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The 1917 Debate Of Smith-Hughes Vocational Education Act

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In a 1917 debate on Smith-Hughes Vocational Education Act, a case was made for aid to be provided for practical or vocational education. A farmer needs knowledge specific to his trade, such as the importance of phosphate in increasing crop yield, and that this is more valuable to sustain society, than only focusing on academic knowledge (Office of Education, 1965, p55). Philosopher Alfred Whitehead wrote in 1929:
“What we should aim at producing is men who possess both culture and expert knowledge in some special direction.” (Office of Education, 1965, p57)
Whitehead goes on to discuss the flow of education from cultivating genius to mere pedantic routine as he warns against what he calls “inert ideas” of no practical application. He suggests …show more content…

Teaching implies knowledge. Knowledge is truth. The truth is everywhere the same. Hence education should be everywhere the same…I suggest that the heart of any course of study designed for the whole people will be, if education is rightly understood, the same at any time, in any place, under any political, social, or economic conditions. (Office of Education, 1965, p59)
Following World War 2, American society was comprised of an increasingly diverse population with diverse needs where security and survival instincts were heightened (wraga; iorio; parker,p13). A good education meant good job security. The battle between a vocational dual systems and progressive unified systems gave rise to the comprehensive high school as a potential compromise. (wraga, p6)
In the 1950’s, James Conant promoted comprehensive high schools that could provide for both the academic and vocational needs of the student, offering a wide variety of courses that could be selected by the individual or determined by student assessments. (wraga p6, parker p8, iorio p14, Office of Education, 1965, p83) With the launch of Sputnik came competition with Russia, which set off a new wave of educational reforms focused on vocational advancement. (iorio, p16; parker, p9; wraga, …show more content…

(iorio, p26) Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015, the NCLB successor, introduces more flexibility into the system and is less punitive than its predecessor (The Understood Team, 2017).
These are some of the Federal mandates, additionally a host of state and local initiatives have cycled through, including numerous curricular formats and theoretical frameworks like Marzano and Danielson, all in the interest of improving student outcomes. While all agree that improving student outcomes is a valid and worthy goal, as Theodore Sizer noted “School improvement cannot come about quickly nor can it be hurried by a rush of mandates. It requires a slow and determined effort, reflected in sound policies and patience.” (Sizer, 1985,

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