1. Beginnings of agricultural education in America
1700s & 1800s:
Apprenticeships & Father - to- son
Was great need for trained people in agriculture & engineering.
Agriculture was a major export.
Agricultural improvement was stagnant.
Industrial development was slow.

2. Early beginnings… Federal Laws
1862: Morrill Act
“Land-Grant College Act:
30,000 acres of federal land to each state for each member of congress.
To establish colleges for the “sons and daughters of the farmers and laborers” in agricultural and mechanical arts, military science.
First evidence of govt. support for Voc.Ed.

3. Imperial Tech. School of Moscow
1868, Victor Della Voss established school.
“instructional shops” to teach logic & skills.
1876, demonstrated it in Philadelphia.
John Runkle, President of M.I.T. saw it.
Runkle established secondary school for mechanical arts.
Shortly after, Calvin Woodward est. Manual Training School in St. Louis.

4. Federal support continues
1887: Hatch Act
Est. Agricultural Experiment Stations
To create new knowledge in the agricultural sciences
Beginnings of “scientific process”
Flaw: no mechanism to get new knowledge to those who need it to advance the industry.

5. Expansion of Federal Role
1890: 2nd Morrill Act
to provide access to higher education for minorities.
Northern states made their 1862 colleges 1890 colleges.
Southern states added separate 1890 colleges.

6. 1890 - 1910... Industrial Revolution. Migration from farms to cities.
Period of industrial and social growth.
Demand for trained labor.
Decline in apprenticeship system.
Advent of child labor laws.

7. cont...
1893: USDA promotes instruction in agriculture in schools, grades
Few students in high schools.
1902: Congressional debate on agricultural education in public schools.
Period: “demonstration projects” by employees of Land-Grant colleges.

8. More about 1900... 1906: Massachusetts state law est. Voc.Ed.
Argument, in Mass. And Washington:
separate schools for training children to be workers, or
integrate Voc. Ed. Into curriculum.
How can knowledge of new agricultural practices (from Exp. Stations) be shared with farmers?

9. State of America 1900 - 1910 Abundant labor, few skilled workers.
1904, 1/2 of population living in poverty.
Urban development in South.
By 1920:
number of wage earners doubled.
Wages increased 5 times.
Production increased twice as fast as population.

10. context for Ag. Ed.
By 1920, only 25% of population on farms.
Unemployment still 12%, but farmer labor shortage.
US was money-lending nation.
2 needs:
formal education in agriculture (schooling)
non-formal information passing from L-G colleges to farmers.

11. 2 Needs for Ag Ed,
“Extending” information from Exp. Stats. To farmers and families.
Extension concept
Formal “education” in agriculture, mechanical arts, & home economics to prospective farmers.
(Vocational Education)

12. Vocational Education Early ruminations...
Federal debate for VoEd begins in 1906 with Pollard Bill.
2 VoEd camps:
Industrial Education:
separate schools for training working class children
Agricultural Education:
ag ed integrated into school curriculum, taught as both a vocation, and a science & liberal study.

13. More early ruminations...:
numerous bills offered for comprehensive training program.
Industrial education concept and extension education concept less than compatible
Extension education proponents separate the concepts and plow ahead.

14. 1914: Smith - Lever Act Est. Cooperative Extension Service
Link between L-G colleges, & their experiment stations, with producers.
Concept not limited to agriculture.
Includes mechanical arts (became colleges of engineering)
3 - way cooperative program:
Federal, State, local governments.

15. 1917: Smith - Hughes Act
Established Vocational Education in public schools
3 programs: Ag. Ed., Ind. Ed., Home Ec.
Bad compromise (my opinion).
AgEd wants to be integrated in curriculum.
Industrial Ed wants to be separate to train working classes as skilled labor.
Home Ec. Is secondary issue.

16. AgEd under Smith - Hughes
First federal involvement in public schools.
Requires states to have federally approved plans.
For students 14 yrs., up.
All students must have 6 month S.O.E.P.

17. AgEd vs. Ind. Ed. conflict
AgEd aimed to train entrepreneurs, independent businessmen.
IndEd aimed to train workers, laborers.
AgEd wanted to educate free thinkers.
IndEd wanted to train skilled workers of the masses.

18. AgEd vs. IndEd conflict...
Review the current model of agricultural education in public schools.
Review current model of industrial education in public schools.
Which camp won?