Role of Government in Education

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Running head: ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IN EDUCATION Role of Government in Education Grand Canyon University EDU310 January 29, 2012 Role of Government in Education Education in America has changed dramatically since the colonial times. Since that time we have seen a shift in who it is that teaches; reforms in regards to race and desegregation, with Brown vs. Board of Education; IDEA, which strengthens academic expectations and accountability for disabled children; and NCLB, which institutes standardized testing and curricula’s; The role each state has in education; and the separation of Church and State contained in the First Amendment. During the first days of the institution of learning, most of the schoolmasters (teachers) were men, and the students were from families with means and status within their communities. The first major step in school evolution came in the Common School Era (1830-1880), which allowed for a democratic, free, universal, and non-sectarian learning environment. This revolution required the need for more and better teachers, thus opening the door for women to teach, and the feminization of teaching as a profession (PBS, n.d.). From the Common School Era the next revolution that would enter the classroom would come with the influx of immigrants entering into America, this along with the end of slavery, brought about the necessity to desegregate the classroom. This carried us to the modern equal education movement of the 1950’s, which originated with Brown vs. the Board of Education, and mandated that all children should have an equal opportunity to learn and the same opportunities in educational development (Brick, 2005, p. 166). A major step in American schools evolving was the integration of Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) implemented originally in 1997. The premise behind IDEA is to specifically concentrate on education for
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