A Brief History of Public School, the Department of Education, and a Prediction About What's Next
Could this be the decade we'll refer to as the Great Schooling Overhaul?
How it Started
1830s-1850
Horace Mann and the Common School Movement
Horace Mann, often called the "Father of American Public Education," envisioned schools as the "great equalizer" of society. In his Twelfth Annual Report (1848), Mann argued that education should prepare citizens for democracy, instill moral virtues, and reduce social inequities. Public schooling was not merely academic; it was a tool to create responsible, civic-minded individuals capable of contributing to society."Without undervaluing any other human agency, it may be safely affirmed that the Common School...may become the most effective and benignant of all forces of civilization."
1890s-1930s
Dewey's Progressive Education Movement
Philosopher John Dewey expanded on Mann’s ideas, emphasizing that schools should prepare students for life, not just work. In Democracy and Education (1916), Dewey argued for experiential, student-centered learning. Education, according to Dewey, should nurture creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration while maintaining a moral and civic focus.
Dewey’s Philosophy: Schools as places to prepare for democratic life (Democracy and Education, 1916).
The Big Societal Shift
1870s-1940s
Industrial Age Standardization
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, schools adapted to an industrial economy. Frederick Taylor’s principles of efficiency influenced education, leading to rigid curriculums, factory-style schedules, and an emphasis on obedience and rote learning. Schools became less about fostering democratic values and more about creating disciplined workers for an industrial economy.
The Testing and Accountability Era
1950s-1980s
The Rise of Standardized Testing
The launch of Sputnik in 1957 spurred a push for math and science education to compete with the Soviet Union. The National Defense Education Act (1958) marked the beginning of a test-focused education system. Over time, standardized testing became synonymous with accountability, often at the expense of creativity and critical thinking.
This is the time period of my K-12 public school attendance. Having graduated in 1990, I experienced standardized testing, but didn’t experience the effects of “high-stakes” testing that would come later. One brother, who is six years older than me, had a different schooling experience that included a modified high school schedule that allowed for half days and work. By the time I was in high school, the push for college prep was in full swing. A few years after graduation, high schools moved from serving grades 10th-12th to serving 9th-12th cementing the alignment with a college prep model.
1990s-Present
The Accountability Era (1990s-Present)
The No Child Left Behind Act (2001) mandated high-stakes testing as a measure of school success. Schools began "teaching to the test," narrowing curriculums and sidelining art, music, and civic education. Diane Ravitch, in The Death and Life of the Great American School System (2010), critiqued this shift, arguing that it undermined the holistic goals of education in favor of rigid benchmarks.
As an employee in public schools during this time, I can attest to the added pressure to “prepare for the test” that reverberated across the schools. Administrators, teachers, students, and parents alike felt stressed for weeks at the end of the year. Sadly, the “accountability era” didn’t seem to hold anyone accountable for the overwhelm these policies created. Nor has there been a change to the system based on the results of the standardized testing. If the Nation’s Report Card is accurate, it appears the current schooling model isn’t even meeting their own goals.
2010s-Present
Technological and Social Media Influences
With the rise of social media and digital technology, schools face new challenges: balancing digital literacy with foundational skills, managing shortened attention spans, and competing with powerful, influential algorithms. Furthermore, the standard schooling model hasn’t kept up with the quick and customizeable technology that is accessible to most. This has put undeniable pressure on the lecture-based, 50 -minute, six separate classes model. The Information Age has ushered in a call for an overhaul that is loud and clear.
2025-2035
The Great Schooling Overhaul?
Stay tuned!
The Department of Education
1980
The modern version of the Department of Education was created as a Cabinet-level agency under President Jimmy Carter with the signing of the Department of Education Organization Act in October 1979. It officially began operations on May 4, 1980. An earlier version was initially established in 1867 to collect and report data on schools and teaching in the United States. Its creation was spurred by a growing recognition that education was vital for the nation’s progress, but it was a small office and lacked significant influence.
As you likely already know, the incoming Trump administration wants the Department of Education gone (or at the very least, significantly reduced). First, let’s look at what the Department of Education does.
According to this article from the Associated Press, the Department of Education’s main role is financial:
Annually, it distributes billions in federal money to colleges and schools and manages the federal student loan portfolio. Closing the department would mean redistributing each of those duties to another agency. The Education Department also plays an important regulatory role in services for students, ranging from those with disabilities to low-income and homeless kids.
It’s important to note that closing the department does not mean that monies allocated to students through IDEA, Title 1 or Title 9 will go away because these programs are federally protected. It does mean that another department would need to oversee how those monies are allocated.
This video nicely sums up what the Department does and the potential impact of removing it:
Because I don’t work for the Department of Education or have access to the financials, I don’t have an opinion about whether it should absolutely stay or should absolutely go. What I can say is that I think our government needs to reduce wasteful and unnecessary spending and if there is bloat and redundancy, address it. Regardless of who is in office, my wish for this to be the case is the same. We’ll find out sooner or later. My hope is that it’s done consciously and honestly and isn’t cut (or kept) to appease a party’s ego.
A seismic shift in how children experience school is underway
I have written about “The Great Educational Awakening” which suggests we’ve reached a tipping point. The current education system is a far cry from where it started. Instead of being an aspect of a child’s life it has consumed childhood. Instead of being a place to learn new things and nurture God-given talents, it’s been turned it into a babysitting service, place for counseling, and sports complex. The “too big to fail” mentality has kept the system afloat and used as a bargaining chip for political points even in the face of considerable waste of taxpayer dollars.
Schools don’t need more money, they need a complete overhaul.
It’s not a stretch to predict that we will see significant changes in the next 10 years, because we are seeing big changes now. Lines are being drawn. There are many groups in favor of school choice, which means allowing taxpayer dollars to follow the child and not automatically go to the school the child is assigned to based on their address. Some vehemently disagree with school choice and see it as a Trojan horse. In other words, a way for the government to get involved in each and every school that receives taxpayer money effectively making more schools beholden to government regulation which got us into this mess in the first place.
Regardless of where you stand, you are likely to feel the shift. It will be messy and politicized. Big societal shifts usually are. Despite it all, I think we will end up with healthier and more robust choices that actually utilize the science of how children learn and create smaller, less chaotic environments that nurture and respect children’s developmental needs and support their goals.
In celebration of that direction, here are some people and groups who have reimagined education outside the standard schooling model and are leading the way:
MacKenzie Price. Co-creator of 2-Hour Learning. (Podcast)
Karema Akilah. Creator of The Genius School and GeniiDOA. (Podcast)
Hannah Frankman. Creator of Rebel Educator (Podcast)
Emily Gregoire. Microschool founder. (Podcast)
Prenda Microschools
What do you think? Are you already seeing changes where you live? Are you hoping for better schooling options? Chime in!
xoxo,
Missy