When did the U.S. really begin to form a public education system?
regards to the widespread education of our children in the 20th century we can thank the industrial revolution. Before the spread of urban life and mass industry very few children had the opportunity to go to school for any length of time. Children were required to work the fields on the family farm or help with the family business. In the beginning of the 20th century more people were moving to cities and the need for education became greater than ever. The children who were educated usually came from wealthy families. What was the curriculum like? The curriculum in the beginning of the 20th century was consisted of basic knowledge skills that could be used to work or run an industrial company such as math, reading, writing, and science. So, much like our curriculum today? Yes, however students today have the opportunity of electives. Foreign language, music, art, technical education, and clubs were not available to the average public school child. In fact most students never made it
