Introduction
Links on this page:
Common or Recurring Themes
Scholarly Perspectives
“We all have memories of school: The games we played. The friends we met. The teachers who nurtured us and the ones who imposed strict discipline. We learned how to spell, to read, to add and subtract. From generation to generation, for each era and individual, school has defined the shape of our young lives. … In school, we became aware of something larger than ourselves and our families. We became part of one nation. … But school is also the place where we have fought important battles, not only about education, but about the meaning and practice of democracy itself. Born out of centuries of conflict, innovation, and experimentation, the American system of public schools is one of the nation’s most significant, and still unfinished, achievements.”
- From SCHOOL, Episode One
SCHOOL, produced by Stone Lantern Films and presented on the Public Broadcasting System by KCET/Hollywood, is a four-part series on the history of the American system of public education. This curriculum guide is intended for use by post-secondary faculty in education who wish to infuse into their courses historical and current perspectives on the evolution of American public schools and the impact of public education on American society. The guide outlines for each of the four episodes 1) common or recurring themes, 2) various scholar perspectives, 3) key topics, and 4) focus questions. The guide is intended to help instructors teach the content presented in the series and to stimulate class dialogue and further explore topics introduced in the series. A list of references is provided at the end of the guide. In addition to using references from the bibliography, educators may find that class discussion can be enhanced through the use of primary sources. Useful primary sources include the text of pivotal court decisions (e.g., Brown v. Board of Education) and the Congressional Record, which documents political debates on education legislation.
Common or Recurring Themes
Several themes recur throughout the School series. These themes provide an opportunity to explore issues in U.S. public education across time. They include:
- Schools defining and shaping American life-the relationship between school organization and the Constitution
- The meaning and practice of democracy through the organization and mission of schools
- Control of schools (local community vs. state and federal government)
- Challenges of growing student enrollment
- Issues of nationhood and citizenship
- Public schools as the battleground for issues related to racial, ethnic, religious, and gender differences
- Growth of immigrant populations - Americanization and assimilation
- Segregated vs. integrated education for African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans
- Student achievement
- Relationship between schools and organized religion-religious issues forming the core of the American fabric, the separation of religion and state
- Role of women in the development of teaching as a profession (pay, moral example, the development of system hierarchies)
- Teacher salaries
- School costs and expenditures
- School reform efforts and conflict surrounding innovation and experimentation
- Standardization of school structure (length of school year), pedagogy, curriculum, and materials
Scholarly Perspectives
Throughout the School series, a number of scholars, authors and experts present their perspectives on the history of American public education. These individuals represent several different schools of thought, and their divergent points of view are only briefly covered in the series. Further study and analysis of these various perspectives can enrich students’ understanding of critical issues in education. Viewpoints are presented by:
- James Anderson (Episodes One, Two, Three, and Four)
- Paul Chapman (Episode Two)
- Ronald Cohen (Episode Two)
- Larry Cuban (Episode Two and Four)
- Chester Finn, Jr. (Episodes One, Two, Three, and Four)
- Marcia Greenberger (Episode Three)
- Gilbert Gonzalez (Episode Two and Three)
- Jose Gutierrez (Episode Three)
- Jay Heubert (Episode Three)
- E. D. Hirsch, Jr. (Episodes One and Four)
- Nancy Hoffman (Episodes One and Two)
- Carl Kaestle (Episodes One and Four)
- Jonathan Kozol (Episode Four)
- Kathryn Kish Sklar (Episode One)
- Nicholas Lemann (Episodes One, Two, and Four)
- Deborah Meier (Episode Four)
- Gary Orfield (Episode Three)
- Diane Ravitch (Episodes One, Two, and Four)
- Father Richard Shaw
- Vanessa Siddle Walker (Episodes One and Three)
- Joel Spring (Episodes One, Two, and Three)
- David Tyack (Episodes One, Two, Three, and Four)
- Leslie Wolfe (Episode Three)
|
