Iowa State University Historical, Philosophical, and Comparative Studies in Education Fall 2009 HPC 588: History of American

Education Thursdays 6-9 PM, in E165 Lagomarcino Hall Instructor: Dr. Chad W. Timm Email: ctimm@iastate.edu Phone: 515-250-2310 (Cell) 515-276-0667 (Home) Office Hours: By appointment only Objectives Catalog Description: Historical analysis of selected educational policies, such as equal educational opportunity, governance, discipline, and teacher education. Biographies, school records, and government reports are examined. Antecedents to current issues are stressed. This course focuses on the history of mass education, concentrating on the history of public education below the college and university levels. We will examine educational developments and trends from the 17th century colonies to the recent past, from the Puritans to contemporary efforts to improve the nations public schools. Throughout this course, we will explore the tension between educational ideals and practices, and how various groups of citizens tried to shape and form education in the past. We will also study the influences of religion, economics, gender, race, and ethnicity upon education and schooling in different periods of American History. While the focus of this course is on the history of American education, we will constantly shift our focus from the past to the present in the hopes of developing more sophisticated contexts within which to plan for the future. Imagine yourself standing at the center of an intricately woven spider web. Our goal in this course will be to identify the different strands that have brought us to the present. Once we identify these strands, we can trace them into the past and develop better understandings of how we arrived at our present. Readings The following five books are required for the course: Anyon, J. (1997). Ghetto schooling: A political economy of urban educational reform. New York: Teachers College Press.

Cohen, R. C. (2002). Children of the mill: Schooling and society in Gary, Indiana, 19061960. New York: Routledge Falmer. Douglas, D. M. (1995). Reading, writing, and race: The desegregation of the Charlotte Schools. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. Lassonde, S. (2005). Learning to forget: Schooling and family life in New Havens working class, 1870-1940. New Haven: Yale University Press. Urban, W. J. and Wagoner, Jr., J. L. (2009). American education: A history. New York: Routledge Falmer. All of these books are available at the University Book Store. Class Notes 1. Students with documented disabilities that affect participation are encouraged to speak with the instructor regarding special accommodations. 2. Some of the pieces we will read might be controversial or contentious. No matter what the topic, our first goal is to understand the authors argument, regardless of whether we agree or disagree. This course is a discussion-oriented course, therefore we must be willing to listen to each others point of view and be willing to look at issues from multiple perspectives. Thus, the diversity that each of you bring to this course is a valuable resource. 3. Students should be familiar with the Universitys policies on academic dishonesty, and just dont cheat. Requirements Participation (25%) Your active participation is essential, therefore, you will be evaluated based on your engagement in this course. This does not mean that the more you talk the better you participate. This means that your engagement involves listening to others, responding thoughtfully, demonstrating understanding of the issues, and showing a willingness to learn and grow. You should come to class having read all of the assigned material, and having prepared at leas 3 observations or questions over the reading that you will share with the class. Critical Reaction Papers (25%) You are required to write a short (2-3) page reaction paper for the Anyon, Cohen, Lassonde, and Davidson books. These papers are your chance to focus on a particular issue in the book. Because we will spend 2 class periods on the Cohen, Lassonde, and Davidson books, the reaction papers will be due the day we begin our discussion of each book. I may assign individuals in the class to supervise discussions of individual chapters. More information and specifications will be handed out in class.

Midterm Project (25%) Select a topic or theme in the history of American education that interests you. This is your opportunity to conduct research on a topic related to educational history that, in some instances, might turn into something you could use for other graduate research projects or your dissertation. I strongly encourage everyone to choose a topic that is personally meaningful. I will be happy to assist with this part of the assignment. This midterm assignment will essentially consist of a prospectus and literature review that will help you write the final paper for this course. I expect everyone to draw from primary source materials for your final paper. Here is what I would like you to do: 1. In light of the course readings and our class discussions, identify a theme or topic in the history of American education that interests you. Once you choose a theme or topic, conduct a literature search on this theme or topic in order for you to get a better idea of the existing scholarship. 2. This literature review should help you begin to narrow your focus and help you write the final paper. 3. In light of your reading and our class discussions, generate a 3-5 page prospectus that summarizes the major literature related to your topic and the direction you plan to take your final paper. Be sure to include relevant questions you seek to answer in your final paper. Final Paper (25%) For the final paper, you must generate an 8-12 page, double-space paper that uses primary sources to explore a topic of interest. Using the midterm project as a guide, students must pick a topic they can research in the state or university archives, government publications collection, or some other set of primary sources. The final must include: 1. A carefully crafted opening argument that is between 2 and 6 paragraphs. This might be the hardest part of the assignment. To do this well you should have a strong grasp of the topic you are interested in and the direction you plan to take the research. This section should prepare the reader for what will follow. 2. The main part of your paper, between 8-15 paragraphs. In this portion of your paper you need to build on your thesis statement and provide analysis of the data you collected in your primary research. There should be smooth transitions from idea to idea and paragraph to paragraph. Once you have described and analyzed the topic, essentially demonstrating the significance of your thesis, you should smoothly transition to a concluding section of your paper where you make connections between your topic and the wider field of educational history, and explain why any of this matters to the rest of the educational community. Regarding citation in the final research paper: This paper must include formal citations in the style of your choice, preferably APA or Chicago Manual of Style (Turabian). Whichever style you choose, stick with it and remain consistent throughout the paper.

Tentative Course Outline August 28 September 3 Introductions and overview

Education in Pre-Colonial America, Colonization and Cultural Transplant. (Come prepared to discuss your personal history of education) Urban and Wagoner Chapters 1 and 2 Common man and common school, Education in the South, and Building a common school. Urban and Wagoner, Chapters 3, 4, and 5 The immigrant educational experience: Schooling and family life in New Haven Connecticut Read Lassonde pages 1-102 Critical reaction paper due Read Lassonde pages 103-195

September 10

September 17

September 24

October 1 The modern school and progressive education: 1865-1915 Urban and Wagoner, Chapters 6 and 7 October 8 Industrialization, school reform, and the progressive movement in Gary Indiana. Read Cohen pages 1-119 Critical reaction paper due

October 15 Read Cohen 120-244 Midterm Project Due (You may turn this in earlier) October 22 October 29 NO CLASS

Completing the modern school, the effects of depression and war, and a time of crisis 1945-1960 Read Urban and Wagoner Chapters 8, 9, and 10

November 5 The challenge of desegregation in Charlotte, North Carolina Read Douglas, pages 1-129 Critical Reaction Paper Due November 12 Read Douglas pages 130-254

November 19 An era of crisis to No Child Left Behind: 1960-2008 Read Urban and Wagoner, Chapters 11 and 12

November 26

NO CLASS

December 3 Urban educational reform in New Jersey. Read all of Anyons book, pages 1-186 Critical Reaction Paper due December 10 December 17 Final Paper Presentations (Final Papers Due) Tying up loose ends