Public Education in Wisconsin and America

Catalog description

This course is an investigation into historical changes marking K-12 public education in the United States beginning with the legacy of Puritan culture and colonial antecedents, and concluding with historical perspectives on the nature of public schooling and the role of the federal government in education policy today. Particular attention is paid toward Wisconsin's system of public education as a reflection of state history, as well as local and national trends. Among the other major topics addressed are: the purposes of schooling, the ideas of major educational reformers, struggles over school curriculum, religion and public education, the origins of standardized testing, the emergence of teacher unions, urban and rural school challenges, and school privatization. Offered Spring - Odd Numbered Years.