The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

During the training for Big Sandy School Board Trustees, there was a handout given to them on how the education burden has increased over the years. I thought what he presented was interesting. So I’m taking this information directly from a handout out “The Ever Increasing Burden of the America’s Public Schools.” Which was taken from a book by Jamie Vollmer Copyright 2012

“From 1900-1010, the new responsibilities were related to student health. We added: Lessons in Basic Hygiene, Courses on Nutrition, Immunizations, and Screening for Vision, Hearing, and Dental problems.”

“From 1910-1940, child labor laws swept the nation. We began tracking students, and to this end, we added: Vocational education, including the industrial Arts, and Agricultural Education, Domestic Science/Home Economics, Including Sewing and Cooking, Physical Education was expanded, including a growing roster of team sports, and School transportation was mandated (For decades kids go to school on their own. Now we had to fetch them.)”

“In the 1940s, in a decade overshadowed by a horrific war and remarkable recovery, we added: Business education including typing, shorthand, and bookkeeping, Music and Art classes were expanded, and Speech, including drama, became a separate academic subject. Half-day kindergartens were introduced, and School lunch programs first appeared. (We take this for granted today, but it was a huge step to shift to the schools the job of feeding America’s children one-third of their daily meals.)”

“In the 1950s, the student population exploded as the baby Boomers poured into the schools. The Soviets launched Sputnik, and in response: Science and math education were greatly expanded, foreign language requirements were strengthened, Fire, Tornado, and duck and cover drills became compulsory, Driver’s education was offered and Sex education was introduced.”

“In the 1960s The pace of change accelerated, Congress made its first major push into public education with Title 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and we added: Head Start, Bilingual education, Advancement placement programs, Adult education, Consumer education, including purchasing rights and responsibilities, Career education, including occupational options and skill-level requirements, career education, including occupational options and kill-level requirements, Peace studies, Leisure and Recreation education.”

“In the l970s, the breakup of the American family accelerated, and we added: Special education, drug and Alcohol Abuse Education, Parenting Education, African-American studies, Women’s studies, Talented and Gifted programs, Alternative education, Character education, Behavior Adjustment classes, including proper communication skills, Environmental education, Title IX expanded athletic program for girls, The Supreme Court ruled in favor of free Speech rights for students, and School breakfast programs appeared. (Now schools must feed their students two-thirds of their daily meals and, for many, it’s the only nutritious food they get.)”

“In the 1980s the food gates below opened as global competition began to change the US economy forcing millions of women to enter the workforce, New technologies began to appear in schools, and we added: Keyboarding and Computer education, Sexual Abuse Prevention education, Stranger/Danger education, Antismoking education, Teen Pregnancy Awareness programs, Abstinence education, Global education, English as a second language instruction, multicultural education, Nonsexist education, Hispanic, Heritage education, Jump Start, Early, Start, Even Start, Prime Start, Full-day kindergarten, Preschool programs for children at risk, After-school programs for children of working parents, Expanded Health and Psychological Services, and Child abuse monitoring became a legal requirement for all teachers.”

“In the 1990s, the school reform movement shifted into high gear and collided with the spread of technology. The World Wide Web was born, and we added: Computer labs and Internet Instruction, Tech Prep, School to Work Programs, Distance Learning, Homeless Education and its effects on children, HIV/AIDS education, Death Education, America 200 initiatives (Republican), Goals 2000 Initiatives (Democratic), Bicycle Safety, Gun Safety, and Water Safety instruction, Conflict Resolution classes, Service Learning Programs, Annual CPR Training, Technical Adequacy Assessment, Dropout Prevention Programs, Anti-Gan Initiatives, Inclusion and Mainstreaming Requirements, Individuals with disabilities Education Act greatly expanded the scope of Special Education, and in response to horri8fic acts of violence, we say unprecedented efforts to ensure school security.”

“In the 21st century, driven by the pressures of a rapidly changing society and emergence of an increasingly literate global workforce we added: No Child Left Behind, Internet Safety, Bullying Prevention Programs, Texting and Social Media Etiquette, Elevator and Escalator Safety instruction, Body Mass Index Evaluation (Obesity Monitoring) Eating Disorder Counseling, Suicide Awareness, Organ Donor Awareness Classes, Steroid Abuse Prevention Programs, Media Literacy Training, Expanded Early Childhood Wrap Around Programs, Financial Literacy Development, Intruder Lockdown Training, Health and Wellness Programs, Leadership Training, Contextual Learning and Skill Development, Entrepreneurial/Innovation Skill Development, Credit Retrieval Programs, On-line Learning Requirements, Race to the Top, Common Core Standards, and S.T.E.M Programs.”

“AND WE HAVE NOT ADDED A SINGLE MINUTE TO THE SCHOOL CALENDAR IN SIX DECADES!”