5. Education as a Profession

1. 5. Education as a Profession FED 300 Foundations of Education Dr. Sha Li

2. How did teaching change after the civil war? • Before and during Civil War, teaching job was regarded as an unattractive job. • After Civil War, by 1900, teaching was perceived as a skilled vocation. • In the 20th century, expectations for teacher’s and student’s performances increased, so too did the status of teaching increase. • In modern schools, teachers are essentially ambassadors to multicultural communities and promoters of democracy. • Teachers educate whole child---cognitively, physically, emotionally, and socially.

3. Discriminations against women teachers • Marriage typically was a liability for women in education but an asset for men. But in the first half of the 20th century, most school systems prohibit hiring married women teachers. • By 1940, only 22% of the female teachers were married. In 1928, about three-fifths of urban districts prohibited hiring married (women) teachers. • During the Depression, thousands of districts passed new bans against employing married women.

4. Women’s role in education • In 1897, Leaders of the Chicago Teachers Federation (CTF), and all-female teacher organization was founded. They fought for the women’s right in educational profession. • By 1920, 86% of teachers were women, but most of the administrative positions were held by men. • They drew attention to discrepancies in salaries between administrators an teachers, and between male teachers and female teachers. NEA (National Education Association) forced the association to focus on the concerns of women teachers, like moving more female teachers into administration.

5. The progressive movement • From 1920 to the World War II, America saw a Progressive Movement called for increased human and material resources to improve life quality. With education, Progressive argued that the needs and interests of students, rather than of teachers, should be the focus of schools. Progressive teachers relied on class discussions, debates, and demonstrations, not on direct instruction and rote learning from books. Teachers also experiment with individualized instruction, and the curricula encouraged practical experiences and learning outside the classroom. The teacher’s role was that of a helper and guide.

6. The progressive movement, cont’d • Experiment of the teaching: Helen Parkhurst, in 1921, implemented the Dalton Laboratory Plan in Dalton, Massachusetts. The Daltno Plan relied on students’ own interests to promote learning. Officials turned off the bells and dibanded traditional classrooms. The school day was organized into subject labs, and students from fifth through twelfth grades wet their own daily schedules.

7. The progressive movement, cont’d • John Dewey, a famous educational philosopher and a strong Progressive supporter, ran the Laboratory School at the University of Chicago. • John tried to avoid teaching subjects in isolation. Instead, he favored the idea of integrating subjects with social activities, such as cooking, sewing, or building a playhouse, so that students might learn about cooperation among peers. • After 1945 and until 1960, a lot of criticism come to progressive education because it lacked a common set of principles. Some said that progressivism pandered to the individual happiness at the expense of intellectual rigor. Nevertheless, the concept of child-centered education prevailed in various forms.

8. Opportunities for higher education • Post Second world War Industrialization and the Morrill Act of 1862 combined to stimulate higher education • Technology development, large number of technicians needed , minority education developed, land grant schools thrived (Morrill Act of 1862), high quality workers (teachers, engineers, technicians, skilled farmers, businesspersons, lawyers, medical workers, expert, managers, miners, manufacturers, social workers, clergymen, and professionals in all walks of life) • Women’s status in higher education changed. By 1890, about 2500 women graduated from higher educational institutes yearly. Many women’s universities established that enriched educational tradition. • By 1920, about 1041 higher education institutions with an enrollment of 600,000/year.

9. Varieties of higher education institutions • Mainstream colleges: Ivy, private colleges/universities, state funded colleges/universities, • HBCUs: After the 2nd Morrill Act of 1890, HBCUs developed very fast. Of the 105 HBCU institutions in America today, 27 offer doctoral programs and 52 provide graduate degree programs. Eighty-three of the HBCUs offer a Bachelor's degree program and 38 of them offer associate degrees. In 1975, Jake Ayers Sr. filed a lawsuit against Mississippi for giving more financial support to its predominantly white public colleges. The state settled the lawsuit in 2002 and agreed to direct $503 million to three historically black colleges, collectively, over 17 years.Following the enactment of Civil Rights laws in the 1960s, all educational institutions that receive federal funding have undertaken affirmative action to increase their racial diversity. Some historically black colleges now have non-black majorities, notably West Virginia State University and Bluefield State College whose student body has been over 80% white since the mid-1960s. Many non-state-supported HBCUs are struggling financially, due to the increased cost of delivering private education to students and declining financial aid for students.[14]

10. Cont’d • Hispanic colleges/Historical Latino schools • Native American colleges/tribal schools/colleges Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) were created in response to the higher education needs of American Indians and generally serve geographically isolated populations that have no other means accessing education beyond the high school level. TCUs have become increasingly important to educational opportunity for native American students and are unique institutions that combine personal attention with cultural relevance to encourage American Indians—especially those living on reservations—to overcome the barriers they face to higher education. • Asian American colleges: • Asian American students voice bias against them in curricula, language, tests, financial aid, employment, etc. • Other colleges: German Town schools/colleges, French community schools/colleges,

11. Instructional Curriculum • Why curriculum was important?