School and Society the Evolution Term Paper

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(235)

Conant challenged a very old standard with regard to education, as he identified that making decisions about who is given opportunity and who is excluded should be based on merit and ability rather than wealth, privilege and race. (235) His actions and ideals drive the continued utilization of federal student aide, even today, as well as the expansion of scholarship offering, both public and private as his work redefined the determination of who deserves education and who does not. (235-237) in a speech given by Conant he stressed that education in the past had fostered social stratification and in so doing created a potential situation of unrest among those who could not receive it. This Conant warned was the seed of revolution and the only manner in which to change this reality, he warned was through educational opportunity, "the chances of a nonrevolutionary development of our nation in the next fifty years seem to me to be determined largely by our educational system." (237)

This emphasis on leveling the playing field by making sure that more people where given the opportunity to seek quality education, at the secondary and post secondary levels is the product of the idealism of the progressives as well as Conant and his successors.

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Conant strongly believed that the "meritocratic" system of making sure that people were clearly identified through testing as deserving of higher education, excluding those who were not was the only way to create social reform, in a lasting way. He also believed that if this goal was met, along with two other social goals, the leveling of social status based on trade, and the mass acknowledgement of the need for highly skilled leaders in every field, that the society would transform itself into a full democracy. (238)

The nature of public schools today still focus on many of the principles that Conant furthered, civic responsibility, equal opportunity and greater opportunity for those who merit it. The foundations of these ideas were greatly furthered by Conant and the ideals and debates of his era of reform. The chapter clearly wraps together the evolution of progressive thought, and the context of educational reform over many years. Though it is clear that changes have occurred in the years since Conant influenced the meritocratic system, to be even more inclusive of diversity in education and the leveling of trades has not occurred, the work explains well the….....

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