Rural America: 1901
The weather is quite unforgiving and you’ve just walked five miles to school. As you enter the small and cramped classroom, it’s impossible not to ignore the sparse amount of books and materials. The youngest children sat in the front, while the oldest sat in the back, so picking the middle row was the only option. The teacher passes a piece of chalk and a slate to everyone, and you start scribbling, making doodles on your slate, until the rattle of the dreaded cane and the subsequent movement makes you jump up in terror and wince as the cane makes contact with your back. Then, as you snap back into reality after recovering from the blow, the teacher pressures you to tackle a math problem. "How many bushels of wheat can be stored in a four by three by one-foot wagon?" The question seems impossible to answer, but trying your best was the only possible option if you didn’t want to face corporal punishment again. Most of your classmates were relieved that school would end in a few months since schools were seasonal and were open only for three to four months a year. Despite the compulsory education law enacted in 1874 across many states, most children didn’t have to attend school because the law wasn’t strictly enforced.
The condition of schools in the rural areas, in the early 1900s, was a far cry from cities like New York where immigrant populations were predominant. The schools in New York were far more structured with their curriculum catering to the needs of immigrant children. Kids learned from textbooks written in German, and Polish, and in some schools, English was not the primary medium of instruction. However, after World War I, the curriculum emphasized primarily American history heroes and the American way of life, and the verbal instruction was primarily in English.
The education system underwent a significant transformation following the introduction of the Vocational Education Act of 1946. This act allowed individuals to pursue specific tracks that would help them get a job in the future. For instance, if a future construction worker attended school, they were not obligated to study literature or subjects unrelated to their future jobs. Despite these major changes in the educational system, schools in rural America operated almost the same way as they did fifty years ago. Materials and school supplies were scarce; the only education students received was basic math, science, and literature. Segregation and racism were rampant and girls rarely attended schools. The public facilities in the school were in appalling condition, more so if the school pertained to a certain demographic and schools couldn’t afford to change these circumstances. The size of the classes had remained the same and housed at least 35-40 students. After World War II, the number of elementary school students increased, and this led to the phenomenal growth of elementary, middle, and high schools across America. At one point in the 50s, the rate of growth was one high school per day, with only a 17 percent graduation rate from high schools.
With the rapid rate of growth of schools, the curriculum also underwent major changes. The New Math movement introduced abstract concepts in math learning with a focus on applications to real-world problems. Social studies became an integral part of the curriculum in schools as educators realized the importance of engaging children in social studies, history, and geography to understand and learn from the environment around them. Schools also began to impart bilingual instruction to include students from non-English speaking communities.
In 1954 the Supreme Court landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education declared school segregation unconstitutional and proved to be pivotal in ensuring equal educational opportunities for all students irrespective of race. As a result, schools across America witnessed a significant transformation. There was a positive shift in the curriculum to address issues of civil rights and promote racial equality. In response to the court’s ruling, dedicated initiatives were undertaken to promote integration and foster inclusivity in the schools that we see today.
American schools in the 1900s were teacher-centric, had a rigid curriculum, prioritized rote memorization, and enforced capital punishment. They were a far cry from the schools in our present day. But major landmark decisions in the history of the United States have changed the educational landscape, promoted inclusivity with a unified curriculum, and paved the way for a better tomorrow.
