Historical Impact on Education

Historical Impact on Education:
History has greatly impacted education from the formation of education through years of changes to meet societies needs, cultural changes, and workforce changes. Most of the changes in education have been based on the majority culture, that being WASP’s or White Anglo Saxon Protestants, or those of a European heritage as described in our text (Armstrong, Henson, & Savage, 2009). As the majority race/culture continued to make education reform it did not take into consideration minority education and has thus increased the educational gap we deal with today.
Historical Impacts on Education Today:
Education is still greatly impacted by historical changes such as subjects being taught, how classrooms are taught, and the laws that govern the education system. Diversity, including the protection and integration of certain student groups have all changed over time. Laws like the IDEA act have created more opportunity for students with special needs not only academically but socially. Segregation which was once part of education has been removed. Education of women or girls was once less found and a college education not even available. All of these groups have been incorporated into mainstream education.
Historical Education Movements:
This is less on historical movements impacting education today and more about the historical lack of movement in education. When you walk into a classroom today and look at the basis of what is happening, minus the technology, updated colors, or wall designs; what do you see? A room filled with children, a teacher in the front with a black board of some sort on a wall, teaching. How much has education changed over the years. If you look at any other industry factories, medical, especially technology; you see major shifts in “how business” is done. We are in a global market able to reach some one around the world with the push of a button. We are curing diseases that once claimed thousands of lives, we have created machines that build virtually indestructible items for our use, so we work less, work smarter. However when you compare a classroom to the pioneer days nothing has changed. We discuss how much we need to move education forward to meet with the global needs for the work place and society, yet we go back to the same format for teaching that has always been there. We keep trying the same thing over and over again expecting a different result, which also happens to be the definition of insanity. Maybe to make a real change in how we educate, we need to make a real change in what education is and how its formatted.

Armstrong, D., Henson, K., & Savage, T. (2009). Teaching Today: An Introduction to Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.