DOCUMENT RESUME ED 129 687 95 SO 009 465 AUTHOR Goodman, Leroy V., Ed.; And Others TITLE A Nation of Learners. INSTITUTION Office of Education (DHEW), Washington, D.C. PUB DATE 76 NOTE 166p. -AVAILABLE FROM Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 2C402 (order stock no. 017-080-0150.0-4, $4.05 paper cover) .ED.RS PRICE MF-$0.83 HC-$8.69 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Career Education; Community Colleges; Continuous Learning; *Education; Educational Accountability; Educational Change; *Educational History; *Educational Philosophy; Elementary Secondary Education; Equal Education; *Essays; Futvres (of Society); Higher Education; History; Instruction; *Learning; Public Education; School Organization; *United States History; Womens Education 'ABSTRACT Thirty-nine articles provide a composite picture of American education as it haS developed during the past 200 years. Most of the articles are written by educators. Vignettes of daily rontines in a one-room schoolhouse in 1775 and a description of how a' log college was built in Pennsylvania in the 1770s indicate the process and philosophy of education at that time. The struggle of women for equal rights is documented by articles about issues and significant women educators in the 18th century as well as the 20th. Education of immigrant groups, minorities, and handicapped children is\discussed. Changes in school building,structure from the one-room schoolhouse to the modular open classrooi reflect changing theories about' the nature of the educatve process. History of land grant colleges and community colleges is traced, and the-roles of nonpublic schools and libraries are explored. Several articles exaMine curriculum--arts versus science, career education--and methods of presentation such as textbooks, audiovisual instruction, cartoons, and lyrics. Recent concepts such as accountability and lifelong learning are explained. (AV) *********************************************************************** * Documents acquired by ERIC include many informal unpublished * materials not available from cther sources. ERIC makes every effort * * to obtain the best copy available. Nevertheless, items of marginal * * reproducibility are often encountered and this affects the quality * * cf the microfiche and hardcopy reproductions ERIC makes available * * via the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS), EDRS is not * responsible for the quality of the original document. Reproductions * * supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original. *********************************************************************** {) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION IL WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO Duce() EXA.CTLY AS RECEJVED FROM THE PERSON:OR ORGANIZATION ORIGIN ATING IT. POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS SIATE0 DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRE SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY EDUCATION, AND WELFAR U.S. DEPARTMENTOF HEALTH, David Mathews,Secretary for Education Virginia Y. Trotter,Assistant Secretary Office Of Education T.H. Bell, Commissioner The contents ofthis vulumeoriginally ap- peared in American Education magazine(June 1974-August/September1975), published by the U.S. Officeof Education. 3 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. WASHINGTON: 1976 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. GovernmentPrinting Office Washington, D.C. 20402- Price $4.06 (paper) Stock No. 011-080-01540-k.,A) IN PURiUIT OFHAPPINESS affxing their naines toit. the 56 signers ofthe At the time they were of Declaration of Independencequite naturally felt thatthe most noteworthy document was itsconclusion, ,the four distinct elementsof that remarkable That th e.1. awesome- deciSion to"publish and declare, wherein they formalized and Independent these United Colonies are,and-of right ought to be Free ..." States. view, since theyhadlearned The second mostimportant section in their the lengthy list of"injuries and usiirpations"al- the uses of propaganda, was Judging from dis- legedlY perpetrated by "the presentKing of Great Britain." plaCe prior to the climactic event,there was specialinterest cusiions that took Nature and of Nature's also in the preambleeand its reference to "the Laws of liat John Adams hadin particular championed.Which God," a proposition preamble, beginningwith the leaves the sectionimmediately following the .." ringing words, "We 1holdthese truths to beself-evident. the American RevolutionBicentennial, we would Today, as we celebrate be assumed, reverse thisranking. Independenceis so well established as to superseded by more reliablebogeymen, and philos- King George III has been of Nature," at leastin the ophers no longer arepreoccupied by the "Laws 18th century sense. tUrned out on Meanwhile the truthsthat the signers held tobe self-evident , enduring inspiration toall mankind. Timehas elevated the contrary to be an itself, and the historyof the the principles of theRevolution above the event been a record of whathas been done towardaf- United States has in essence liberty, and the pursuitof fording all citizens the"unalienable rights" of "life, happiness." Jefferson's These concepts did notof course spring fullbloom from Thomas irriagination. They were partof the common currencyof "Nature's Law,''a which in fact was neitherlaw nor a product of nature, contemporary theory dream was the but rather a dream tobe fought for. Acrucial element of this possessing the God givencapacity to learn assertion that as rational creatures, their own form and to reason, menalso possessed theinherent right to select in general to determinetheir, own fate. ° of government and generalize as educationwere,in short, Reason, learningwhat we now the Bicentennial is thus an crucial elements of theAmerican Revolution, and that aspect of ournational life. Stimula- apt occasion'onwhich to re-examine publication. In it a number tion of such,reexaminationis the purpose of this provide appraisals of the pastand present of edu- of distinguished observers considering how it may be cation in the United States, as astarting point for strengthened in the future. remind us, the greatprinciples publishedeanddeclared As critics properly elusive: in 1776 are yet to befully realized. Justiceand equity sometimes seem and other forms and sourcesof happiness duringthe The pursuit of learning uplifting and exhilarating story. past two-centUrieshas nonetheless been an 4 L.V. GOODMAN Editorial Staff . Leroy V. Goodman, editor William A. Horn Mark Travaglini Walter Wood Contributing Artists Barry. Hate Myrna S..Herget Joel<Olb Jack Lanza Alvin Rosenbaum Andrea Whiting ntents 3 Schools in- the New Worldacquired responibility not only EDUCATION AND THEAMERICAN SOCIETY for treining ,young peoplebut for helping shape a Nation Oscar Hand lin in the claisroom, theschool In 1775 no girls were present action Master Dove's One-RoomSchool day seemed to go on forever,and the rod saw lots of Judith Selden It was a crUde structure,chopped out of the wilderriess, The Log College but it exemplified for highereducation the Spirit of '76 Walter Wood 13 f ' subject to massive.criticism a para- EDUCATION SYSTEM Despite its successes, it is AMERICA'S UNSYSTEMATIC dox that/ the answers to sixquestions may serve to explain Ratricia Albjerg Graham printers weht alloui in the creation 21 As examples demonstrate, anniversary The Spirit of 1876 of "visuel aids" to helpherald the Nation's 100th major theme of Centennialexhibits, 22 Public Schooling was a its critics The Pride of Philadelphia but then as now it hadits problemsas well as J. William Jones stirred24 Kindergartens, new to mostAmericans in 1876, soon original German version The klowering Preschooler a squabble overchanges from the L. V:Goodman higher learning in the 27 STYLE In its evolving character and purposes, HIGHER EDUCATIONAMERICAN United States has mirrored theprinciples of the larger society Stephen K. Bailey launched by the Congressman 33 The Land-Grant college system paths Senator Morrill's Baby from Vermont was to directhigher education down new Russell I. Thackrey 36 New though they are, two-yearcolleges now attract perhaps education ;1 The Community's Campus ha ff of all students whoenroll in postsecondary Edmund J. Gleazer, Jr. 38 It confounded the critics,produced a new breed of students, The Remarkable GI Bill 4 and led to basic changes inthe conduct of higher education Sto ni Moorefield changed markedly duringthe past 41 Our schoolhouses have well THE HABITATS OFEDUCATION 200 years, and 'not justphysically but psychologically as Harold B. Gores Franklin gave them a boost,li- 48 Over the years since Benjamin American life Libraries in theNew.World braries have continued toplay a distinctive role in Kathleen Molz 63 Another rebellion called forin 1776 is still beingwagedby afforded men THE FEMALE EQUATION women fighting fortreatment equal to that Kathryn G. Heath 58 During her lifetime 11787-18701&rime Willard witnessed and One Woman's Fight did much to accomplish theopening of education to females Story Moorefield 60 The peculier American fact isthat a high regard for education Teachers An American Paradox has until recent times beenoffset by low regard for Myrtle Bonn 67 Parochial anct other nonpublicschools have given diversity SCHOOL SYSTEM odds THE NATION'S SECOND to American education,sometimes against considerable Neil G. MdCluskey individual student in sectionsof ESEA 74 The focus IS on the children. Benefiting the Child aimed at offering Federalaid- to nenpublic school Wilma A.,Bai ley 76 Somehow