Changes That Have Affected The American Education System

Everyone has something to say about education, but no one can agree. Kids are required to attend school anywhere from five to eighteen years old. All states have different rules. However, the trend is the same. The government wants all kids to receive an education, and although some children do not go to school, they are homeschooled and still follow the same curriculum. Education is an ever-changing subject. However, the results from the change are not the outcome many have expected. Governmental acts have affected the United States education system. Due to the implementation of new rules and regulations, students’ education is suffering. However, the need for secondary education is not as needed as many believe. Education’s Beginning Education
Before public schools were even a thought in someone’s mind, the schools that did exist excluded kids based on income, race, ethnicity, and gender. Many schools were primarily for white children and were church schools, town or parent-run, or private schooling or homeschooling. Kober, et al, n.d. These schools are for the basics of curriculum; math, reading, etc. However, these children had to rely on their parents or community members to teach them. These schools were also funded by parents or charity contributions, which put strain on them. The United States Government knew something needed to be done because “the Founding Fathers maintained that the success of the fragile American democracy would depend on the competency of its citizens. They believed. preserving democracy would require an educated population.” (Kober, et al., n.d.). The Founding Fathers knew the future of the United States would depend on the education Americans received, and that is proving to be true. Public Schools Public education has been around since the 1780s. However, free public education did not take hold until the 1830s (Kober, et al.,
Being that this act was focused on poor children, those who were not poor did not receive any additional funding. The government “purposely distributed [the funds] through state education agencies (SEAs) to avoid the perception that the federal government was intervening in the rights and obligations of states to provide public education.” The Johnson administration also passed Title I, II, and III acts that gave grants to schools to improve the education of poor children (Elementary and secondary, 2001). The Elementary and Secondary Education Act was only around for 36 years before being replaced by the No Child Left Behind Act. No Child Left Behind Act After 36 years of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the George W. Bush administration decided to update it because they felt the United States education system needed strengthening. This act was not just redone by the Bush administration. “Civil rights and business groups, as well as both Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill” were in the process of updating this act (Klein, 2023). The new act was called the No Child Left Behind Act