History of Education in the Midwest
Education policies as well as curriculum changes have vastly changed over the years in the Midwest portion of the United States. The goal of the Organization of Educational Historians, formerly known as Midwest History of Education Society, is to create research on the history of the education system. Every year in Chicago, the group presents papers and discusses recent changes in education.
Other People Are Reading
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Facts
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Many students from other areas seem to believe that students from Midwestern states do not do as well academically, compared to other areas. New graduation requirements that take effect starting in 2010 will require Midwestern states such as Michigan to have at least three and a half years of math courses, whereas in prior years it was only required that graduates have two years. South Dakota requires their school districts to now have a harder curriculum for math and the sciences. Indiana now requires what is called Core 40, where the curriculum prepares students for college straight out of high school.
Significance of Education
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In Indiana, it is required by all colleges that the Core 40 be completed to even be admitted to college. There is an opt-out provision for parents, but the students have to take math or physics during their junior and senior years in order to graduate. Ohio is now including four years of math as a requirement for graduation. Why is this important? Many other states not in the Midwestern group have already been requiring these courses for graduation. The Midwestern states have taken longer to integrate the importance of education with the actual process of education.
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Misconceptions
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Many believe that the education a child receives in the Midwest is congruent with the education other areas of the United States are receiving. This is false in many areas, as one small city in Kentucky proves. Campbellsville has completely removed sex education as a requirement in school. This Bible Belt town has opted for using church and guilt to goad children into asking parents about the education they should be getting in school. Colleges such as Campbellsville University offer SAT math scores from 400 to 600, while Kentucky Christian University in Grayson, Kentucky, has math scores from 400 to 530. Does the misconception of schools in small Midwestern towns being less intelligent hold up under scrutiny? According to these scores, the answer is no.
Effects of Education
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The SAT math scores range from 550 to 650 at the University of San Diego in California, making the Midwestern states fall right at the national average of 575 to 600. This not only creates students who are not ready for college, but higher tuitions due to having to take more math and science courses. With the rising cost of college tuition and the lack of funds available to the average student, this creates a conundrum as to whether students will even look into attending college.
Reform
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Decision makers in Kentucky all seem to generally agree that growth of the Commonwealth's Kentucky Education Reform Act, known as KERA, is placing this state ahead of reform efforts in other states. But the impacts on Kentucky are still controversial, considering the act neglects basics when it comes to preparing students for the economic future. It is said that Midwestern states, including Kentucky, using the new assessment system has serious flaws.
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