"The Story of Schools" 1980-present

The main point of this video on schools it that people in the United States were ultimately trying to better public education, and they attempted to do so in a myriad of ways. This era seemed to start out with a bad reputation for public schools as the poor quality of schools was thought to be putting the nation at risk. There were two different widespread opinions about school, with some people saying the nation was at risk and schools were doing poorly, blaming the poor economy on schools, while others were saying that assessment was showing a steady rise, and the U.S. had made significant strides in areas like racial segregation, gender issues, and handicap accessibility and participation in schools. The Nation at Risk suggested things like the study of subjects like computer science, more homework, longer school days, and more requirements for graduation. Schools were getting tougher about grades, instilling policies where students had to have certain grades to be able to continue in such activities like sports and chorus. Some people, contrastingly, thought that school reform was not needed.
In 1974 the choice experiment began. The place this really seemed to start was in East Harlem, where small alternative schools were created within existing buildings. These alternative schools ranged from maritime and performing arts to sports schools. The idea was to try to raise academic achievement within each school, with different ways to go about it. Choice brought out competition, as schools were shut down it they didn’t work and students could choose one school over another. Choice and competition drove reform throughout the 1980s.
In some cities students could also choose to attend magnet schools. These were intended for high caliber students and tended to receive extra funding. When George Bush was president he called for vouchers, saying that the goal was to make American schools the best in the world. These allowed low-income students the opportunity to attend private schools, supported by state taxes. Poor students were receiving the same opportunities as richer students, which seemed like a great way to create more choice and equality among students.
It eventually became legal to teach children at home, and by 2001 about 2.5% of children were home schooled. Another type of schooling that arose was that of charter schools. These were like the traditional public schools, as they were open to everyone, and did not cost money. Teachers often ran charter schools and parents were heavily involved. These schools focused on different things like manners. There also came a time when there was a focus on high academic standards, and it came to hold the most importance in schools. Every state was supposed to aim for high national standards, and curricula emerged that aimed at raising achievement levels. Core knowledge schools were started, which were aiming to offer students the same academic content across the country, for instance all third graders were immersed in the history of ancient Rome and all eighth graders were studying Shakespearean sonnets. All students were expected to master the same exact content at the same time.
Progressive schools were also created. These were student-centered and they were trying to get students to master critical thinking skills instead of a set body of knowledge. Teachers were not teachers but coaches, and students learned by doing. Progressive schools showed positive results in achievement and test scores.
As far as schools in the United States are concerned today, public education still needs the support of all citizens in order to be successful. We need to help give students what they need in order to ensure the success of our citizens and the United States as a whole.