Lecture Ten:

   The Five 20th Century Philosophies
of Education in American Public Schools

I.    The Democratization of American Public Schools

            A.    Expansion of public schooling

                        1.    post-Civil War industrialism leads to urbanization
                        2.    city populations swell due to
                                    a.    immigration
                                    b.    migration
                        3.    more children and adolescents go to school longer
                                    a.    anti-child labor pressure
                                    b.    pressure from labor unions
                                    c.     both parents at work
                                    d.    social problem of children on the street

            B.       Coincident loss of coherent vision of purpose of schools
                        1.    previously, public schools had taught three social and moral attitudes:
                                    a.    sentimental patriotism, rooted in story, song, and poetry
                                    b.    generalized Protestant Christian morality
                                    c.    bourgeois habits of work, discipline, and self-denial
                        2.    by this time, there was no such consensus

            C.    Just as school populations exploded, there was no coherent vision of purpose

            D.    Result was a philosophical free-for-all
                        1.    the school as marketplace and battleground of ideas

            E.    Five philosophies of education dominate this still on-going debate:
                        1.    essentialism: the belief that there is a body of knowledge that
                                    should be known by all
                        2.    perennialism: the belief that there is a set of beliefs held by all
                                    and virtues practiced by all
                        3.    these two go under the larger heading of Traditionalism
                        4.    child-centered curriculum: the belief that the child, if left to his
                                    own devices, will naturally learn what he needs to learn, when
                                    he needs to learn it
                        5.    scientific curriculum-making: the belief that school should be a direct
                                    preparation for adult life
                        6.    social reconstructionism: the belief that school should indoctrinate
                                    students into a belief in some form of collectivist (or, at any rate,
                                    un-capitalist) economy and society
                        7.    these last three go under the larger heading of Progressivism
                        8.    Traditionalism looks to the past; Progressivism looks to the future
 

II.    Traditionalism

            A.    Essentialism
                        1.    there is a body of knowledge that everyone should have
                        2.    it is obvious what this body of knowledge is: the best of
                                    a.    literature
                                    b.    history
                                    c.    mathematics
                                    d.    science
                                    e.    art
                        3.    un-enlightened essentialism: everyone should have this knowledge
                                        just to have it
                        4.    enlightened essentialism:  everyone should have this knowledge
                                        because it is "essential" to being a free, thinking individual
                                    a.    e.g., Hutchins
                                    b.    e.g., Maritain
                                    c.    e.g., McCambridge
                                    d.    e.g., Shorris
                                    e.    e.g., Hart
                                    f.    a page on this web with several articles about and links to other
                                            sites on  liberal education

            B.    Perennialism

                        1.    there is a body of moral and ethical beliefs that everyone should have
                        2.    there is a set of virtues that everyone should practice
                        3.    we know what these beliefs and virtues are
                        4.    schools should inculcate these beliefs and encourage these virtues
                                    a.    e.g., Moses
                                    b.    e.g., Confucius

III.    Progressivism

            A.    Child-Centered Curriculum

                        1.    children are naturally good
                        2.    children will naturally learn what they need to learn, when they need to
                                    learn it
                        3.    the role of the adult is to "stay out of Nature's way" (G. Stanley Hall)
                                    a.    e.g., Rousseau
                                    b.    e.g., Montessori
                                    c.    e.g., Rogers

            B.    Scientific Curriculum-Making
                        1.    school is preparation for adult life
                        2.    school should be direct preparation for adult life
                        3.    scientific means should be used to determine the activities of adult
                                    life
                        4.    school curricula should be "made" on the basis of these scientific findings
                                    a.    e.g., Scrofano on Bobbitt
                                    b.    e.g., McCambridge on the Cardinal Principles

            C.    Social Reconstructionism
                        1.    capitalism is destructive, of the individual and of the community
                        2.    capitalism will eventually lead to the domination of the many by the few
                        3.    schools indoctrinate in something anyway; therefore, schools should
                                   indoctrinate students into a belief in collectivism and cooperation,
                                   rather than a belief in capitalism and competition.
                                    a.    e.g., Counts
                                    b.    e.g. McLaren

QUESTIONS:
    1.    What is implied by the fact that Traditionalism looks to the past?
    2.    What is implied by the fact that Progressivism looks to the future?
    3.    What is Essentialism?
    4.    What is Perennialism?
    5.    What is Child-Centered Curriculum?
    6.    What is Scientific Curriculum-Making?
    7.    What is Social Reconstructionism?
    8.    Which of these philosophies of education aims at the development of the individual person?
    9.    Which of these philosophies of education aims at the imposition on the person of a pre-determined set of beliefs?