A major shift in society occurred between 1870-1916 during America’s time of industrialization. Industrial jobs and urban living shined like a beacon of opportunity, flooding cities with a population boom. Amidst one of the biggest changes in U.S. history, the educational system in America had to find a way to educate students in a way that reflected the changing ideas, population, values, and jobs. The massive changes that were occurring sparked the Progressive Movement that lasted half of the beginning of the 20th Century. Education became split between one group of progressives led by John Dewey and another group led by Franklin Bobbitt, both with completely conflicting views on what the role of education should be in society. In the end,
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Before job opportunities became available in cities, each member of the family, especially those with an abundance of children, contributed to the sustainment of the family business and stayed close to one another (Smith, 2011). However, the traditional family make-up dissipated as families split apart in order to fill jobs in the urban, industrial job market. During 1870, 25% of the population lived in urban areas, by 1916, this increased to 50% (Active USA Center A.U.C., 2015).At the same time, immigration expanded exponentially with the addition of 25 million immigrants (A.U.C., …show more content…
Bobbitt (1912) identified the role of social management in identifying what each individual’s specific task was in society. Therefore, education should focus on teaching and preparing students only those specific tasks and not wasting time and energy in improving intellect when, ultimately, it would not apply to their role. This translated into a purely vocational education system. As a result, schools needed to scientifically understand and predict what roles individuals would fill (Kliebard, 2004). Prediction of student roles ultimately led to tracking students. Student’s needs and desires are removed with tracking. Tracking takes only statistical data to understand where students should end up based on ability
Before job opportunities became available in cities, each member of the family, especially those with an abundance of children, contributed to the sustainment of the family business and stayed close to one another (Smith, 2011). However, the traditional family make-up dissipated as families split apart in order to fill jobs in the urban, industrial job market. During 1870, 25% of the population lived in urban areas, by 1916, this increased to 50% (Active USA Center A.U.C., 2015).At the same time, immigration expanded exponentially with the addition of 25 million immigrants (A.U.C., …show more content…
Bobbitt (1912) identified the role of social management in identifying what each individual’s specific task was in society. Therefore, education should focus on teaching and preparing students only those specific tasks and not wasting time and energy in improving intellect when, ultimately, it would not apply to their role. This translated into a purely vocational education system. As a result, schools needed to scientifically understand and predict what roles individuals would fill (Kliebard, 2004). Prediction of student roles ultimately led to tracking students. Student’s needs and desires are removed with tracking. Tracking takes only statistical data to understand where students should end up based on ability