Turning Points: Books and Reports that Reflected and Shaped U.S. Education, 1749-1990s.

Overview & Synopsis

This document explores a selection influential books and reports on U.S. education that appeared between 1749 and the 1990s. The analysis begins with Benjamin Franklin's "Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pennsylvania", early writings on women's and adult education, the McGuffey reader of the mid-nineteenth century, and Charles Sanders Peirce's philosophy of pragmatism. The document describes the National Education Association (NEA)'s 1893 "Committee of Ten" report, which proposed what became the traditional high school curriculum: English, history, science, mathematics, and foreign language. The 20th century brought on such school reforms as more professional medical training, John Dewey's progressive education theories, and the NEA's seven cardinal principles report that Dewey influenced. Depression-era social reconstruction and sociological research continued into the 1950s and '60s as increased calls for reforms of public education arose. The 1960s and '70s liberalized education through the open classroom concept, increased freedom for students, and a greater awareness of U.S. poverty. In 1983, the National Commission on Education report, "A Nation at Risk: Imperative for Educational Reform," highlighted the crisis of mediocrity in U.S. public education and called for stricter requirements for high school graduation. The report set off both educational reforms and widespread criticism. In 1991 "Savage Inequalities" by Jonathan Kozol identified inequities in educational finance as just as harmful to minorities as unequal educational opportunity. Contains 44 endnotes. (SG)