Merit (1920-1945)
Practical Curriculum
Even before 1920, there was a momentum behind and popular support of the practical curriculum. Popular support of practical studies led public schools to include vocational courses in high schools as early as the late 19th century. The passage of the Smith-Lever Act (1914) and the Smith-Hughes Act (1917) brought agricultural and vocational training under the guise of the education system. By 1918, the publication of the National Education Association's The Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education gave the professional stamp of approval for a diversified, practical curriculum in the high school.
The 1920s through the 1940s saw the continued growth of the public high school and the education system. Given the high school's larger and more diversified population that was not bound for higher education, the practical curriculum gained favor as a way to meet the needs of all students enrolled.
- In 1920, over 61% of fourteen to seventeen year-olds attended high school.
- In 1930, 73% of fourteen to seventeen year-olds attended high school
- In 1940, almost 75% of that age group attended high school.
The practical curriculum appealed to many educators and lay people for a variety of reasons.
- To appeal to a broader population of students staying in school: As more students of differing backgrounds continued through high school, a practical curriculum often meant that the curriculum would be different for different students in the same school.
- To fit diverse students into a variety of post-secondary vocations and life roles: Academic, vocational, commercial, and general courses were typical in many comprehensive high schools that enrolled students from widely different backgrounds. Tracking students into different courses, aided by testing programs, gained widespread favor between 1920 and 1945.
- To elevate the status of manual occupations: Many people viewed the practical curriculum as democratic because it appealed to a wider range of students and student interests. People also believed that the non-academic courses honored the occupations of the majority of parents.
However, the triumph of the diversified curriculum and the popularity of progressive pedagogical methods led many educators to question what was an appropriate curriculum for college preparation. The Eight Year Study attempted to assess the effectiveness of the practical curriculum. Those involved with the study, however, had different reasons for supporting it.
