This document summarizes Claudia Goldin's book "The Human Capital Century" which examines the rapid increase in secondary and higher education enrollment in the United States in the 20th century compared to other countries. Goldin argues the U.S. system was driven by democratic principles and a growing demand from businesses for skilled labor. Around 1900, the U.S. underwent changes to create a public high school system, increasing access and incentives for enrollment like higher lifetime earnings. While other countries studied the successful U.S. model, their centralized systems were slower to adapt, contributing to the U.S. lead in educational attainment over several decades.
The document discusses the need for schools to change and adapt to the 21st century by becoming more learner-centered and focusing on lifelong learning rather than traditional 8-10 week graded formats. It notes that learners' needs are changing and schools are being challenged by more flexible learning communities and networks. It also highlights how quickly knowledge and technologies are changing, making half of what students learn in their first year of college outdated by their third year. This underscores the importance of schools developing students' creative and innovative skills to adapt to a rapidly changing world.
1) The article discusses the upcoming Black Family Conference hosted by Hampton University's School of Business from March 20-22 on the theme of "From Income to Wealth: Economic Development in the African American Community."
2) The keynote speaker, Shawn Ricks from the U.S. Department of Commerce, believes universities like HU play a key role in economic growth and improving the workforce.
3) Students are looking forward to the conference and hearing from business professionals, with sessions covering topics like entrepreneurship and wealth creation. A $35 luncheon will feature speaker Margot Copeland from KeyCorp.
This document discusses how childhood is a social construction that has changed over time and varied between cultures. It outlines that pre-industrial societies viewed children as small adults and did not distinguish childhood from adulthood. During industrialization, children from working-class families still worked in mines and factories, though middle-class attitudes started seeing children as investments to nurture. By the 20th century, childhood emerged as child-centered, as improved living standards and contraception allowed parents to have fewer children and invest more in each one through love, education, and legal protections. Overall, the document examines how ideas of childhood being a protected stage separate from adulthood developed recently in history.
This document provides an overview of the key concepts from the second lecture of a sociology course. It discusses what sociology is, the importance of sociological thinking in studying societies, and how case studies can be analyzed from a sociological perspective. Theories are important tools in sociology as they provide explanations for observed social phenomena and behaviors. Studying sociology helps develop an understanding of people and societies to inform fields like business management.
The Red Balloon Project Re-Imagining Undergraduate Educationleadchangeagent
“ The Red Balloon contest serves as a metaphor for the newly-networked world. This new way of generating, aggregating and disseminating information has profound implications for higher education. It challenges long-held practices of teaching and learning, institutional organization and structure, and the very notion of expertise. The Red Balloon contest also serves as an analogy for how a community of higher education institutions and their national association can work together to promote and support change in higher education.” http://www.aascu.org/programs/redballoon/
This document discusses the origins and development of the junior high school model in the United States. It provides context around how the junior high school emerged as a response to various educational, developmental, and social factors in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Specifically, it notes that the junior high school grew out of the convergence of many conditions over time, rather than being caused by any single factor. These included concerns around college preparation, high dropout rates, the needs of adolescents, criticisms of the existing school system, and providing vocational training. The junior high school model filled a need and benefited from aligning with educational theories and challenges of the time period. Its continued success reflects an ongoing focus on providing an appropriate education for early
The Brand of Higher Education: Context for The Conflictidfive
Dr. Sean Carton from idfive looks at the history of higher education development—where we are now and what's coming next. http://idfive.com/the-brand-of-higher-education-context-for-the-conflict/
The document discusses the need for schools to change and adapt to the 21st century by becoming more learner-centered and focusing on lifelong learning rather than traditional 8-10 week graded formats. It notes that learners' needs are changing and schools are being challenged by more flexible learning communities and networks. It also highlights how quickly knowledge and technologies are changing, making half of what students learn in their first year of college outdated by their third year. This underscores the importance of schools developing students' creative and innovative skills to adapt to a rapidly changing world.
1) The article discusses the upcoming Black Family Conference hosted by Hampton University's School of Business from March 20-22 on the theme of "From Income to Wealth: Economic Development in the African American Community."
2) The keynote speaker, Shawn Ricks from the U.S. Department of Commerce, believes universities like HU play a key role in economic growth and improving the workforce.
3) Students are looking forward to the conference and hearing from business professionals, with sessions covering topics like entrepreneurship and wealth creation. A $35 luncheon will feature speaker Margot Copeland from KeyCorp.
This document discusses how childhood is a social construction that has changed over time and varied between cultures. It outlines that pre-industrial societies viewed children as small adults and did not distinguish childhood from adulthood. During industrialization, children from working-class families still worked in mines and factories, though middle-class attitudes started seeing children as investments to nurture. By the 20th century, childhood emerged as child-centered, as improved living standards and contraception allowed parents to have fewer children and invest more in each one through love, education, and legal protections. Overall, the document examines how ideas of childhood being a protected stage separate from adulthood developed recently in history.
This document provides an overview of the key concepts from the second lecture of a sociology course. It discusses what sociology is, the importance of sociological thinking in studying societies, and how case studies can be analyzed from a sociological perspective. Theories are important tools in sociology as they provide explanations for observed social phenomena and behaviors. Studying sociology helps develop an understanding of people and societies to inform fields like business management.
The Red Balloon Project Re-Imagining Undergraduate Educationleadchangeagent
“ The Red Balloon contest serves as a metaphor for the newly-networked world. This new way of generating, aggregating and disseminating information has profound implications for higher education. It challenges long-held practices of teaching and learning, institutional organization and structure, and the very notion of expertise. The Red Balloon contest also serves as an analogy for how a community of higher education institutions and their national association can work together to promote and support change in higher education.” http://www.aascu.org/programs/redballoon/
This document discusses the origins and development of the junior high school model in the United States. It provides context around how the junior high school emerged as a response to various educational, developmental, and social factors in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Specifically, it notes that the junior high school grew out of the convergence of many conditions over time, rather than being caused by any single factor. These included concerns around college preparation, high dropout rates, the needs of adolescents, criticisms of the existing school system, and providing vocational training. The junior high school model filled a need and benefited from aligning with educational theories and challenges of the time period. Its continued success reflects an ongoing focus on providing an appropriate education for early
The Brand of Higher Education: Context for The Conflictidfive
Dr. Sean Carton from idfive looks at the history of higher education development—where we are now and what's coming next. http://idfive.com/the-brand-of-higher-education-context-for-the-conflict/
Rising college tuition in the US has prompted much activism and debate. Tuition has increased 439% from 1982-2007, far outpacing income growth. While policies like the GI Bill initially expanded access to higher education, recent government policies and an emphasis on rankings and spending per student have contributed to higher costs. Students have staged protests at schools like UC Berkeley against tuition hikes. While President Obama has attempted reforms, more action is still needed to control tuition and maintain affordable higher education for all.
This document provides an overview of education from several sociological perspectives. It discusses the manifest and latent functions of education according to functionalism. Manifest functions include socialization, social control, and social placement. Latent functions include courtship, social networks, and political advocacy. The document also discusses conflict theory's perspective that education reinforces social inequalities rather than reducing them.
This document provides an overview of education from several sociological perspectives. It discusses the manifest and latent functions of education according to functionalism. Manifest functions include socialization, social control, and social placement. Latent functions include courtship, social networks, and political advocacy. The document also discusses conflict theory's perspective that education reinforces social inequalities rather than reducing them.
Redefining Education in America Cultivating Ethical & Moral LeadershipAnne Hamilton
This document discusses the need to redefine American public education by integrating moral and ethical teachings from Eastern philosophies like Buddhism and Confucianism. It argues that the current education system focuses too much on training students for jobs and the economy, rather than cultivating qualities like compassion and wisdom. Incorporating mindfulness practices and principles from great historical teachers could help address issues facing today's students and society. The document provides numerous examples and studies supporting the benefits of teaching mindfulness and moral philosophy in schools. It asserts that reorienting education in this way would better prepare students for the complex problems of the modern world.
This document provides a critical analysis of UK government policies aimed at addressing educational inequality. It begins by examining the context of the achievement gap between disadvantaged students and their more affluent peers. It then analyzes the impact of policies around school choice, the pupil premium, and curriculum reforms on inequality. The author finds that while the pupil premium and some reforms may help narrow gaps, policies of school choice risk reinforcing social hierarchies and do not ensure disadvantaged students can access high-quality schools. Overall, the document questions whether current policies fully address deep-rooted inequality.
This document discusses changes in the US education system over the last decade. It notes that while the total number of children under 18 has decreased slightly, enrollment in public and private schools has increased from 54.8 million in 2010 to 56 million in 2019. Charter schools have also grown substantially, increasing their enrollment from 0.4 million in 2000 to 3 million in 2016. Spending on K-12 education has risen significantly, with total spending increasing from $527.3 billion in 2010-2011 to over $680 billion in 2019-2020, and per-pupil spending rising from $10,663 to $13,440 over the same period. The document expresses concern that current trends may be reducing students' passion for learning and
This document summarizes the drive for 21st century learning reforms in education and questions whether these reforms are actually aimed at improving education or privatizing it. It argues that the push for 21st century learning is not new, but rather aims to cut costs, privatize schools, and restructure education around technology. While proponents promise benefits like better outcomes and engagement, the reality is the reforms aim to lower expenditures on traditional education to free up money for new technology spending and open public education to private business interests. A web of think tanks, corporations and organizations promote this agenda despite opposition from teachers and parents.
This document summarizes remarks by Dr. James L. Applegate of the Lumina Foundation at an IAU conference on strategies for securing equity in higher education access and success. It discusses three key points:
1) Lumina Foundation's goal of increasing the percentage of Americans with a postsecondary degree to 60% by 2025 to address inequities in educational attainment and prepare for future job market needs.
2) The growing divide globally between regions with high concentrations of educated individuals and economic growth, versus lagging regions, and the political challenges this creates.
3) Two strategies needed to promote equitable higher education access and success: improving K-12 preparation and participation, and focusing on college completion through
The document discusses the importance and benefits of higher education. It states that higher education makes people more intelligent and provides important life skills, which leads to a better quality of life. Studying at a higher education institution forces students to develop time management skills that are crucial for success. While college is expensive, having a degree results in higher lifetime earnings and happier, healthier individuals overall.
This paper examines the relationship between a country's per student public education expenditures and economic growth. It tests whether human capital from education can be represented as a production input in neoclassical growth models. The paper analyzes national growth trends from 1985 to 2010 across development classes. It finds that education spending is negatively associated with growth for all countries except high-income countries, suggesting inefficient spending. The introduction provides context on human capital and economic growth theories being tested. A literature review summarizes several studies examining the relationship between education quality/quantity, institutions, and economic growth.
This paper examines the relationship between a country's per student public education expenditures and economic growth. It tests whether human capital from education can be represented as a production input in neoclassical growth models. The paper analyzes national growth trends from 1985 to 2010 across development levels. It finds that for most countries, higher per student education spending is negatively associated with growth, except for high-income countries where it may be beneficial. The paper reviews literature on the relationship between education quality/quantity and growth, finding mixed results on the impact of primary versus secondary versus tertiary education on growth.
This document discusses how school leadership may be constrained by neo-liberalism and focused on measurable outcomes like test scores, rather than issues like environmental sustainability. It argues that the neo-liberal emphasis on privatization, free markets, and minimal government intervention has dominated education policy and leadership. As a result, important issues like climate change and environmental protection are largely absent from school curricula and leadership priorities. The author believes school leaders should challenge this neo-liberal paradigm and create an education system focused more on long-term environmental sustainability.
This document discusses the role of education in nation-building in India compared to other countries. It addresses how education has helped empower individuals and drive India's progress by providing skilled human capital. It also discusses how education systems in other nations like the UK, France, and Russia contributed to their nation-building efforts amid religious and political tensions, with varying approaches to issues like integration, citizenship, and colonial expansion. The role of formal and non-formal education in smaller nations like Fiji is also examined.
Rising college tuition in the US has prompted much activism and debate. Tuition has increased 439% from 1982-2007, far outpacing income growth. While policies like the GI Bill initially expanded access to higher education, recent government policies and an emphasis on rankings and spending per student have contributed to higher costs. Students have staged protests at schools like UC Berkeley against tuition hikes. While President Obama has attempted reforms, more action is still needed to control tuition and maintain affordable higher education for all.
This document provides an overview of education from several sociological perspectives. It discusses the manifest and latent functions of education according to functionalism. Manifest functions include socialization, social control, and social placement. Latent functions include courtship, social networks, and political advocacy. The document also discusses conflict theory's perspective that education reinforces social inequalities rather than reducing them.
This document provides an overview of education from several sociological perspectives. It discusses the manifest and latent functions of education according to functionalism. Manifest functions include socialization, social control, and social placement. Latent functions include courtship, social networks, and political advocacy. The document also discusses conflict theory's perspective that education reinforces social inequalities rather than reducing them.
Redefining Education in America Cultivating Ethical & Moral LeadershipAnne Hamilton
This document discusses the need to redefine American public education by integrating moral and ethical teachings from Eastern philosophies like Buddhism and Confucianism. It argues that the current education system focuses too much on training students for jobs and the economy, rather than cultivating qualities like compassion and wisdom. Incorporating mindfulness practices and principles from great historical teachers could help address issues facing today's students and society. The document provides numerous examples and studies supporting the benefits of teaching mindfulness and moral philosophy in schools. It asserts that reorienting education in this way would better prepare students for the complex problems of the modern world.
This document provides a critical analysis of UK government policies aimed at addressing educational inequality. It begins by examining the context of the achievement gap between disadvantaged students and their more affluent peers. It then analyzes the impact of policies around school choice, the pupil premium, and curriculum reforms on inequality. The author finds that while the pupil premium and some reforms may help narrow gaps, policies of school choice risk reinforcing social hierarchies and do not ensure disadvantaged students can access high-quality schools. Overall, the document questions whether current policies fully address deep-rooted inequality.
This document discusses changes in the US education system over the last decade. It notes that while the total number of children under 18 has decreased slightly, enrollment in public and private schools has increased from 54.8 million in 2010 to 56 million in 2019. Charter schools have also grown substantially, increasing their enrollment from 0.4 million in 2000 to 3 million in 2016. Spending on K-12 education has risen significantly, with total spending increasing from $527.3 billion in 2010-2011 to over $680 billion in 2019-2020, and per-pupil spending rising from $10,663 to $13,440 over the same period. The document expresses concern that current trends may be reducing students' passion for learning and
This document summarizes the drive for 21st century learning reforms in education and questions whether these reforms are actually aimed at improving education or privatizing it. It argues that the push for 21st century learning is not new, but rather aims to cut costs, privatize schools, and restructure education around technology. While proponents promise benefits like better outcomes and engagement, the reality is the reforms aim to lower expenditures on traditional education to free up money for new technology spending and open public education to private business interests. A web of think tanks, corporations and organizations promote this agenda despite opposition from teachers and parents.
This document summarizes remarks by Dr. James L. Applegate of the Lumina Foundation at an IAU conference on strategies for securing equity in higher education access and success. It discusses three key points:
1) Lumina Foundation's goal of increasing the percentage of Americans with a postsecondary degree to 60% by 2025 to address inequities in educational attainment and prepare for future job market needs.
2) The growing divide globally between regions with high concentrations of educated individuals and economic growth, versus lagging regions, and the political challenges this creates.
3) Two strategies needed to promote equitable higher education access and success: improving K-12 preparation and participation, and focusing on college completion through
The document discusses the importance and benefits of higher education. It states that higher education makes people more intelligent and provides important life skills, which leads to a better quality of life. Studying at a higher education institution forces students to develop time management skills that are crucial for success. While college is expensive, having a degree results in higher lifetime earnings and happier, healthier individuals overall.
This paper examines the relationship between a country's per student public education expenditures and economic growth. It tests whether human capital from education can be represented as a production input in neoclassical growth models. The paper analyzes national growth trends from 1985 to 2010 across development classes. It finds that education spending is negatively associated with growth for all countries except high-income countries, suggesting inefficient spending. The introduction provides context on human capital and economic growth theories being tested. A literature review summarizes several studies examining the relationship between education quality/quantity, institutions, and economic growth.
This paper examines the relationship between a country's per student public education expenditures and economic growth. It tests whether human capital from education can be represented as a production input in neoclassical growth models. The paper analyzes national growth trends from 1985 to 2010 across development levels. It finds that for most countries, higher per student education spending is negatively associated with growth, except for high-income countries where it may be beneficial. The paper reviews literature on the relationship between education quality/quantity and growth, finding mixed results on the impact of primary versus secondary versus tertiary education on growth.
This document discusses how school leadership may be constrained by neo-liberalism and focused on measurable outcomes like test scores, rather than issues like environmental sustainability. It argues that the neo-liberal emphasis on privatization, free markets, and minimal government intervention has dominated education policy and leadership. As a result, important issues like climate change and environmental protection are largely absent from school curricula and leadership priorities. The author believes school leaders should challenge this neo-liberal paradigm and create an education system focused more on long-term environmental sustainability.
This document discusses the role of education in nation-building in India compared to other countries. It addresses how education has helped empower individuals and drive India's progress by providing skilled human capital. It also discusses how education systems in other nations like the UK, France, and Russia contributed to their nation-building efforts amid religious and political tensions, with varying approaches to issues like integration, citizenship, and colonial expansion. The role of formal and non-formal education in smaller nations like Fiji is also examined.
1. Devon Bull
ECON 765
Critical Essay 3
Rosenbloom
The Human Capital Century
The twentieth century experienced an incredible shift in demand for advanced
education in the working masses. This was driven by a changing environment which included
the use of higher learning skills like science and mathematics in the business world. World
powers like the United States, England, and Germany etc. all began the twentieth century with
relatively the same fraction of population having received advanced schooling. However, the
United States experienced a period of explosive growth in this area that would take decades for
the other countries to achieve. The author, Claudia Goldin, seeks to examine what drove this
massive change and why it took other countries much longer to accomplish this. Goldin also
attempts to compare her findings with our educational systemtoday.
Goldin describes the twentieth century as the “Human Capital Century”. This is because
“for the first time in history the schooling of the masses at the secondary and higher levels was
perceived to enhance economic production” (pg. 1). According to Goldin this was a large step
away from previous thinking by world leaders who had an almost exclusive focus on technology
and physical capital. Where countries had previously studied each other’s manufacturing
techniques and technologies they now turned their attention to studying each other’s
2. education systems. Many countries specifically began to study the American educational
system because of its sudden and massive success.
To examine the American educational system Goldin first identifies what she describes
as “virtues” that come from basic “democratic and egalitarian principles that influenced the
education system” (pg. 3). These virtues are things like public funding, a secular government,
gender neutrality, etc. Around 1900 the American education system underwent fundamental
changes to create a large scale formal education systemfor the masses. According to Goldin,
the environment of the U.S. promoted both the possibility of such a system because of its
virtues. These virtues when paired with the need for such a systemfrom the business world
brought these forces together to create the fundamental changes to the American education
system.
Goldwin finds that around the turn of the century the American style of education
began to become more practical, scientifically oriented, and with an emphasis of having a
variety of easily transferable skills. A “new” type of economy was driving demand for these
changes away from a classicaleducation towards specialization, specifically in the sciences.
Thus, Goldwin finds the return on investment of attending secondary school increases
significantly during this period. Using unique data from Iowa we find that an additional year in
high school in Iowa “added more than eleven percent to the income of the individual”. These
returns to the individual are even more powerful when we consider that access to high schools
dramatically increased during the time period.
3. Goldwin describes this jump in access to education as the “High School Movement”.
Essentially it can be boiled down to this: most growth in secondary school enrollment is due to
the creation of high schools where none had previously existed. We see this because
“secondary school enrollment increased rapidly after 1910” which Goldwin asserts is when
many new high schools were created (pg. 18). The combination of increased incentives and
easier access fueled a large jump in enrollment that would take many countries decades to
achieve.
Goldwin does a good job at examining what factors caused the rapid increase in
enrollment in the American education system as compared with other world powers of the
time. However, her emphasis on differences in the European style of educational systems and
what role they played in their enrollment levels in questionable. The Europeans had central
systems of education that allowed for students to receive a uniform education. Goldwin
attempts to argue that centralized systems are detrimental to a country’s education system. I
strongly disagree with this because a centralized system should theoretically allow for more
rapid iterations to adapt to changes in the demand side. This isn’t to say there weren’t aspects
of European society that negatively affected their academic enrollment rate when compared
with American society.
When Goldin first discusses the virtues of American society she offers little empirical
evidence to support these claims. However, her analysis of them clearly indicate that what she
describes as virtues definitely impact enrollment rates, especially when compared with Europe.
While these factors like the so called virtues can’t be thrown aside as irrelevant it seems clear
to me that access to secondary education was the critical element in raising enrollment rates.
4. Access to education arguably played the most important role in increasing the amount of the
population that attended secondary school. Goldwin mentions that most of the increased
enrollment rates are directly attributed to the creation of new high schools. I believe this to be
one of the key findings from Goldwin’s work, however, that isn’t to say we can apply her work
to the present day as she attempts to.
Goldwin compares the historical factors that drove academic enrollment with our
modern education systemand says that some of these “virtues” have now become “vices”.
There is one fundamental issue with her assertions. I would argue that almost every subject
explored by Goldwin is virtually irrelevant in terms of our education system today. She doesn’t
analyze which education systems produced a more intelligent general public. Goldwin is simply
comparing enrollment rates among different countries. Unfortunately there are two main
forces that drove this enrollment increase: access to education and return on investment in
terms of jobs and income. Goldwin’s work is interesting and provides a detailed look into what
caused the U.S. become a world leader in education. However we must look elsewhere if we
are to improve our current education system.