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Today, the education system of the United States is one of the most expensive and confusing in the world. There are plenty of inequalities for the citizens of this country who can’t afford to get their diplomas. At the same time, the USA has some of the strongest and most prestigious universities on the planet.
The history of the educational system has been and continues to be very complicated in the US. First of all, there is a direct connection between wealth, status, and learning opportunities. Getting a degree in the United States can be pretty expensive! Lots of students remain with huge debts and student loans even after graduating.
Students all over the country are struggling with their assignments and a huge workload. A lot of learners try to combine working and studying so that they can afford to buy materials. In these cases, using an expert essay writer service can save you a lot of time and effort! Getting a degree and graduating can be very challenging for lots of people.
In the beginning, a diploma was something that most people couldn’t achieve only fifty years ago. Still, some say that there is a chance for improvement. By using the best essay writing service review on the internet, students can focus on something that they actually enjoy or even their career! Now, more and more people can get a basic high-level education.
Maybe the future can bring even more improvements. But first, let’s dive into the history of education in the USA.
Early History of Education System in the USA
Getting a diploma as we know it today was drastically different in the 17th century. This date serves as the beginning of education in the United States, even though most people were illiterate at that time. For the most part, citizens were taught some Christian morals, how to read the Bible, and what is included in the puritan agenda.
At the same time, the wealthy society started to understand the importance of schooling. Each colony of settlers had its own school so that children could learn how to write and read. In 1636, the first college of Harvard opened its doors to the general population. Here, science and liberal arts were taught to those who had enough money and determination to graduate.
19th century
This period of time showed a significant shift in the whole philosophy of education. More and more people started to realize that they need to become literate and get their degrees. They also understood that public education needed to be encouraged among all citizens. So, many schools and universities were opened in the 19th century. Here is a couple of them:
- John Hopkins University;
- University of Chicago;
- Stanford University;
- Carnegie Mellon University, and many more.
At the same time, in the 19th century, higher education was mostly supported by philanthropists and not the government. Public schools were funded by the administration, encouraging women and minorities to apply. In 1873, tough times came for the whole nation, as the economic depression hurt all segments of life, including education.
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20th century Education System in the USA
This was truly the time of recession after the economic downfall. Many children who were forced to work during the depression returned to public schools. The efforts of the Progressive Education Association secured the right of every child to schooling. Also, social progress has advanced so much that the schools were no longer segregated for the students.
Also, this century marks the expansion of the school curriculum. In other words, more and more learners applied to the universities, so the administration had to expand the number of subjects. As a result, the number of colleges and the distributed diplomas grew exponentially for many years. Higher education became a basic human right for every learner.
21st century
This marks the development of schools and colleges as we know them. Getting a degree is not something unique anymore, even though lots of students still can’t afford to attend any university that they want. There are some significant aspects of 21st-century education that shaped this system as we know it today:
- Universities are becoming more and more for-profit. They make it almost impossible for learners to get a degree without taking out student loans.
- In 2010, the United States witnessed the highest student enrollment rates in history.
- The ongoing pandemic has shifted the learning process into the internet.
- Colleges and schools adopt more and more technologies to accommodate learners from all backgrounds.
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To Sum Up
As you can see, the history of education in the United States is very long and complicated. Of course, this is only a small part of the journey that learners all over the country had to endure during the last three centuries. At the same time, there is some hope for the future that schooling will become even more affordable without