Chapter 5:The History of Schools in the United States

School curriculums have changed greatly over the last 300 years. During the colonial period, education was limited to the privileged elites, and focused on basic reading, writing, and arithmetic. Classroom instruction was often used to advance special interests' agenda, such as the dominant Puritan / Protestant religion, Nationalistic themes, and Anglo – Saxon cultural indoctrination. Later, the ideals of Capitalism and the Industrial Revolution influenced education, and stressed the development of an efficient and obedient working class. Developing knowledge of psychology led to greater attention to childrens' differences, and division of the student body by age and other characteristics began. Societal reform was reflected in the Progressive movement that helped focus more attention on students' individuality, and to try and address this in a more humanistic, secular way. A growing civil rights movement in the 1950's helped force the nation to address the social inequalities long suffered by non – white, poor children, whose education had been neglected, unequal, or used for cultural indoctrination. Curriculums continued to change in the 1960's and 70's with a greater focus on science and technology, and greater attention has since been focused on the psychology and growth of students, and how to measure their performance.

There have been many debates over time about what should be taught in schools. Curriculum and textbook content has always been subject to influence from, and challenged by, special interest groups representing religious views. This is closely related to the cultural wars that continue to be fought in the classroom over values and nationalism. Attention to different subjects, especially science and math, often reflected these shifting social and national values. The Industrial Revolution brought a focus on training young people the skills to be good workers, which is still an active goal of education that is being debated today. Social reformation through progressivism in classroom instruction has been both promoted and fought against vigorously, and continues to shape today’s curriculum.