Mawahib Obaid Alsuwayhiri

Online Education History Topics Assignment

EDL 7730 Curriculum Analysis

1- The agricultural expansion era in the United States:

The agricultural expansion era in the United States was between the year of
1860 and 1910. The number of farms in the United States tripled in that period
from 2 million farms up to 6 million farms. However, the high increase in the
farm's number wasnt the only change in that era, using new technology was the
critical change to agricultural history in that time, in which new technology leads
to that high increase. According to the article, Revolution in Agriculture by U.S.
Department of State, the author explained, The farmer of 1800, using a hand
sickle, could hope to cut 20 percent of a hectare of wheat a day. With the cradle, 30
years later, he might cut 80 percent of a hectare daily.
Throughout this era, education had reform significantly. After having a limited
number of good private schools, that only wealthy students could afford, now
states started to establish state school system, which guaranteed more students
receiving a better education.

2- The Industrial Revolution in the United States:

According to Martin Kelly, American History Expert, in his article,
Overview of the Industrial Revolution he explains, The Industrial Revolution
itself refers to a change from hand and home production of goods to machine and
factory. That means that workers around the world and the United state started to
use new technology and machines to help them do their work. People in the United
States used water power, steam power, and coal power to generate energy. The
industrial revelation occurred in the United states between the year 1820-1870.
This significant shift of the industrial era included dramatic changes in the
transportation system throughout the United states and a huge improvement in
using electricity effectively in the US.
This big industrial revolution not only affects the economy and the transportation
system in the United states but also affect education dramatically. Through this
dramatic industrial revolution, education becomes more accessible for children
from different backgrounds, after it was exclusive for wealthy children.

3-

Sputnik:

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first artificial Earth satellite. It
was the start of a cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union in the
space race. According to Wikipedia, Sputnik was a 58 cm (23 in) diameter
polished metal sphere, with four external radio antennae to broadcast radio pulses.
It was visible all around the Earth and its radio pulses were detectable.
Sputnik had a tremendous impact on the education system in the United States. As
Alvin Powell mentioned in his article, How Sputnik changed U.S. education, he
explained that Sputnik served as a focusing event for the United state. It helped
U.S. to focus on the problems they had in education and work effectively to solve
them.

4- The National Defense Education Act (NDEA):

On September 2, 1958, when Dwight D. Eisenhower was the president
United State of America, the U.S. signed into a law that provided funding to
improve education in the United States. After the Soviet Union had lunched the
first artificial satellite, the U.S. discovered that theyre falling behind the Soviet
Union in science and technology, and that was the reason behind singing (NDEA)
law.
According to Thomas C. Hunt, in the article, National Defense Education Act
(NDEA) the author explains, The NDEA stands as a major act of reform. It
marked the beginning of large-scale involvement of the U.S. federal government in
education.
Moreover, The National Defense Education Act aimed to encourage students in the
United states to go further high school. The (NDEA) aimed to inspire the students
to go and get a higher degree in science, technology, and math. According to
Wikipedia, over a billion dollars was directed towards improving American
science curricula. As a result, more and more high school graduate students
started to go to college and get their degrees in different areas.

5- The Elementary and Secondary Education Act:

On January 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the. This act aimed to
give equal access to good education sources to all elementary and secondary
students all around the United States of America, no matter where they live, and
which economic level they come from. This act was the first seed to many
educational movements in the U.S. such as No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). All those acts aimed to give an equal
opportunity for all students, and also to provide great educational experience to all
students around the United States.
According to the article from OSPA, Office of Superintended of Public Instruction,
the author says, ESEA authorizes state-run programs for eligible schools and
districts eager to raise the academic achievement of struggling learners and address
the complex challenges that arise for students who live with disability, mobility
problems, learning difficulties, poverty, or transience, or who need to learn
English. In other words, The Elementary and Secondary Education Act targets the
students who have difficulties achieving their academic goals and help them to
achieve them.

6- Title IX:
Before the year 1972, there was no real sports equality between boys and
girls in the American schools, colleges, and universities. Boys at that time,
dominate the schools sports teams in numbers, and they had much more
opportunities than girls. However, in 1972, the Congress passes a law that aimed to
protect girls all around the United States from being discriminate in schools sport,
this law was Title IX. Title IX guarantees girls to have the same rights as boys
when it comes to sport. That means that girls are guaranteed to have the same
support from their schools to practice all kind of sports as boys, and to get the same
sports equipment as boys and much more.
Moreover, Title IX is not all about protecting girls in American schools from
being discriminated in schools sport only; this law prohibits all kind of sex-based
discriminations in American schools. According to the article, Title IX: The
Basics the article explains, It addresses discrimination against pregnant and
parenting students and women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and
math) programs. It also addresses sexual harassment, gender-based discrimination,
and sexual violence. Sexual violence includes attempted or completed rape or
sexual assault, as well as sexual harassment, stalking, voyeurism, exhibitionism,
verbal or physical sexuality-based threats or abuse, and intimate partner violence.

7- The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1997, and The
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004:
First, we are going to talk about The Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA) of 1997. It is a law that required all schools around America to have
specialized services for students with special needs in order to guarantee equal and
free access to education for all students. The purpose of this law is to ensure that
all students around the United state get the same educational opportunity,
regardless if the have disability or not.
Second, we are going to talk about The Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA) of 2004. It is an extension of the same law but more clear
and explained form. According to Wikipedia, IDEA is composed of six main
elements that illuminate its main points. These six elements are: Individualized
Education Program (IEP), Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), Least
Restrictive Environment (LRE), Appropriate Evaluation, Parent and Teacher
Participation, and Procedural Safeguards..

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Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973:

According to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 article, the

author is explaining that Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a law that
forbids discrimination on the basis of disability. This law applies to public
elementary and secondary schools. Moreover, the author clarifies, Children with
disabilities may be eligible for special education and related services under Section
504. Thats because Section 504s definition of disability is broader than the
IDEAs definition.
Also, the author explains, To be protected under Section 504, a student must be
determined to:
-

have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more

major life activities; or

-

have a record of such an impairment; or

be regarded as having such an impairment.

9- A Nation at Risk Report:

In 1983, thirty-three years ago a Nation at Risk was released to surprise people
around America. It was a wake-up call for the educational system in the United
States of America. The American President Ronald Reagan expressed his fear that
American children are far behind other industrial nation in education, and that their
mental ability has nothing to do with failing. The reason behind this failing is due
to problems in the educational system back then.
According to the YouTube video A Nation at Risk: 30 Years Later, by The
Education Gadfly, the author states, This report became a turning point in modern
U.S. education history and marked the beginning of a new focus on excellence,
achievement, and results. The report states that the average SAT score for
American students dropped 50 points in the years between 1963-1980. According
to Wikipedia, Nearly forty percent of 17-year-olds tested could not successfully
"draw inferences from written material," and "only one-fifth can write a persuasive
essay; and only one-third can solve a mathematics problem requiring several
steps."
However, according to A Nation At Risk: Summary & Effects on Education by
Natalie Boyd, the author explains that the report didnt only state the problems the
educational system were facing at that time; also it offered some specific
recommendation to how to fix these problems and get back on track.

10- No Child Left Behind:

According to Natalie Boyd, in the video, No Child Left Behind: Summary,
Pros & Cons, she states, Not too long ago, schools were not required to give
assessments to students. Many of them did, but it wasn't a requirement. But then
the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was passed, which was the first federal law
requiring schools to assess students and put forth standards for students to pass.
NCLB focus on assessment, standards and accountability of schools and teachers.
The assessment gives the chance for the students, educators and parents to know
exactly where the students stand, and if he or she is struggling with any particular
subject so they could offer the right kind of help. Standards on the other hands,
give the students and teachers a clearer image of where they should be on the
curriculum, and how much they need to achieve to meet the standards.
After the No Child Left Behind Act has been introduced to education, there were
some advantages that reflected on the American educational system. One of the
pros of the NCLB Act is the improvement on the test scores. Many students around
the United States have better educational experience that results in a better test
score. Another advantage of the NCLB is that teachers now are more qualified and
much more high educated. Finally, NCLB gives the parent the opportunity to be
informed about their child educational level, and to know how good he or she is
doing in school.

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11-

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA):

Every Student Succeeds Act is the latest action the United States of America

took to improve education. In December 2015, President Obama signed Every

Student Succeeds Act to replace No Child Left Behind Act. The primary goal for
Every Student Succeeds Act is to ensure that every student gets the opportunity to
a great educational experience. President Barack Obama states, "With this bill, we
reaffirm that fundamentally American idealthat every child, regardless of race,
income, background, the zip code where they live, deserves the chance to make of
their lives what they will."
The reason behind replacing the No Child Left Behind with the Every Student
Succeeds Act is that the No Child Left Behind Act put a lot of power in the
federal government as Alyson Klein explained in her video, The Every Student
Succeeds Act: An ESSA Overview. Also, she explains that with the Every
Student Succeeds Act the power will be on the hand of states and schools districts
to control the testing, the teachers quality, and fixing failing schools. Moreover,
Every Student Succeeds Act gives the states more flexibility in the testing area.
Finally, the Every Student Succeeds Act is not fully activate in American schools
until 2017 2018.

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References:
1-

The agricultural expansion era in the united state:

-

Revolution in Agriculture , U.S. Department of State,

http://countrystudies.us/united-states/history-74.htm
-

History of United State Expansion (1820-1849)

http://www.theusaonline.com/history/expansion.htm
2- The Industrial Revolution in the United State:
-

Martin Kelly, Overview of the Industrial Revolution

http://americanhistory.about.com/od/industrialrev/a/indrevoverview.htm
-

https://www.reference.com/history/did-industrial-revolution-affect-

education-c9526d4fda18c1bb#
3-

Sputnik:
-

How Sputnik changed U.S. education, Alvin Powell,

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2007/10/how-sputnik-changed-u-s-education/
4- The National Defense Education Act (NDEA):
- Thomas C. Hunt, National Defense Education Act (NDEA),
5- The Elementary and Secondary Education Act:
-

https://www.britannica.com/topic/National-Defense-Education-Act

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Defense_Education_Act

http://www.k12.wa.us/Esea/default.aspx

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6- Title IX:
-

Equality, sports, and Title IX - Erin Buzuvis and Kristine Newhall

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KymR6N1HT88
- Title IX: The Basics, http://knowyourix.org/title-ix/title-ix-the-basics/
7- The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1997, and The
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004:
-

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individuals_with_Disabilities_Education_Act
-

IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: History and

Summary, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XMndYNEGFA
8-

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973:

-

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973,

http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/section504/
9- A Nation at Risk Report:
- A Nation At Risk: 30 Years Later, by The Education Gadfly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9WMI703WrA
- A Nation At Risk: Summary & Effects on Education, by Natalie Boyd
http://study.com/academy/lesson/a-nation-at-risk-summary-effects-oneducation.html
10-

No Child Left Behind:

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No Child Left Behind: Summary, Pros & Con, by Natalie Boyd,

http://study.com/academy/lesson/no-child-left-behind-summary-proscons.html#transcriptHeader
11- Every Student Succeeds Act:
- The Every Student Succeeds Act: An ESSA Overview, Alyson Klein
http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/every-student-succeeds-act/
- President Obama Signs the Every Student Succeeds Act, The White House
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZINwnEPhiFM

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