History of Education in the United States
EDF 3514/AMH 3931, Spring 2016, Section 5203/008C
Tuesday (4-5) 10:40-12:35, Thursday (4) 10:40-11:30
Norman 2325
Instructor: Kenneth Noble
Email: [email protected]
Office: 2416 Norman Hall
Office Hours: T/TH: 9:30-10:30
(or by appointment)
I. Course Description and Objectives:
EDF 3514/AMH 3931 traces the development of American schools and major problems in American education
emphasizing the relationships among schools, intellectual movements, and social institutions. Throughout, we will
discuss major events, key individuals and groups, social and intellectual movements, and political and cultural trends in
American history through the lens of education. By surveying the history of American education, students will also be
able to make connections to current trends and developments in America’s education system. This provides students with
a greater knowledge base to comprehend education’s role in America and how institutional learning was shaped
politically, economically, socially, and culturally.
By the end of this course, you will be able to provide thoughtful, reflective responses to the following:
1. What are the major political, economic, cultural, social, and intellectual trends and developments
in America’s education system from the pre-Colonial period to present-day?
2. What are the educational experiences, thoughts, and views of varying racial, ethnic, cultural, and
socioeconomic groups in the United States contextualized through educational aims?
3. In which direction is education in the United States moving regarding state and federal government
involvement, political agendas, social justice, and globalization?
II. Class Expectation:
- Attend all class meetings and arrive on time.
- Have readings and assignments completed by the dates listed in the syllabus.
- Be prepared to discuss readings and actively participate during class.
- Silence all cell-phones/electronic devices during class.
- Students may use laptops/tablets for class and educational purposes only. Refrain from using social networking,
emailing, or streaming video/music while in class.
III. Attendance:
Attendance will be taken for all class meetings. In order for absences to be excused, students must provide the proper
documentation (doctor’s note, university documentation, etc.). Each unexcused absences will incur a two-point grade
deduction from the final average. Students are permitted ONE unexcused absence for the semester.
IV. Grades and Assignments:
Participation (30%)
Class Engagement
Forum Posts
Presentation 1
Presentation 2
Points
10
10
5
5
Due Date
Refer to Class Schedule
Refer to Class Schedule
Refer to Class Schedule
Book Responses (15%)
Book Response (Kaestle)
Book Response 2 (Anderson)
Book Response 3 (Graves)
5
5
5
January 26
February 16
March 29
Essays (55%)
Essay 1
Essay 2
Essay 3
Total
15
20
20
100
February 5 (11:59 PM)
March 18 (11:59 PM)
April 26 (11:59 PM)
A = 93 - 100; A- = 90 – 92; B+ = 87 – 89; B = 83 – 86; B- = 80 – 82; C+ = 77 – 79; C = 73 – 76; C- = 70 – 72;
D+ = 67 – 69; D = 63 – 66; D - = 60 – 62; F = 59 and below
V. Texts:





Anderson, James D. The Education of Blacks in the South, 1860-1935. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1988.
Graves, Karen L. And They Were Wonderful Teachers: Florida’s Purge of Gay and Lesbian Teachers. Urbana: University of
Illinois Press, 2009.
Kaestle, Carl. Pillars of the Republic: Common Schools and American Society, 1780-1860. New York: Hill & Wang, 1983.
Urban, Wayne J., and Wagoner, Jennings Jr. American Education: A History. 4th Ed. New York: Routledge, 2009.
Additional readings available via CANVAS
VI. Essays (55 Points)
Students will write three essays. Essays must be completed by the given date and time listed in the syllabus. Essays will
be submitted online via CANVAS. Essays are designed for students to draw on assigned readings and lecture/discussion
topics. Refer to CANVAS for detailed instructions.
VII. Book Responses (15 Points)
Students are expected to submit three 500- word book responses during the semester. Responses are designed to assist
students during class discussions and help students gain a deeper understanding for the books. Responses are written in
two parts. First, the students should identify the author’s main research questions. This section should be brief. Second,
discuss the author’s evidence and arguments used to answer the research questions. For this essay, do not use direct
quotes. Students are to use their own words and original thoughts when writing. Careful not to plagiarize! Students are to
provide a title as well as a formal citation for the book. Responses are to be submitted online via Canvas by the date listed
in the class schedule.
VIII. Participation (30 Points)
Thirty percent of your final grade is from class engagement, online forums, and two presentations. Students will be
provided with many opportunities during class to discuss assigned readings and respond to lecture material. Come to
class prepared to discuss! Students are required to bring all readings to class. Forum Posts: Students are required to post
a brief response (100 - 150 words) to class readings on CANVAS. Responses should reflect students’ initial thoughts
about the selected readings for that day and will be used to foster in-class discussions. Presentations: Students are
responsible for presenting two scholarly articles pertaining to a topic discussed in the class. Refer to Canvas for further
information.
IX. Academic Honesty
Academic dishonesty will be dealt with according to University policy. By signing up for this course and reading this
syllabus you agree to the University of Florida Student Code. You promise not to cheat or plagiarize and to inform the
instructor if you become aware of dishonest behavior on the part of other students in the class. Failure to comply with the
academic honesty guidelines 6C1-4.017, F.A.C. is a violation of the University of Florida Student Conduct Code and may
result in expulsion or any lesser sanction.
For additional information regarding Academic Dishonesty, refer to the following websites:
Marston Science Library Plagiarism Guide: http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/msl/07b/studentplagiarism.html
Undergraduate Catalogue http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/catalog0809/policies/students.html#honesty
X. Students with Documented Disabilities
The University of Florida seeks to accommodate students with documented disabilities. Students requesting classroom
accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office will provide
documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the instructor when requesting
accommodation.
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EDF 3514 Course Outline
* Note: All reading assignments are due the day they are listed on the syllabus. I reserve the right to change the assignments at any
time to serve the interests of the course. This is a tentative schedule*
January 5
Topic: Introduction/Course Overview
January 7
Topic: Pre-Colonization Native American Education
January 12
Required Reading:
1. Milton Gaither, “The History of North American Education, 15,000 BCE to 1491”
Topic: Education in Spanish and British Colonial America
Forum One
Due by 9:00 am
Required Reading:
1. Victoria-Maria MacDonald, “The Colonial Era: Schooling Under Spanish Rule”
2. Bernard Bailyn, “Education in the Forming of American Society.”
Presentation Reading:
1. Jennifer Monaghan, “Literacy and the Indians of Martha’s Vineyard, 1643-1725”
2. Elizabeth Nybakken, “In the Irish Tradition: Pre-Revolutionary Academies”
January 14
Topic: Education in Spanish and British Colonial America (continued)
Presentation Readings:
1. Jo Anne Preston, “He lives as a Master”: Seventeenth-Century Masculinity, Gender
Teaching, and Careers of New England Schoolmasters”
2. Jennifer Monaghan, “Literacy Instruction and Gender in Colonial New England”
January 19
Topic: Education in the Early Republic, Late 1700s – Early 1800s
Required Reading:
1. Margaret A. Nash, “’Is Not Woman a Human Being?”
2. Margaret Nash, “Nationalism, Regionalism, and Patriotism in Early American Textbooks”
Forum Two
Due by 9:00 am
January 21
Presentation Readings:
1. James D. Watkinson, “Concepts, Values, and Access in American Education, 1776-1840”
2. Nancy Beadie, “Emma Willard’s Idea Put to the Test”
Topic: Common School Movement
Required Readings:
1. Horace Mann, “Fourth Annual Report”
2. Catherine Beecher, “A Treatise on Domestic Economy”
January 26
Topic: Common School Movement
Book Response due by class.
Submit to CANVAS
Required Readings:
1. Kaestle, Carl. Pillars of the Republic: Common Schools and American Society, 1780-1860.
New York: Hill & Wang, 1983.
Presentation Readings:
1. Hilary Moss, Schooling Citizens: The Struggle for African American Education in
Antebellum America. [Selected Chapter]
2. Caroline Winterer, “Avoiding a ‘Hothouse System of Education”
January 28
No Class
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February 2
Topic: Westward Expansion and Native American Education in the 19 th Century (continued)
Film: “In the White Man’s Image”
Forum Three
Due by 9:00 am
Presentation Readings:
1. Linda K. Menton, “The Hawaiian Chiefs’ Children School, 1839-50”
2. Victoria-Maria MacDonald, “Account of a Protestant Missionary in 1850s Brownsville,
Texas”
3. Victoria-Maria MacDonald “Americanization and Resistance”
February 4
No Class:
Essay One: Due Friday February 5 by 11:59 pm
February 9
Topic: Education in the South: Mid- 19th Century to Early 20th Century
Forum Four
Due by 9:00 am
Required Readings:
1. Booker T. Washington, “The Future of the American Negro” (1899)
2. W.E.B. DuBois, “On Booker T. Washington” (1903) & “The Talented Tenth” (1903)
Presentation Readings:
1. Joan Marie Johnson, “Life Choices for Southern Women Educated at Northern Colleges.”
2. Bruce Eelman, “An Educated and Intelligent People Cannot Be Enslaved”
February 11
Topic: Education in the South: Mid- 19th Century to Early 20th Century (continued)
Required Readings:
Anderson, James D. The Education of Blacks in the South, 1860-1935. Chapel Hill:
University of North Carolina Press, 1988 [Introduction to Chapter 3]
February 16
Topic: Education in the South: Mid- 19th Century to Early 20th Century (continued)
Book Response due by class.
Submit to CANVAS
Required Readings:
Anderson, James D. The Education of Blacks in the South, 1860-1935. Chapel Hill:
University of North Carolina Press, 1988 [Chapter 4 to Epilogue]
February 18
Presentation Reading:
1. Michael Fultz, “African American Teachers in the South”
Topic: The Progressive Movement and Educational Reform, 1890s – 1930s
February 23
Presentation Readings:
1. Julie A. Reuben, “Beyond Politics: Community Civics and the Redefinition of Citizenship”
2. Moses Stambler, “The Effect of Compulsory Education and Child Labor Laws on High
School Attendance in New York City, 1898-1917”
Topic: The Progressive Movement and Educational Reform, 1890s – 1930s (continued)
Forum Five
Due by 9:00 am
February 25
Forum Six
Due by 9:00 am
Required Reading:
David Tyack, The One Best System: A History of American Urban Education.
Presentation Readings:
1. Sally Gregory Kohlstedt, “The School Gardening Movement, 1890-1920”
2. Michael Grossberg, “From Feeble-Minded to Mentally Retarded: Child Protection and the
Changing Place of Disabled Children in the Mid-twentieth century United States”
3. Victoria-Maria MacDonald, “The Paradox of Bureaucratization”
Topic: World War I and Education
Required Readings:
1. Timothy Cain, “Silence and Cowardice” at the University of Michigan: World War I and
the Pursuit of Un-American Faculty”
2. Julia F. Irwin, “Teaching Americanism with a World Perspective”: The Junior Red Cross
in the U.S. Schools from 1917 to the 1920s”
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February 27 – March 5
Spring Break
March 8
Topic: The Effects of Depression on American Education
Forum Seven
Due by 9:00 am
Required Reading:
Tyack, Lowe, and Hansot, Public Schools in Hard Times: The Great Depression and Recent
Years. (selected chapters)
Presentation Reading:
1. Fonna Perrillo, “Beyond ‘Progressive’ Reform”
March 10
Topic: World War II and Education
Forum Eight
Due by 9:00 am
Required Readings:
1. Sevan G. Terzian, “Adventures in science”: casting scientifically talented youth as national
resources on American radio, 1942-1958”
March 15
Topic: World War II and Education (continued)
Forum Nine
Due by 9:00 am
Required Readings:
1. Keith Olson, “The G.I. Bill and Higher Education: Success and Surprise;”
2. Hilary Herbold, “Never a Level Playing Field: Blacks and the G.I. Bill;”
March 17
Presentation Articles:
1. Kenneth Noble, “A more meaningful democracy than we ourselves possess”: Charles S.
Johnson and the Education Mission to Japan, 1945-1952.
2. Sarah Rose, “The Right to a College Education?”
No Class: Essay Two due Friday March 18 by 11:59 PM
March 22
Topic: Cold War Education
Forum Ten
Due by 9:00 am
Required Reading:
1. Joanne Brown, “A is for Atom, B is for Bomb”: Civil Defense in American Public
Education, 1948 – 1963.
2. John L. Rury, “Democracy’s High School? Social Change and American Secondary
Education in the Post –Conant Era”
Presentation Readings:
1. John Rudolph, Scientists in the Classroom: The Cold War Reconstruction of American
Science Education. [Selected Reading]
2. June Benowitz, “Reading, Writing and Radicalism”
March 24
No Class
March 29
Topic: Cold War Education (continued)
Book response due by class.
Submit to Canvas.
Required Readings:
Graves, Karen L. And They Were Wonderful Teachers: Florida’s Purge of Gay and
Lesbian Teachers. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2009.
March 31
Presentation Reading:
1. Natalie Mehlman, “Sex Ed…and the Reds? Reconsidering the Anaheim Battle over Sex
Education, 1962-1969”
2. Ronald Cohen, “The Delinquents”
Topic: The Civil Rights Movement and Racial Segregation in America
Presentation Readings:
1. Ruben Donato, “Sugar Beets, Segregation, and Schools: Mexican Americans in a Northern
Colorado Community, 1920-1960”
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April 5
Topic: The Civil Rights Movement and Racial Segregation in America (continued)
Forum Eleven (Bonus)
Due by 9:00 am
Required Readings:
1. Michael W. Fuquay, “Civil Rights and the Private School Movement in Mississippi, 19641971”
2. Daniel Perlstein, “Teaching Freedom: SNCC and the Creation of the Mississippi Freedom
Schools”
Presentation Readings:
1. Jack Dougherty, “Black Teachers and the Early Civil Rights Movement in Milwaukee”
2. Vanessa Siddle Walker, “African American Teaching in the South: 1940-1960”
April 7
Topic: The Civil Rights Movement and Racial Segregation in America (continued)
Forum Twelve (Bonus)
Due by 9:00 am
Required Reading:
R. Scott Baker, The Paradoxes of Desegregation: Race, Class, and Education, 1935-1975
Presentation Reading:
1. Dionne Danns. “Northern Desegregation: A Tale of Two Cities”
April 12
Topic: Culture Wars in Public Schooling
Forum Thirteen (Bonus)
Due by 9:00 am
Required Readings:
Jonathan Zimmerman, Whose America? Culture Wars in the Public Schools. [Selected
Readings in groups]
April 14
Presentation Readings:
1. Matthew Ides, “Dare to Free Yourself”: The Red Tide, Feminism, and High School
Activism in the Early 1970s”
Topic: Culture, Sexuality, and Student Rights
Forum Fourteen (Bonus)
Due by 9:00 am
Required Reading:
1. Jessica Clawson, “Coming Out of the Campus Closet: The Emerging Visibility of Queer
Students at the University of Florida, 1970-1982”
2. Gael Graham, “Flaunting the Freak Flag: Karr v. Schmidt and the Great Hair Debate in
American High Schools, 1965-1975”
April 19
Topic: Education in the Liberal State, 1960s-present.
Forum Fifteen (Bonus)
Due by 9:00 am
Required Readings:
Diane Ravitch, “Epilogue: School and Society” In The Death and Life of the Great American
School System
April 26
Presentation Readings:
1. Bethany L. Rogers, “Promises and Limitations of Youth Activism in the 1960s: The Case
of the National Teacher Corps”
2. Elizabeth Rose, “Poverty and Parenting: Transforming Early Education’s Legacy in the
1960s”
3. Sherman Dorn, “Origins of the ‘Dropout Problem’”
Essay Three Due by 11:59 PM
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