since WWII....

As reflected by the title, John Hood’s assessment of public education is hardly positive. In Hood’s opinion, the many reform options and processes that the education establishment has seen has only resulted in more federal dominance, more...

William Donohue chronicles the downward spiral of morals and academic achievement that has taken place in schools since the 1960s. Donohue blames this problem on the implementation of progressive education policies,...

Video/Podcast/Media

"Ms. Paglia argued that primary and secondary education should impart more meaning to students. She said that students should study more traditional subjects in more traditional methods. After her remarks she answered questions from the audience."

This CBS report from September 14, 1970 gives a glimpse into the debate over school busing issues. In an attempt to equalize racial and class differences in schools, many states engaged...

According to the Heritage Foundation, the problems reported in "A Nation at Risk" are still prevalent in America’s schools. In this video, Dan Lips suggests that less federal government interference, decreased spending, and more school choice are viable solutions to the United States' education problems.

"This video presents a positive view of progressive education although it begins with a parent complaining that children are not learning the fundamentals. Various educators are seen including famed John Dewey. One skeptic asserts that ideas similar to progressive education caused a collapse of the ancient Greek civilization. Current debates about educational techniques in many respects seem...

According to ABC News, the twenty-fifth anniversary of "A Nation at Risk" arrived with many schools still producing students with inadequate knowledge on basic subjects. This report compares American students to those in other nations, suggesting that high standards and hard work are some of the reasons for the failure of American schools.

Primary Document

One of the most widely cited reports on education reform, "A Nation at Risk" describes the declining academic rates and standards that were prevalent in the early 1980s. "A Nation at Risk" bemoans the fact that...

In all probability, "Brown v. Board of Education" is the most well-known Supreme Court case regarding education matters in the twentieth century. This decision abolished segregation in America’s schools by declaring that "Segregation of white and Negro children in the public...

This piece provides a copy of the original act which established the federal Department of Education. The opening pages of the document describe the reasons why the Education Department was established, some of which include "strengthen[ing] the Federal commitment to ensuring...

No Child Left Behind is a descendant of "The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965." Its opening lines describe it as "An Act [t]o close the achievement gap with accountability, flexibility, and choice, so that no child is left behind."

This piece recognizes the increased role that federal government has played in education since 1965. In his testimony before Congress, Rod Paige encourages the federal government to take an active role in education through the increased funding and...

In the wake of "Brown v. Board of Education," school desegregation efforts in the United States were not always as effective as some would have hoped. In order to remedy this situation, the Supreme Court presented the "Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg" decision, which sought...

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