Foundations of Education 2nd Edition - Ch2 Lesson Plan 1
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This lesson plan is also available as a Word file here.

Chapter 2 Lesson Plan 1: School Governance and Control - Historical Background

Course Information

Course Level: Undergraduate and Graduate Education Studies

Estimated Time: 3-4 hours

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

  1. Trace the evolution of American school governance from colonial times through the 20th century
  2. Compare and contrast pedagogical progressives and administrative progressives and their differing visions for school reform
  3. Analyze how the corporate model of school governance emerged and shaped contemporary school systems
  4. Evaluate the relationship between funding sources and control of education across federal, state, and local levels
  5. Explain key turning points in school governance history (e.g., Common School Movement, Progressive Era, Civil Rights Era)

Pre-Class Preparation

Required Reading:

  • Chapter 2: Historical Background section (pages covering colonial period through federal control)

Optional Pre-Class Activity:

  • Students write a brief reflection: "Who controlled your K-12 education experience? (local board, state, federal, teachers, parents, etc.)"


Session 1: Colonial Origins Through Common School Movement (60-75 minutes

Opening Activity (10 minutes)

Think-Pair-Share:

  • Individual: "Before public school systems, who was responsible for educating children?"
  • Pairs: Share responses
  • Whole class: Discuss how this differs from today

Lecture/Discussion: Colonial Period (15 minutes)

Key Content:

  • Regional differences in colonial education (New England, Middle, Southern colonies)
  • Massachusetts 1647 "Old Deluder Satan Act"
  • Virginia's reliance on private initiatives and free schools
  • Emergence of school committees/boards of trustees

Discussion Question: "Why did different regions develop different approaches to education? What role did economic systems (including slavery) play?"

Activity: Jefferson's Plan (10 minutes)

Small Group Analysis:

  • Divide class into groups
  • Analyze Jefferson's proposed educational plan for Virginia
  • Identify elements that appear in modern governance (aldermen → school boards, visitors → superintendents)
  • Discuss: Why did it never materialize?

Lecture/Discussion: Public Schools & Local Control (15 minutes)

Key Content:

  • Common School Movement (1830s-1850s)
  • Horace Mann and state boards of education
  • Local control as operational mode
  • Origins of school superintendency (1837: Buffalo and Louisville)
  • Tensions between local autonomy and state oversight

Critical Thinking Question: "Horace Mann argued that some state control was needed to 'invigorate, not replace' local support. What does this reveal about the balance between levels of control?"

Closing Activity (10 minutes)

Exit Ticket: Students write 2-3 sentences answering: "What surprised you most about the origins of American school governance?"


Session 2: Progressive Era Reforms (60-75 minutes)

Opening Activity (10 minutes)

Review & Connect:

  • Quick review of Session 1 key points
  • Preview: "Today we examine how late 19th/early 20th century reforms created the governance structures we have today"

Lecture/Discussion: Gilded Age Challenges (15 minutes)

Key Content:

  • Rapid population growth (1870-1900: nearly doubled)
  • Urban and industrial development
  • Immigration and rural-to-urban migration
  • Compulsory attendance complications
  • Insufficient resources for growing populations

Use Table 2.1 to illustrate population growth

Discussion: "How do rapidly changing demographics create governance challenges for schools? Can you think of contemporary parallels?"

Activity: Two Visions of Progressivism (25 minutes)

Jigsaw Activity:

Group A: Pedagogical Progressives

  • Read about Rousseau, Pestalozzi, Froebel influences
  • Francis W. Parker (Quincy System)
  • G. Stanley Hall (child development)
  • John Dewey (learning communities, democratic social spirit)

Group B: Administrative Progressives

  • Read about "cult of efficiency"
  • Scientific management/Taylorism
  • Corporate model application to schools
  • Philosophical realism influences

Regroup:

  • Mix groups so each new group has members from A and B
  • Share findings
  • Compare/contrast the two approaches

Whole Class Discussion: "The chapter states that pedagogical progressives shaped how we talk about curriculum and instruction, while administrative progressives shaped how we actually govern schools. What does this mean? Do you see evidence of this tension today?"

Lecture: Corporate Model Implementation (10 minutes)

Key Content:

  • "One best system" ideology
  • School board reforms (ward-based → at-large, smaller boards)
  • Changing superintendency (CEO model)
  • Hierarchical structures (board → superintendent → administrators → teachers)
  • Growth of administrative/supervisory positions (1920: 1 per 35 teachers; 1985: 1 per 11)

Closing (10 minutes)

Reflection Prompt: "What were the trade-offs of Progressive Era reforms? What did schools gain and what did they lose?"


Session 3: Financial Control and Federal Involvement (60-80 minutes)

Opening Activity (10 minutes)

Data Analysis:

  • Present Table 2.2 (Revenues by government level)
  • Students work in pairs to identify trends
  • Share observations with class

Lecture/Discussion: Shifts in Financial Control (20 minutes)

Key Content:

  • Historical dominance of local funding (1929-30: 82.7% local)
  • Great Depression's impact (states had to help localities)
  • 1979-80: First time state funding exceeded local
  • Current distribution (2020-21): 11% federal, 46% state, 44% local

Critical Analysis: "The saying goes, 'The person who pays the piper calls the tune.' Given the funding percentages, who should have the most control? Who actually does? Why the discrepancy?"

Lecture: Federal Involvement (20 minutes)

Key Content:

  • No constitutional authority for education (10th Amendment)
  • Early involvement through land grants (1785 Ordinance, 1862 Morrill Act)
  • 20th century legislation:
    • 1917 Smith-Hughes Act (vocational education)
    • 1944 G.I. Bill
    • 1958 NDEA (Cold War response)
    • 1965 ESEA (Great Society/War on Poverty)
    • 1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act (later IDEA)
  • Categorical grants vs. general grants

Activity: Court Cases Analysis (15 minutes)

Small Groups Analyze:

  • Brown v. Board (1954): State responsibility and equal protection
  • Serrano v. Priest (1971): Property tax inequalities
  • San Antonio v. Rodriguez (1973): Education not a federal right

Discussion: "These cases reinforce state responsibility for education. Why then has federal influence grown over time?"

Synthesis & Closing (15 minutes)

Class Discussion: "Looking at the entire historical arc from colonial times to today, what are the persistent tensions in school governance?"

Expected responses:

  • Centralization vs. decentralization
  • Professional expertise vs. democratic control
  • Equity vs. local autonomy
  • Efficiency vs. participation

Assignment for Next Class: Read Contemporary Conditions section; be prepared to discuss current governance structures


Summative Assessment Options: 

  1. Essay: "Trace the evolution of one level of governance (local, state, OR federal) from colonial times to today, analyzing key turning points and explaining current structures"
  2. Comparative Analysis: "Compare pedagogical and administrative progressivism. Which vision 'won' and why? What are the implications for schools today?"
  3. Policy Brief: "Using historical evidence, argue for either increased centralization or increased local control of schools"

Extension Activities

  1. Historical Simulation: Stage a school board meeting from different eras (1850s, 1920s, 1960s, 2020s) to illustrate changing governance concerns
  2. Local History Project: Research the founding and governance structure of your own school district
  3. Interview: Talk with a long-time educator about how governance has changed over their career
  4. Debate: Resolved: Administrative progressives were more beneficial to American education than pedagogical progressives