Teacher education remains a largely unexplored area within the history of American education. This paper is an example of the types of state-specific stories that are needed as university administrators and policymakers make critical decisions about the content and purpose of teacher ed curriculum. These decisions, in turn, have a direct impact on…

In a time of political turmoil in which both women (#MeToo) and black people (#BlackLivesMatter) are fighting to be heard and recognized, it is worthwhile to look at the past to perhaps uncover new narratives that can give direction. Citizenship Schools provided a way for civil rights activists to civically engage individuals who were previously…

Many authors note that the history of teaching Latin would be a fruitful topic for a comprehensive treatise. Although intense debates about the quality and necessity of teaching Latin date back as early as in the eighteenth century, Latin courses have persisted into the present and, notably, with few changes in content. The author supports the…

Americans seem to agree that social studies education is important for citizens in a democracy, but they have disagreed vociferously about what constitutes the social studies, who should teach it, what methods are most effective, and if different students need different curriculum or instruction. This history of conflict is called the "social…

Harry S. Broudy (1905-1998) was a vital education philosopher of the second half of the twentieth century as highlighted by numerous authors writing on his life and work. Over a 40-year period, Harry Broudy published over 300 papers and 18 books (Vandenberg 1992b). While numerous ideas are reoccurring among his publications, the content and…

The nineteenth century educational experiment by Amos Bronson Alcott and Elizabeth Palmer Peabody at the Temple School in Boston from 1834-1836 was generally considered a failure. Nevertheless, a narrow window of the experiment planted the seed for future interest in early childhood education by means of Peabody's (1836) "Record of a School:…

This article focuses on the historical roots of Ernest Boyer's most popular work, "Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate" (1990). Seeking to transcend the traditional view of scholarship as simply that which is published, Boyer expanded scholarship to include four domains: discovery, application, integration, and…

The purpose of this article is to examine the life, pedagogical practices, and educational philosophy of Helen Lotspeich, who may be considered the premier practitioner of child-centered Progressive education in Cincinnati, Ohio during the first half of the 20th century. In "A History of The Seven Hills School," Driscoll (1995) concluded…

The purpose of this study is to explore the significance of 19th century American educator Alfred Holbrook through his writings and administration of the Lebanon, Ohio based National Normal University. Through a case study of Alfred Holbrook, the historical understanding of important issues relating to the history of pedagogy and normal schools…

This article takes a closer look at Ralph Waldo Emerson's educational philosophy and its relationship to cooperative learning. Emerson believed that human beings should learn to think on their own, rather than solely acquire the craft of imitation or conformity by repeating the speech of their teachers. A liberating education, to Emerson, gives…

World War I marked an important turning point in progressive education. With the founding of the Progressive Education Association (PEA) in 1919 advocates had an organization that stood against pedagogical formalism. This essay provides a discussion of this new approach to education, the possibilities of the contributions progressive schools made…

Irving Babbitt and E.D. Hirsch defended the humanistic curriculum at both the beginning and end of the twentieth century, respectively. Both claimed that a set of specific knowledge needed to be passed from one generation to the next. Both found this knowledge primarily, though certainly not exclusively, through the classical Western tradition.…