Who’s Who in U.S. Education
The first kindergarten was opened by Friedrich Froebel in 1837 in Germany for three- and four-year-old children. He believed that the kindergarten teacher should not be authoritarian , but instead would guide children’s learning through their own play, songs, stories, and activities (Gutek, 2012). The first public kindergarten in the United States opened in St. Louis in 1873 to serve children in poverty. Children were to learn the virtues and manners, moral habits, cleanliness, politeness, obedience, promptness, and self-control that would prepare them for elementary school. By the 1880s, Froebelian kindergartens had become popular in the United States (Spring, 2001).
Early nursery schools were developed in the 1920s and 1930s on what was known from the emerging field of child development and psychology.
By the beginning of the 20th century, about 6% of the kindergarten-aged population was enrolled in kindergarten. It was at this time that the work of G. Stanley Hall established child development and child psychology as fields of study. He defined childhood as the years between four and eight, which remains the general range for primary education today. The focus of a kindergarten class focused on creating order and discipline in the child’s life, but continued to encourage children to play and be creative. During this period, the age for kindergarteners in public schools was raised to five. Approximately 90% of five-year-olds were attending kindergarten in the 1980s at the time that the curriculum was beginning to shift from being child-centered to academics (Berg, 2003).
Understanding and Using Evidence
Public School Statistics for 1879
The federal government has collected data on the population and institutions for more than 100 years. These data provide demographic information, but they also assist policymakers and other leaders in planning for the future. The following statistics on the school populations by selected state were reported by the federal government in 1879.
aIn 1878. bIn 1876. cFor colored population, the school age is from 6 to 16. dIn 1877. eIn 1873.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2006). Statistical abstract of the United States: 2006. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Your Task: Using these statistics, answer the following questions to compare attendance and length of school years in 1879 to today.
1. How do the ages of students in 1879 compare with the ages of students in schools today?
2. What percentage of the school-aged population was enrolled in schools in 1879 in the states above?
3. How many months did students in schools in 1879 attend school? How does the length of the school year compare with the time spent in schools today?
4. What percentage of the enrolled students in 1879 attended school daily?