American Education Reform: History, Policy, Practice

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/edref

Introduction

**Course Review: American Education Reform: History, Policy, Practice on Coursera** As educational institutions globally face complex challenges, understanding the historical and contemporary dynamics of education reform is paramount. The Coursera course “American Education Reform: History, Policy, Practice” offers an enlightening exploration into the evolution and impact of education in the United States, making it an excellent recommendation for educators, policymakers, and anyone interested in the study of education. ### Course Overview The course provides a thorough examination of the historical context of U.S. education reform, allowing learners to engage with the main actors, pivotal decisions, and significant turning points throughout history. It contextualizes how social forces shape our discourse surrounding education and the inherent tensions within education policy and practice. With an emphasis on national and global perspectives, this course is particularly relevant for understanding the local implications of educational reform initiatives. ### Syllabus Breakdown 1. **The Colonial Period and Early Republic** - This module sets the foundation by exploring the origins of education in Colonial America. It investigates how literacy was acquired and the formal educational institutions established in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Learners will appreciate the republican visions of education post-Revolution and examine the role of figures like Benjamin Franklin. 2. **The National Period** - Transitioning to the early 19th century, the course delves into the influence of the accelerating market economy and social movements like the Second Great Awakening. It highlights Horace Mann’s advocacy for common schools and the social tensions surrounding education, including the suppression of black literacy. 3. **Postbellum Period** - Here, the focus shifts to the expansion of common schooling after the Civil War, addressing both the progress made by black Americans in education and the systemic barriers erected thereafter. The discussions around Jim Crow education and the Carlisle Indian School deepen the understanding of racial dynamics in education. 4. **The Progressive Era** - This module examines the significant reforms brought about during the Progressive movement, including urban school governance and the influence of military intelligence programs on education. 5. **John Dewey and the Pedagogical Progressives** - By exploring John Dewey's ideas, this segment sheds light on progressive education and the importance of reflective thinking in developing educational environments conducive to learning and social growth. 6. **The Depression Era** - Learners will explore how the New Deal responded to educational needs during the Great Depression, portraying schools as centers for community and social reconstruction. 7. **Post-World War II** - A critical analysis of the Cold War's influence on education is provided, focusing on various educational reforms, the struggle for racial integration, and the challenges posed by conservative movements. 8. **Post-1983** - The course culminates with a discussion of modern educational reforms, such as school choice, charter schools, and recent policies affecting public education, offering perspectives on ongoing debates in the education sector. ### Recommendations The course “American Education Reform: History, Policy, Practice” is strongly recommended for: - **Educators**: Those passionate about understanding the historical context of their teaching environment will find this course invaluable. It equips educators with a deeper comprehension of the systemic issues affecting their practice. - **Policymakers**: This course offers critical insights for those involved in education policy, highlighting historical lessons that can inform contemporary reforms and initiatives. - **Students and Researchers**: For students of education or sociology, this course provides a comprehensive overview of the socio-political landscape that has shaped education in the U.S. ### Conclusion Engaging, informative, and well-structured, the “American Education Reform: History, Policy, Practice” course on Coursera marks a significant contribution to the field of education. By taking this course, participants will come away with a rich understanding of how historical forces have shaped educational landscapes and how they continue to influence the future of teaching and learning. Whether you're an educator, a policymaker, or just a curious learner, this course is a vital resource for anyone looking to dive deep into the complexities of American education reform.

Syllabus

The Colonial Period and Early Republic

This module looks at the sources of education in Colonial America; factors that motivated the acquisition of literacy in the colonies; formal educational institutions of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; post-Revolution republican visions of free public schools; characteristics of elementary schools in the early Republic; and Benjamin Franklin’s Philadelphia Academy.

This module takes up the accelerating market economy between 1815 and 1850; the Second Great Awakening and its spur to social innovations; Horace Mann’s paean for “common” schools; Whigs and the common school movement; Catholic opposition to common schools; the suppression of black literacy in the antebellum South; and nineteenth-century academies.

This module considers the post-Civil War expansion of the common school and the reality behind the myth of the “Little Red Schoolhouse”; the educational gains made by blacks during the Reconstruction period and the limits white supremacists put on blacks’ educational progress after Reconstruction; the Hampton/Tuskegee model of industrial education for blacks and the role of northern industrial philanthropists; Plessy v. Ferguson and Jim Crow schooling in the South; the Carlisle Indian School; and the early progress of the American high school.

This module looks at the Progressive movement writ large; the U.S. settlement movement as a source of urban school reform; the changes “administrative progressives” effected in the governance of urban school districts; the influence of the U.S. Army’s World War I intelligence- testing program on the American school system; social efficiency schooling and its theoretical foundations; the Committee of Ten, 1892–93; the Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education, 1918; and Booker T.Washington and W.E.B. DuBois.

This module takes up the major characteristics of Dewey’s Laboratory School at the University of Chicago, 1896–1904; the role of reflective thinking in Dewey’s theory of knowledge; Dewey’s conception of the school as a social center; Dewey’s disengagement from public schools after 1904; William Heard Kilpatrick and the pedagogical progressives’ distortion of Dewey’s theory; and the cornerstones of Dewey’s educational philosophy.

This module looks at the New Deal’s contribution to the education of American youth; the impact of the Great Depression on education; social reconstruction and the schools; schools as social centers, community centers, and community schools; the Nambé School, New Mexico; the Arthurdale School, West Virginia; and Benjamin Franklin High School, East Harlem.

This module takes up the Cold War and education; the conservative attack on “life adjustment education”; McCarthyism and the New York City schools; federally sponsored New Curricula, late 1950s–1960s; the “radical romanticists”; the post-Brown struggle for racially integrated schools; the Ocean Hill–Brownsville conflict; and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

This final module addresses the rise of school choice and charter schools; markers of the evolving (expanded) federal role toward standards and accountability in public schools; significant reauthorizations of Title I of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA); the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2002; the critique of charter schools; school district portfolios of school choice; Teach for America and others markers of teaching as a semi-profession; and post-NCLB developments, including Race to the Top, Common Core Standards, and online learning.