Harvard Tug of War team, 1888 There were so many ideas on what was the best approach to American curriculum that it created a much-heated debate.

John Dewey His philosophy did not fit into any one of the four major theories. He became a leading figure in American educational thought Ideas centered around the experiences and development of the child Although his ideas were not put to use, his influence is felt today.

Social Efficiency Education John Franklin Bobbitt Frederick Winslow Taylor Students would be tested and then educated with their predicted societal role in mind. In using education as an efficiency tool, society could be controlled.

Vocational schools and junior high schools were created to better equip students for their predetermined role in society. Not every student was meant to go to college. Some were meant to be farmers, cooks, or factory workers.

Social Meliorists With the Great Depression arose the Social Meliorists. Social reform could be brought about by education. An individual’s future was not predetermined, but could be improved with education.

Seven Principles of Progressive Education 1.Freedom to develop naturally 2.Interest: The motive for all work 3.The teacher a guide, not a task master 4.Scientific study of pupil development 5.Greater attention to all that affects the child’s physical development 6.Cooperation between school and home to meet the needs of child-life 7.The progressive school a leader in educational movements

The United States gained a renewed sense of patriotism with the advent of World War II. School curriculum was centered around the war effort. First aid training & nursing Recycling projects Red Cross work Aeromechanics, aeronautics, auto mechanics, navigation, and gunnery

During World War II 70% of the armed forces had an eighth- grade education in comparison to only 20% of the armed forces during World War I.

Following World War II, secondary schools became abundant and social efficiency was once again on the forefront of America’s educational system.

Following World War II the curriculum in American included the following areas of study: Algebra, Geometry English, literature Modern foreign languages Science & biology

The Cold War was in full effect when, on 5 October 1957, the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik. The American educational system was seen as “soft” and it was determined that the curriculum had to be more challenging, especially in the maths and sciences. The Space Race had begun!

Jerrold Zacharias Professor of physics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Headed up the Physical Sciences Study Committee, which sought to restructure the American science curriculum Leader of science curriculum reform in America

Social MelioristsDevelopmentalistsHumanists Social Efficiency educators Curriculum is like a circle: What goes around comes around.

As long as man has the capacity to reason and the freedom to think, the debate over the appropriate curriculum will be ongoing and forever changing.

Kliebard, H. M. (2004). The struggle for the American curriculum: (Third ed. ). New York: RoutledgeFalmer. Work Cited