PBS Documentary Part 2: 1900-1950

One of the most enlightening things that I learned from this video was the cyclical nature of educational philosophy in the United States. It makes me wonder whether or not we are in the midst of a pedagogical sea change today. I was excited to learn of the "Gary plan" and the strides it took to teach students on an individual basis and its revolutionary ideas on giving students well-rounded experiences in school. It saddens me to know that it this plan was beaten down because of child labor accusations. Who knows where this country might be educationally today if the Gary plan was allowed to continue? What sort of education experience might our kids be offered had the plan been able to go through decades of evolution, tackling social issues as they came and taking on more and more students of increasingly diverse backgrounds and interests?

After hearing of the atrocities put in place by the IQ tests, I was more unsettled to hear that the SATs are an offshoot of this test. Though I can't say how much of a fact that is, the nature of the SATs sure seems to fit that of the early IQ tests. While SATs are not mandatory, they are forced upon high school students by many school administrations with a threat of earning the school's disappointment if they decline. These tests are still used to "place" students, and while they are probably not as culturally-specific as the IQ tests, the scores cast expectations on the students' view of their own future, and it also influences the views of institutions on the students' merit before anything else.