THE HISTORY OF EDUCATION FROM 1900-1925

The history of education from 1900-1925

The history of education from 1900-1925

In 1900, the notion of kindergarten was already thirty years old, but only 7% of children in the United States were enrolled in it (Tyack & Cuban, 1995, p. 66). The school year consisted of 99 days, but only half of the school-age population was enrolled (p. 21). Maria Montessori produced a new teaching method (“American Cultural 1900 - 1909”, n.d., para. 12.) Eight percent of enrolled students actually graduated from high school, a term that often meant “just another room added to a graded elementary school” (p. 48). Although it was inferior to the education of white students, education for blacks “was more accessible than in years past” (Engs, 1987, p. 15). One example was Mary McLeod Bethune's Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls that opened in 1904 (National Park Service, n.d., para. 2). Between 1900 and 1919, half of the student population [did not] achieve eighth- grade status (Tyack & Cuban, 1995, p. 69), and many of those who were enrolled were “left behind each year” (p. 70). For example, in 1910, only 35% of 17-year-olds were in high school (Conant, 1959, p. 6). Seller (1978) showed that “by 1917, women constituted a clear majority of all high school students” (p. 2).

Cook (1977) noted that the “official beginning of literacy education [for adults] in the United States was Cora Wilson Stewart's moonlight schools of Kentucky” in 1911 (p. 13). Attempts to create high schools for factory workers failed (p. 15). However, a 1913 experiment in New York City to hold “elementary education for adults” was successful (p. 17). Before 1920, seven states were conducting “factory classes” (p. 17). Immigrant education programs sponsored by the government prevailed only from ...