Primary education develops mainly in two aspects: public and universal. Before the Civil War, only Massachusetts and New York enacted compulsory education laws. After the Civil War, states followed suit. By the end of 19, two-thirds of states had enacted compulsory education laws. The length of compulsory education varies from state to state, mostly 8 years. 19 18, 19 19 Mississippi and Jaaramaa finally passed compulsory education laws. Up to now, it has taken more than 60 years for the United States to basically popularize compulsory education. In the curriculum of primary education, reading, writing and calculation account for 80% of total class hours. In addition, there are courses such as knowledge of nature, historical geography, music and sports, and some schools also offer courses such as hygiene, sewing and cooking.
During this period, the development trend of secondary education is public secondary schools. In the public primary school movement from 65438 to 1920s, a large number of children received primary education and asked to continue their studies, and the corresponding public middle schools began to rise. Especially after the Supreme Court of Michigan 1872 ruled that middle schools can be established with local taxes, the number of public middle schools in each state increased rapidly, gradually replacing Shi Wen middle schools and becoming the main type of secondary education schools in the United States.
The length of secondary school study in the United States has always been different from state to state, but since the emergence of public secondary schools, it has generally been four years, which constitutes the 84-year academic system of general education in the United States (that is, eight years in primary school and four years in secondary school). 1888, Eliot, president of Harvard University, criticized the 1984 academic system for the first time. After discussion from all walks of life and argumentation by educators, the 633 academic system was formed at the beginning of the 20th century. That is, six years of primary school, three years of junior high school and three years of senior high school, so that the last two years of primary school and the first year of middle school are merged into junior high school, and the last three years of middle school are changed into senior high school. In the future, the academic system in the United States will be mostly 633, and some States will retain 84 and implement 663.
On the one hand, the development of colleges and universities in this period is moving in the direction of serving industrial and agricultural production, and a college of agriculture and industry was established; On the other hand, it moved towards academic development and founded Johns Hopkins University. In these two waves, many new colleges and universities have emerged and many old ones have been reformed.
Still in the war, in 1862, Congress passed the maurer Act, which stipulated that each state should have a member of parliament, and the federal government would allocate 30,000 acres of land, and use the proceeds to open a new college, the College of Agriculture and Engineering, to train professionals urgently needed for industrial and agricultural development. This kind of college usually takes four years to enroll students regardless of gender, and its curriculum meets the actual needs of social, industrial and agricultural economic development. The new college reversed the university tradition of studying theory and despising production, and made American higher education embark on the road of "democratization".
At the same time, another new university, Johns Hopkins University, was born in America. It represents the development direction of academic research universities and is mainly influenced by German universities. At the beginning of the university, six famous professors from Germany were invited to focus on the cultivation of graduate students. This university has established various degree awarding departments and introduced many advanced new disciplines. Although Hobokins University was founded soon, it is a latecomer among American universities. Later, many outstanding Americans emerged in the school, such as President Wilson, educator Dewey, philosopher Royce and historian Turner. At the same time, many universities in the United States have followed the example of German universities, engaged in school administrative construction and education reform, and universities have begun to take into account the dual tasks of teaching and scientific research, becoming the highest institution in the world.
By the end of 19 and the beginning of the 20th century, the United States gradually formed its own characteristic education system. Schools are mainly public, and schools at all levels are connected with each other, with a monorail academic system. Education is characterized by decentralization, liberalization, popularization and freedom from religious sects.