Past and Future in Education.

Overview & Synopsis

A review of the history of changes in emphasis in the educational system covers the period from the 1930's to the present. After World War II the returning veterans attending college as a result of the GI Bill had a lasting effect on higher education. It forced a rethinking of teacher education, and the emerging schools of education and teachers colleges contended that preparation for teaching required a professional curriculum. Curriculum reform after Sputnik centered on "excellence" in science and math curricula. In the 1960's behavioral objectives and competency-based teacher education were espoused. In the 1970's subject matter curricula were attacked, and civil rights legislation and diverse groups charged the schools with the task of removing racism and discrimination in one generation. In the 1980's the emphasis is back to "excellence." The reasons for the swings in educational reform movements may be found in the constant tension between schooling for efficiency (which has to adapt to changing social conditions) and education (of which the goals and character remain remarkably constant). The problem of general education is that of providing youth with a mind educated to think and feel with the resources of the arts and sciences. The technological revolution will challenge schools to provide citizens with an educated mind to prevent the diminution of mind and self. (MD)