Modern American Education: From the Progressive Movement to the Present

100 Orientation to American Education

Sarah Norton

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

I pledge that I have neither given nor received unapproved help on this assignment.
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Progressive Education Association

The Progressive Education Association has always been defined as ideas and practices that

aim to make schools more efficient and successful in today’s democratic society. The

associations include seven guiding principles: (1) the child’s freedom to develop naturally, (2)

interest provides the motivation for all work, (3) the teachers as guide in the learning process, (4)

the scientific study of pupil development, (5) greater attention to everything that affects the

child’s physical development, (6) cooperation between the schools and home in meeting the

natural interest and activities of the children, and (7) the progressive school should be a leader in

educational movement. These associations share the common end goal of enabling individuals to

better understand and participate in the social, political, and economic decisions in our

community. Thus, opening a new era for teaching and learning for schooling in America’s

history.

This new approach was intended to improve and strengthen our nation and avoid a

stratified and segregated community. To do this, the education systems were formed and altered

based on the seven principles that were mentioned earlier. The first principle was put into place

to demand that the education systems address the needs of all students, regardless of their

background. The second principle was put into place to better approach the students with the

exposure to the academic and social environment to deepen the learning experience. The third

principle was put into place to help the teachers go beyond their will to strengthen their

classroom experience for each and every student. The fourth principle was put into place to

better recruit and train the future teachers who are to be seen as prepared, resourceful, and

effective educators. The fifth principle was put into place so that the school systems had the

equitable funding and resources they needed to teach the students efficiently. The sixth principle
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was put into place to make meaningful engagement between the parents and the community so

that everyone had a say in the policies of the school systems and the education services offered

for the students. The last and final principle, seven, was put into place so that the educator can

put all seven principles into work and understand the importance of the Progressive Education

Association.

The Progressive Education Association wouldn’t have begun without John Dewey, who

saw education as a way to make up for the loss of poor local community life choices and

lifestyles. He then later began to test and share his idea with leading school reformers such as

Francis W. Parker, William H. Kilpatrick, and Ella Flagg Young. The discoveries that were

made were then announced in works such as the eight-year study, the child and the curriculum,

the journal progressive education, and through numerous lectures and articles. During the

following years after this discovery, the Progressive Education Association was founded, which

aimed for reforming the American Education System.

Nevertheless, in the years since, various groups of educators have altered and revised the

ideas of Dewey associations to address the changing needs of schools, children, society, etc. for

the 20th & 21st century. These changes included school readiness, cooperative learning,

desegregation, safe and disciplined schools, parental participation, and numerous other changes

that are still being made in today’s society. We are evening finding out that although Dewey

started this a century ago, we still use his insights into democratic cultures and education

suggestions that are helpful for alternative ways to better dominate our schools in one way or

another. Which leads me to perceive the Progressive Education Association to be the most

important change that that took place during the period of modern American education from the

progressive movement to the present.

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References

A Brief Overview of Progressive Education. (2002, January 30). Retrieved November 07, 2017,

from https://www.uvm.edu/~dewey/articles/proged.html

Orientation to American Education Mount Olive. (2015). Boston, MS: Pearson Custom Pub.

Strauss, V. (2013, June 11). A new ‘Education Declaration’ for genuine school reform. Retrieved

November 08, 2017, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-

sheet/wp/2013/06/11/a-new-education-declaration-for-genuine-school-

reform/?utm_term=.93ccb0c95cc9