See a video of Trace (http://www.tracepickering.com) talking through the slide deck: http://youtu.be/BguZWX1rhHo

1. UNDERSTANDING THE EDUCATION SYSTEM
An overview of the history and purpose of education in America
The project Understanding the Education System is available under the Creative Commons Attribution License
Creator 3.0 Copyright 2012 by Dr. Trace Pickering

2. EDUCATION AS A SYSTEM
• When thinking about any system, it is important to
examine that system in light of 4 elements:
1. CONTEXT – what is happening in the
environment that is impacting the system and the
problems people face?
The project Understanding the Education System is available under the Creative Commons Attribution License
Creator 3.0 Copyright 2012 by Dr. Trace Pickering

3. EDUCATION AS A SYSTEM
• When thinking about any system, it is important to
examine that system in light of 4 elements:
2. FUNCTIONS – what is the system designed to
produce? What is its vision or purpose?
The project Understanding the Education System is available under the Creative Commons Attribution License
Creator 3.0 Copyright 2012 by Dr. Trace Pickering

4. EDUCATION AS A SYSTEM
• When thinking about any system, it is important to
examine that system in light of 4 elements:
2. STRUCTURES – how do we organize the people
and “parts” of the system to help achieve our
vision?
The project Understanding the Education System is available under the Creative Commons Attribution License
Creator 3.0 Copyright 2012 by Dr. Trace Pickering

5. EDUCATION AS A SYSTEM
• When thinking about any system, it is important to
examine that system in light of 4 elements:
3. PROCESSES – what practices and procedures do
we put in place to ensure we achieve the vision?
The project Understanding the Education System is available under the Creative Commons Attribution License
Creator 3.0 Copyright 2012 by Dr. Trace Pickering

6. THE QUESTIONS: What is
happening
around us?
What CONTEXT
practices/
procedures
do we need?
PROCESSES FUNCTIONS
What do we
want our
How do we system to do
organize to STRUCTURES for us?
get what we
want?
The project Understanding the Education System is available under the Creative Commons Attribution License
Creator 3.0 Copyright 2012 by Dr. Trace Pickering

7. AGRARIAN AMERICA: 1600-LATE 1800’S
What is
happening
around us?
CONTEXT
The World of America was about: Americans wanted and needed:
• Gentleman farmers • A way to secure the republic
• Skilled craftsmen • Opportunities for the poor
• “Learned” leaders • A small class of educated leaders
• Mass of uneducated populace • Masses of people with artisan and trades skills
• New governmental form: democracy
The project Understanding the Education System is available under the Creative Commons Attribution License
Creator 3.0 Copyright 2012 by Dr. Trace Pickering

8. T. JEFFERSON SETS EDUCATION VISION
Having a clear understanding of the context of the day, Jefferson, in his notes on the State of
Virginia, 1784, articulated the vision (function) of education in America:
“To rake the genius from the rubbish.”
Agrarian America wanted education to: FUNCTIONS
• Give poor kids a chance to show they were
“smart” (based on reading, writing, and math
skills) and separating them from the masses. What do we
• Ensure that America had a small number of want our
intellectuals to advance the republic. system to do
• Give poor kids an equal opportunity to for us?
demonstrate that they were “smart.”
• (Jefferson only wanted to find the top 10 students
every year.)
The project Understanding the Education System is available under the Creative Commons Attribution License
Creator 3.0 Copyright 2012 by Dr. Trace Pickering

9. AGRARIAN AMERICA: 1600-LATE 1800’S
To “rake the genius from the rubbish” in an Agrarian society, we:
• Created one-room schoolhouses
• Children of all ages from the community attended
• As children aged, they returned to the farm, became
apprentices to learn a trade, or continued in school while
helping younger children.
How do we
organize to STRUCTURES
get what we
want?
The project Understanding the Education System is available under the Creative Commons Attribution License
Creator 3.0 Copyright 2012 by Dr. Trace Pickering

10. AGRARIAN AMERICA: 1600-LATE 1800’S
What
practices/
procedures
do we need?
PROCESSES
Practices & Procedures:
• Taught basic reading, writing, and computation
• Teacher paid and housed by the community
• Attendance not required – this was parent choice
The project Understanding the Education System is available under the Creative Commons Attribution License
Creator 3.0 Copyright 2012 by Dr. Trace Pickering

11. AGRARIAN AMERICA: 1600-LATE 1800’S
An agrarian, upstart nation forging a new democracy
and settling a vast country, created an education
system to help America identify the best and
brightest while providing a voluntary, basic
education for the masses.
This design was well suited to the needs and sensibilities of the time:
 Economic
 Political
 Social
 Educational
The project Understanding the Education System is available under the Creative Commons Attribution License
Creator 3.0 Copyright 2012 by Dr. Trace Pickering

12. INDUSTRIAL AMERICA: 1890 - 1980
What is
happening
around us?
CONTEXT
The World of America was about: Americans wanted and needed:
• Rapid industrialization • A way to “Americanize” the immigrants
• Mass immigration • A way to deal with large numbers of children
• Mass migration to the cities in the cities
• New job – working for a wage • To prepare large numbers of children to
• Huge disruption in how people lived become factory workers
and worked • To prepare a small number of children to own
and manage factories
The project Understanding the Education System is available under the Creative Commons Attribution License
Creator 3.0 Copyright 2012 by Dr. Trace Pickering

13. JEFFERSON’S VISION STILL HOLDS
While the context had dramatically shifted from agrarian to industrial, Jefferson’s vision for
education fit well with the needs of an industrial economy:
“To rake the genius from the rubbish.”
Industrial America wanted education to: FUNCTIONS
• Efficiently and effectively sort out the “smart” kids
(based on reading, writing, and math skills) from the
“not so smart” kids. What do we
• Model itself after the factory to become highly want our
efficient and standardized. system to do
• Prepare masses of children for the for us?
standardized, repetitive work they faced in the
factories.
• Provide basic reading, writing, and arithmetic to the
massesproject Understanding the Education System isin society. the Creative Commons Attribution License
The so that they could participate available under
Creator 3.0 Copyright 2012 by Dr. Trace Pickering

14. INDUSTRIAL AMERICA: 1890 - 1980
To “rake the genius from the rubbish” in an Industrial society, we:
• Designed school around the factory model of efficiency and standardization:
• Batch kids by age and treat them as products.
• Simplify and standardize the work of teaching by separating out subject
areas and topics within subjects (math – algebra – algebra II)
• Create tight, unwavering cycle times that would determine who could
keep up and who was “defective.” (13 years, 180 days, 7 hours, 50 min)
• Institute tests and exams to inspect the quality at the end and to “sort
out” the bright from the dull.
How do we
organize to STRUCTURES
get what we
want?
The project Understanding the Education System is available under the Creative Commons Attribution License
Creator 3.0 Copyright 2012 by Dr. Trace Pickering

15. INDUSTRIAL AMERICA: 1890 - 1980
What
Practices & Procedures:
practices/
procedures
do we need? • Taught basic reading, writing, and computation.
• Developed curriculums and syllabi to ensure
everyone was exposed to the same material at the
same time.
PROCESSES • Focused on memorization.
• Instituted strict behavior, discipline, and attendance
policies.
• Used “grades,” like the meat packing plant, to label
the products.
• Improved the “aptitude” and “intelligence” test to
more efficiently sort and select the children.
The project Understanding the Education System is available under the Creative Commons Attribution License
Creator 3.0 Copyright 2012 by Dr. Trace Pickering

16. INDUSTRIAL AMERICA: 1890 - 1980
An industrialized, bustling, growing
superpower, America created an education system
to help fill the factories, employ millions, and do so
efficiently and with high standardization using the
best mechanical systems thinking of the day.
This design was well suited to the needs and sensibilities of the time:
 Economic
 Political
 Social
 Educational
The project Understanding the Education System is available under the Creative Commons Attribution License
Creator 3.0 Copyright 2012 by Dr. Trace Pickering

17. POST-INDUSTRIAL AMERICA: 1980 - PRESENT
What is
happening
around us?
CONTEXT
The World of America is about: Americans want and need:
• Rapid globalization • To stay competitive in a post-industrial world
• Mass immigration • To prepare large numbers of children to
• Technological explosion creating become knowledge, high-technology workers
highly connected/networked society • To prepare large numbers of entrepreneurs
• New jobs – work shifting to jobs and innovators.
requiring more mind than body • To solve the economic disparities plaguing
• Huge disruption in how people are the country.
living and working
The project Understanding the Education System is available under the Creative Commons Attribution License
Creator 3.0 Copyright 2012 by Dr. Trace Pickering

18. JEFFERSON’S VISION NO LONGER VALID
While the context is quite similar to the shift seen from agrarian to industrial (mass
immigration, migration to cities, new ways of working/living) it now demands that all our
children learn and develop to a high degree. The “tried-and-true” vision to:
Our new vision is to:
“Unfoldthe genius from the rubbish”
“Rake the potential of every child.”
Post Industrial America wants education to: FUNCTIONS
• Effectively and efficiently help all children learn to a
high level.
• Prepare masses of children for the highly What do we
contextualized and intellectually demanding world want our
they face. system to do
• Go beyond the old “basics” to ensure that children for us?
are lifelong learners and knowledge seekers.
• Provide avenues for the disadvantaged to realize the
“American dream”
The project Understanding the Education System is available under the Creative Commons Attribution License
Creator 3.0 Copyright 2012 by Dr. Trace Pickering

19. POST-INDUSTRIAL AMERICA: 1980 - PRESENT
To “unfold the potential of every child” in a Post-Industrial society, we must:
• Design school around the learner:
• Organize children by what they know and can do.
• Integrate subjects to help students understand the inter-relationships of
the subjects.
• Create fluid, flexible structures that allow the student to move through
the system at the pace best suited for them.
• Engage the larger community in connecting and learning with children.
• Allowing children’s passions and interest help drive their learning.
How do we
organize to STRUCTURES
get what we
want?
The project Understanding the Education System is available under the Creative Commons Attribution License
Creator 3.0 Copyright 2012 by Dr. Trace Pickering

20. POST-INDUSTRIAL AMERICA: 1980 - PRESENT
What
Practices & Procedures:
practices/
procedures
do we need? • Develop individualized learning plans for each child.
• Develop assessments to determine what a child
needs and if they have achieved the learning level to
move on.
PROCESSES • Focus on inquiry and integration of subject matter.
• Allow student passion and interest drive learning.
• Develop teams of teachers who consistently interact
with one another and students to create and plan –
providing a model for the behavior demands of the
age.
The project Understanding the Education System is available under the Creative Commons Attribution License
Creator 3.0 Copyright 2012 by Dr. Trace Pickering

21. POST-INDUSTRIAL AMERICA: 1980 - PRESENT
A global, networked economy is driving a new
American economy based on
innovation, creativity, and knowledge. In order to
continue to be a significant force in the
world, America must employ millions in a new
knowledge-based economy by ensuring that all
children learn and develop to their maximum
potential.
This design is well suited to the needs and sensibilities of our time:
 Economic
 Political
 Socially/morally
 Educational
The project Understanding the Education System is available under the Creative Commons Attribution License
Creator 3.0 Copyright 2012 by Dr. Trace Pickering

22. We seem to be stuck here, arguing over which factory-age solutions we
should try without fully understanding the implications of the context
we are in and the new functions we need education to perform.
What is
happening
What CONTEXT around us?
practices/
procedures
do we need?
PROCESSES FUNCTIONS
What do we
want our
How do we system to do
organize to STRUCTURES for us?
get what we
want?
The project Understanding the Education System is available under the Creative Commons Attribution License
Creator 3.0 Copyright 2012 by Dr. Trace Pickering

23. EDUCATING IOWA
• So. . . Will you join us in conversation and dialogue to
help ensure our great state is asking the right
questions and solving the correct problems?
• We look forward to you joining our network of people
passionate about education and interested in helping
define what an education looks like that:
UNFOLDS THE POTENTIAL OF EVERY CHILD
The project Understanding the Education System is available under the Creative Commons Attribution License
Creator 3.0 Copyright 2012 by Dr. Trace Pickering