The Progressive Era | Overview

History of the Present | What could possibly be the significance of the study of educational foundations to teachers responsible for educating our nation’s students?  This semester, students in ED253 will write a “history of the present” based on their research of a pressing issue germane to the field of education studies.  A history of the present is less concerned with understanding the past than with developing a critical understanding of the present. A history of the present endeavors to achieve this understanding by disclosing the historical, economic, political and/or cultural circumstances through which a current issue has emerged and by identifying those circumstances upon which that issue still depends. Follow this link for more information.  Follow this link for more information.

Relating each reading from the selection on the Progressive Era with current organizations and initiatives.

Administrative progressives who sought to consolidate power at the local level | James Jackson Storrow

Since its founding in 1940, The National School Board Association (NSBA) has been an influential advocate for public education and the nation’s 90,000 school board members. In the decades that followed, NSBA transformed itself internally and strengthened its partnership with state school boards associations; and in doing so, greatly advanced its capabilities to shape federal education policy, building itself into a champion of public education whose voice carries weight with the nation’s policymakers.

One of the great strengths of NSBA is its powerful grassroots advocacy–the willingness of locally elected school board members to reach out to their members of Congress and advocate on behalf of public education and issues of federal education policy.

Teachers who sought to improve their work environment and a seat at the political table | Margarette Haley, Ella Flagg Young, Cora Bigelow

The American Federation of Teachers is a union of professionals that champions fairness; democracy; economic opportunity; and high-quality public education, healthcare and public services for our students, their families and our communities. We are committed to advancing these principles through community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining and political activism, and especially through the work our members do.

Child-centered curriculum reformers | John Dewey

At a time when education policy no longer ensures that all of the nation’s children have a right to a high quality education, we need Rethinking Schools to show us how to reclaim equality and social justice for all children and our public schools.

Advocates of testing measurement | Lewis Terman

The Educational Testing Service (ETS) is a team of education experts, researchers and assessment developers who believe that, through learning, people can improve their situations in life and make incredible contributions to the world. We also believe that by designing our assessments with industry-leading insight, rigorous research and an uncompromising commitment to quality, we can advance equity and help education and workplace communities make informed decisions about people and programs. Our mission is to advance quality and equity in education by providing fair and valid assessments, research and related services.

Political reformers who wanted to collaborate with teachers to build a better world | George Counts

The Coalition for Community Schools | A Community School is a public school – the hub of its neighborhood, uniting families, educators and community partners to provide all students with top-quality academics, enrichment, health and social services, and opportunities to succeed in school and in life.

The National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) advances and advocates for social justice and educational equity through multicultural education.

There are six points of consensus regarding multicultural education that are central to NAME’s philosophy, and serve as NAME’s goals:

• To respect and appreciate cultural diversity.
• To promote the understanding of unique cultural and ethnic heritage.
• To promote the development of culturally responsible and responsive curricula.
• To facilitate acquisition of the attitudes, skills, and knowledge to function in various cultures.
• To eliminate racism and discrimination in society.
• To achieve social, political, economic, and educational equity.

Democracy and Education

Last week in class, I made an appeal to the democratic nature of the classroom and what, if anything, you learned about, or better experienced as, democracy throughout your schooling. Right now, the question is Democracy. There are those who believe that:

• The democratic nature of these United States is under threat.
•  The value of a democratic state is less significant than a state that functions efficiently to address the issues of the day.

Democracy in Retreat – 2019 (Interactive World Map).