History of American Education
Theme: Education Reform — Past and Present
Education 202 Trinity College Fall 1999
TR 8:30-9:45 AM, McCook 102
http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/educ
Assistant Professor Jack Dougherty
Office: McCook 302, 297-2296
Hours: TR 11:15-Noon, and by appointment
Email: jack.dougherty@trincoll.edu
Introduction:
Our course focuses on two major questions:
During the first half of the course, we address these two questions and several others through a survey of elementary and secondary school reform movements during four periods:
During the second half of the course, we plan and carry out a collaborative historical study on higher education reform in our own community – the coeducation of Trinity College in 1969 – and present our research in a public forum in early December.
Readings:
Available at the bookstore in the Ed Studies section (in the back, near History and English) and on reserve at the library:
Carl Kaestle, Pillars of the Republic. (NY: Hill and Wang, 1983); paperback ISBN 8090-0154-3
Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz, Campus Life (Chicago: U of Chicago Press, 1988); paperback ISBN 02263-5373-7
Constance Curry, Silver Rights (NY: Harcourt Brace, 1995); paperback ISBN 015-600479-8
OR
David Cecelski, Along Freedom Road (Chapel Hill: U of North Carolina Press, 1994); paperback ISBN 08078-4437-3
In addition, several photocopied readings will be distributed in class (at a nominal cost of $5) and other online readings will be designated through the course web page (see Ed Studies home page above). You are responsible any revisions made to the online syllabus during the course of the semester.
How to succeed in my class:
• Class begins at 8:30 AM, and I expect you to be present at every session from start to finish. If you value "sleeping in" more than your education, drop the course now. If you run into a one-time scheduling conflict with this class, be sure to consult me at least one week in advance to make alternative arrangements. Don’t surprise me.
• Bring your readings and notes to class, and contribute regularly to discussions. (If you're unsure about speaking up, talk with me about a strategy that works for you).
• When analyzing historical source materials, your purpose is not to simply agree or disagree with the author, but to reflect on these broader questions: Who created this source, and what was his/her intent? What does it suggest - explicitly and implicitly - about the context surrounding a reform movement? What does this type of source (such as a photograph, diary, school textbook, speech, journal article) reveal which a different type may not? How might different historians interpret this evidence in different ways?
• When reading historical interpretations of the past, push yourself to master the basic factual questions (what happened?) and delve deeper into the analytical questions (According to this historian, why did it happen? How strong is his/her evidence? What does s/he overlook? How does this interpretation compare to others?)
• When writing an assignment for this class, be sure that you understand what kind of writing you are asked to do. Sometimes you must step into the past and simulate someone’s perspective from that period; sometimes the assignment asks you to step back from the past and analyze it from the perspective of an historian.
•When working on group projects, agree upon an agenda for what needs to be done by the group as a whole, and then a a reasonable division of labor for those tasks which can be accomplished independently. But if something's not right, talk about it within your group first, and then consult me if necessary.
• When studying for an exam, collaborate with your classmates to anticipate the questions, both large and small, and to test out how you would respond in writing.
Evaluation:
Group activity in class (see designated dates in syllabus) 5%
Historical interpretation essay (3-5 pages, due at beginning of class, Sept 23) 10%
Exam 1 (in class, paragraph-length responses, Oct 7) 20%
Group research projects
Exam 2 (second half of course, paragraph-length responses, Dec 13, 3pm) 10%
• Be advised that adequate work earns a C, good work earns a B, and outstanding work earns an A in this class. The penalty for overdue assignments will be 25% per day, with exceptions granted only for documented medical or family emergencies. Students are expected to engage in academic honesty in all forms of work for this course. If this is unclear to you, ask me for clarification.
Part I: Historical Survey of School Reform Movements
A) Creating the Common Schools of the mid-19th Century
What was the common-school movement and why did it happen? How did its supporters articulate their vision of reform? Why did their opponents object?
Tues Aug 31: Course introduction
Syllabus overview
Start reading Kaestle, Pillars of the Republic. (skim chp 1-3; focus on chps 4-6).
Thurs Sept 2 (OR Friday, Sept 3, 11am-noon): Analyzing historical sources
Historical source materials:
Analyze 19th-century common school textbooks in the Watkinson Room of the library (lower level)
Tues Sept 7: The social, material, and cultural context of common schools
Historical source materials:
Horace Mann, "Intellectual Education as a Means of Removing Poverty and Securing Abundance." (1842). Group___________
Catherine Beecher, "Remedy for Wrongs to Women" (1846). Group __________
Historical interpretation:
Discuss Kaestle, Pillars of the Republic, chapters 4-6.
Thurs Sept 9: Opposition to the common school movement
Historical source materials:
Analyze 19thC political cartoons on religion, immigration, & common schools.
Historical interpretation:
Discuss Kaestle, Pillars of the Republic, chapters 7-9.
Class simulation:
Three views on common schooling: Groups __________ _________ _______
B) The Multiple Meanings of "Progressive" Education
What did "progressive" education mean to different constituents at the turn of the century? How did their surrounding contexts, and their objectives for students, influence their thinking? How and why have historians interpreted this period in different ways? Which historical interpretations are the most persuasive?
Tues Sept 14: Contested visions of progressive education
Historical source materials:
John Dewey, The School and Society (1900), pp. 3-29.
Jane Addams, "Educational Methods" (1902) and "The Humanizing Tendency of Industrial Education" (1904). Group ______________________
Ellwood P. Cubberley, "The Organization of School Boards." (1916). Group ____
Franklin Bobbitt, "Some General Principles of Management" (1913). Group ___
Robert Yerkes, "The Mental Rating of School Children." (1919). Group ________
Historical interpretation:
Larry Cuban, How Teachers Taught. (1984), pp. 1-40.
Thur Sept 16: Segregation, assimilation, and self-determination
Historical source materials:
Booker T. Washington, "Industrial Education for the Negro" (1903). Group____
W.E.B. DuBois, "The Talented Tenth" (1903) and "Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others" (1903). Group __________
Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial Institute, Catalogue 1913-14.
Leonard Covello, The Heart is the Teacher, excerpts (1958). Group ____________
Historical interpretations:
David Adams, excerpts from Education for Extinction, (1995).
James Anderson, excerpts from Education of Blacks in the South, (1988).
Tues Sept 21: Contested interpretations of progressive education
Historical interpretations:
Lawrence Cremin, excerpts from The Transformation of the School. (1961). Group ________________
David Tyack, The One Best System (1974). Group ___________
Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis, excerpts from Schooling in Capitalist America. (1976). Group _______________________
Diane Ravitch, excerpts from The Troubled Crusade (1983). Group ___________
Assignment: Historical interpretation question and reading packet handed out, 3-5 page essay due at beginning of next class, Sept 23rd
C) Equity versus Excellence in the 1950s and 60s
How and why were tensions between “equity” and “excellence” expressed in public schools during these decades? What role did demographic and cultural changes play in these struggles? How do historians interpret school desegregation in different ways?
Thur Sept 23: Civil rights and Sputnik in historical context
Historical source materials:
Eyes on the Prize, video excerpts from the Little Rock Crisis, 1957.
Blackboard Jungle, video excerpts, (1955).
Life Magazine, “Crisis in Education.” (1958).
Assignment: Historical interpretation essay due at beginning of class
Tues Sept 28: Which strategy makes sense? Background on Brown
Historical source materials:
Brown v Board of Education, excerpts (1954).
Historical interpretation:
Separate But Equal, video excerpts (1991).
Start reading either Curry, Silver Rights OR Cecelski, Along Freedom Road.
Thurs Sept 30: Contested interpretations of school desegregation
Historical interpretations:
Discuss Curry, Silver Rights and Cecelski, Along Freedom Road.
Group facilitators: _____________________ _______________________
D) Responses to the "Nation At Risk" Crisis, 1980s - present
In what ways were present-day reform movements created in response to movements from the past? Why are schools perceived to be so hard to change, yet also perceived to be chasing every new trend? How would historians of the past interpret the wide range of reforms of the present?
Tuesday Oct 5th: Reforming schools via altering governance structures
Contemporary source material:
US Department of Education, excerpts from A Nation At Risk (1983).
Background papers on following reform issues:
Historical interpretation:
David Tyack & Larry Cuban, excerpts from Tinkering Toward Utopia (1995).
Thur Oct 7: Exam 1
In class exam covering part I of course
MIDSESSION
In order to complete required assignments for Part II of the course, you must sign up to attend a 1.5 hour workshop on Trinity 1969 historical source materials in the Watkinson room of the library, to be offered at two different time slots:
Tues Oct 12th - 1:00 - 2:30 pm
Wed Oct 13th - 9:30 - 11:00am (time subject to change)
Also, start reading Horowitz, Campus Life.
Part II: Historical Research on Higher Education Reform:
The Coeducation of Trinity College, 1969-1999
During Part II of the course, our schedule will be constructed around the steps we must take to conduct our collaborative research project and to present our findings at a public event for visitors and friends in early December (exact date TBA).
Oct 19 and 21
Discussion of Horowitz, Campus Life, and student responses generated by the Trinity historical source materials workshop (held during midsession).
Oct 26 and 28
Together, the class brainstorms a list of potential historical research questions for the Trinity project. Teams of students form research groups (2-4 people) and formally propose to study a specific question, or a related set of questions, based on the class list. The 2-page group proposal is due on Oct 28th.
Nov 2 and 4
In addition to researching Trinity historical source materials, each group will be assigned an extra reading (see appendix below) to assist their analysis.
Nov 9 and 11;
Nov 16 and 18
Groups present their first drafts to the class, receive constructive feedback, and also a preliminary evaluation from the professor. Date to be assigned to each group.
Nov 23 and 25
Although our class does not meet during Thanksgiving week, groups will continue to research and revise drafts.
Nov 30 and Dec 2;
Dec 7 and 9
Groups conclude their research and prepare excerpts of their work for the public event, date to be announced. Excerpts may take whatever form seems most appropriate (such as an oral presentation, a poster exhibit, a multimedia website), but the core of the project must feature the group’s historical analysis. Evaluation at public event may be conducted by visiting experts, rather than the professor.
Final drafts of the group research paper are due at the last class, Dec 9th. While the quality of the research question, the analysis, and the supporting evidence determines the evaluation score, I suggest approximately 12-15 pages per group.
Dec 13
Exam 2 at 3pm. Covers second half of the course only, paragraph-length responses.
Appendix:
Based on their research proposals, each group will be assigned an additional reading to assist their analysis. These may include the following:
David Tyack and Elisabeth Hansot, Learning Together: A History of Coeducation in American Schools (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1990).
Dorothy C. Holland & Margaret A. Eisenhart, Educated in Romance: Women, Achievement, and College. (Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 1990).
Dorothy McGuigan, A Dangerous Experiment: 100 Years of Women at the University of Michigan. (1970).
Charlotte Williams Conable, Women at Cornell: The Myth of Equal Education. (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1977).
Liva Baker, I'm Radcliffe, Fly Me!: The Seven Sisters and the Failure of Women's Education. (NY: Macmillan, 1976).
Paula Treichler, "Alma Mater’s Sorority: Women and the University of Illinois, 1890-1925" in Treichler et. al., eds., For Alma Mater: Theory and Practice in Feminist Scholarship. (1985).
Barbara Miller Solomon, In the Company of Educated Women: A History of Women and Higher Education in America (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1985).
and others. . .