How did the story of American education begin? It is definitely not what we picture when we think of modern-day schools, however, there are more similarities than one would think. I was shocked, as I'm sure most people would be when I found out that American public education started with a design based on the model that Prussia (modern-day Germany) had implemented to teach obedience and discipline to their nation's children. This system was set up to make little soldiers out of students, not educate them.
We've come a long way since then, shifting towards and education that promotes free thought and critical thinking. One thing that has changed, if only so it's not so obvious anyone, is the factor of race and economic status. For the longest time, schools that were deemed "public" only let white students into their classrooms, and even before the invention of free public schooling, only the rich could afford to send their kids to school. This did nothing but widen the educational gap between the rich and the poor. However, once African American children were allowed into schools they were kept separated from the white students and forced to go to 'colored' schools. There were not as many 'colored' schools as there were white schools, which often meant students of color had to walk incredible distances just to receive their education. While modern America prides itself in its desegregation of school districts, the truth is that they really are still segregated. Growing up in a neighborhood that was filled with rich people, and having friends from poorer neighborhoods I got to experience this firsthand. One of the most noticeable differences between rich and poor neighborhoods is the race that takes up the majority of the school. My school, in the fairly rich neighborhood, was filled with white people, and had a fairly large Asian population as well. The town just next to ours, which was much poorer had a majority Hispanic and black population. My school had many more resources, and students not only had better access to a higher quality education, they also had cleaner and nicer school buildings. The link below is to an article that goes more into detail about how even having a culture and language that are different from the norm decrease the quality of your education as well.
Even with the problems that are still around, the American school systems have come a long way, and have started figuring out how to truly get every student access to quality education. The school system will never be perfect, but it is much better than it has ever been, and I truly believe it is going to continue the positive trend. 💕
Social Organization of Classes and Schools
No comments:
Post a Comment