The History of US Education Curriculum

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Since the turn of the 20th century information and modern developments have exploded. From the development of modern transportation, sanitation, immunization and much later, technology the world is really quite different than it was in the early 1900s. It has even changed since the 70s. At THAT time the idea of carrying around a telephone or computer was unheard of. There was very limited use of technology and most was done by hand. Lesson plans, attendance and related school details were written with pen and pencil on paper or typed out with a typewriter.

Also, the amount of information circulating was quite limited compared to what we see spawning out daily on the internet now. Children worked hard to master content and were driven more by tradition and what was expected and familiar. Parents looked for weekly spelling lists, history to memorize and reading assignments. Those skills are still currently used by students but the amount of information to learn has expanded to a point that is simply unrealistic for memorizing.

In the gifted communities, the idea of pushing toward a child's gifts is discussed and limiting a lot of time on content that can simply be looked up on the www. With the gap going on between the wealthy and poor, more work on curriculum and delivery of educational services deserves serious rethinking. Children in low income urban areas, lacking in the resources of the suburbs or that of wealthier families, fall behind and never catch up. The high school dropout rate isn't impressive reflecting all the developments in the modern world in the United States. Other countries have such limited resources that students often share a desk and books. But most US students have the modern facilities and opportunities but lack ...