Trends Affecting agricultural education §Turning points for changes in our contextual history. §AGED 5053

Trends Affecting agricultural education

Turning points for changes in our contextual history.

AGED 5053

The Early Years: to 1920

Civil WarMigration to citiesIndustrial revolutionWorld War I

NEA “Committee of Ten” 1893Purpose of high school?

Prep for college or work?

(Committee members predominantly presidents of liberal arts colleges.)

Conclusion: High schools should prepare people for college

and “for life.” Little attention to education for work.

Douglass Commission (1906)

Governor of Massachusetts.Commissioned study of vocational ed in state.AgEd est. in MA as result.Rufus Stimson was instrumental.MA was leader in AgEd.Regional agriculture high schools est.

County extension offices located in them.

Country Life Commission (1908)

President T. Roosevelt appointed.To determine how to improve rural living

conditions.Dean of Ag at Cornell U., Liberty Hyde

Bailey, chair.

Country Life Commission

Findings: Rural schools deplorable, People socially isolated, Roads bad, Communication poor, Need for farm credit, Farm cooperatives needed, Extension needed.

Carnegie Foundation for Advancement of Teaching

1906 - 1909Recommended standardization of:

school day length, time spent to teach each subject matter, awarding of credits for subjects learned.

Result: “Carnegie Unit” which is used today.

Commission on National Aid to Vocational Education (1914)

Result of argument surround establishment of Extension Service and Vocational Education.

Both sides got together, agreed to support each other’s separate bills.

Created by Congress immediately after passage of Smith-Lever Act as part of the compromise.

Comm. on National Aid to VoEd

Senator Hoke Smith, chairSome members:

Rep. Dudly Hughes Charles Prosser (Exec. Sec. Of NSPIE)

Given 6 months and 45 person staff.

Comm. on National Aid to VoEdThere is a need for VoEd.Is a wise economic investment.VoEd will democratize the education of the

country by addressing peoples’ differences.VoEd will affect general ed by teaching

“learning by doing”VoEd will add “utility” to education;

increasing wage earning capacity.

Comm. on National Aid to VoEd

Training for different vocations is important, but Ag and T&I most urgent.

National $ for teacher salaries & training.Problem is national in scope.States need federal $.Need for national studies & reports.Included draft “Smith-Hughes” bill.

Commission on Reorganization of Secondary Education (1918)7 “Cardinal Principles of Secondary

Education”All students should receive education in:

health command of fundamental processes worthy home membership vocation civic education worthy use of leisure time ethical character

Joint Committee Report on Extension Programs, Policies, & Goals (1948)

In 1930s Ext. was charged with teaching about govt. programs and encouraging farmers to participate.

1940s Ext. was charged with increasing efficiencies to help with war effort.

Depression over, war over: What should Extension do?


Joint committee appt. by Sec. of Ag. and National Assoc. of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges.

Study mission of Extension Service


“Kepner Report” Ag., home economics, & 4-H primary audience of

Extension. But can’t ignore urban. Continue one-on-one contacts, meetings,

demonstrations. Change / improve relations with farm

organizations. Est. stronger ties between CES and academic base.

(agents not using research base)

“Brown vs. Board of Education,” Topeka (1954)

“Separate but equal” ruled unconstitutional.

Sputnik - Russians (1957)

American education was falling behind.Need more emphasis on:

science math foreign language technology

to catch up.

Statement of Scope and Responsibility

A Guide to Extension Programs in the Future (1958) Sputnik farm surpluses, low prices need to study:

• production marketing resources

• management family youth

• leadership community public affairs

A Guide to Extension Programs in the Future (1958)

Broaden scope of Extension add new programs, cannot be handled by

traditional methods of staffing & organization. New programs for new “publics” programs cross departmental lines future Extension staff will be more specialized post B.S. training will be required. Training must be beyond subject matter to include

adult education. Training of staff must be continuous.

A Guide to Extension Programs in the Future (1958)

Re-training will be needed as Extension jobs change.

Goal of training should be job self-exam.Sound program planningResearch will be basic resource for programs.Teaching methods tailored for needs.All teaching must be evaluated.In mass media, Ext. must be professional.Ext. system must provide adequate materials for

local leaders.

Panel of Consultants on VoEd (1962)

Appointed by President Kennedy.Report: “Education for a Changing World

of Work” Expand vocational offerings Update them Make available to more groups of people.

The People Left Behind (1967)President Johnson createdNational Advisory Commission on Rural Poverty

Rural poverty widespread; a national disgrace.

High proportion of those in city slums came from rural slums.

Programs for rural America woefully out of date.

The People Left Behind (1967)

“Some of our rural programs, especially farm and vocational agriculture programs, are relics from an earlier period.”

“Most rural programs do not take the speed and consequences of technological change into account.”


Made 33 recommendations, including: … expand occupational education programs that

will enable students to adapt to a changing society. Cooperative Extension … provide younger low

income farmers with info they need to decide whether to stay in farming or seek non-farm employment. If they stay, provide intensive assistance to become viable.


Fed. Govt. provide $ to create homemaking teams to work intensively with low income rural families.

CES devote more efforts toward development of comprehensive youth program that focuses on total development of individual. May be less emphasis on 4-H clubs.


Land Grant universities concentrate more research and education resources to problems of people and communities adjusting to changes brought about by economic growth and development.

A People and a Spirit (1968): CESEmphasized social side of Extension, rather

than technical.Recognized disadvantaged.Extension: teach people how to help

themselves.Involve clients in planning.All people as clients: include low-income,

urban.1890 institutions given role in Extension.

Hard Tomatoes, Hard Times (1972)

By Jim Hightower, Texas politician and radio personality.

Scathing indictment of land grant colleges, Extension, and ag research.

Claimed: needs of small farmers, rural communities, farm workers, rural poor, Black farmers all ignored.

L-Gs only care about big agribusiness.

A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform (1983)

National Commission on Excellence in Education appointed by Sec. Of Ed. Terrell Bell (who was appointed by Pres. Reagan to preside

over dismantling of USDE.)

Education in US in trouble need higher standards, more emphasis on academics

Extension in the 80s (1983)

Yet another study of CES Environmental programs 4-year plans

Understanding Agriculture: New Directions for Education (1988)

USDA & USDE secretaries joint commissioned this.

Conducted by National Academy of Sciences AgEd in US high schools does not extend beyond

“vocational agriculture.” Focus of AgEd must change. K-12 instruction in ag. (more)


For many years, VoAg had positive effect. Mostly white males. Focus and content is outdated. Programs are uneven in quality. Reform lies with State and National leadership. MAJOR revisions needed in VoAg. Quality must be substantially enhanced. (more)


Magnet schools should be established. Teachers should seek out high technology. All students should have an SOE (SAE). FFA should change name, symbols, rituals,

contests, requirements for membership, etc. to reflect contemporary agriculture.

Programmatic & $ changes are needed. Subject matter must be broadened. Exemplary programs should be emulated. Teacher prep. & inservice must be revised.

Patterns of Change (1991)

CESIssues-based programmingUse of new technology

Framing the Future: Strategic Framework for a System of Partnerships (1995)

“The Cooperative Extension: A Facilitator of Access for Community-Based Education”

CES mission to “…enable people to improve their lives and communities…” collaboration credibility democracy diversity learner-centered, life-long education scholarship self-reliance teamwork

Framing the Future: Strategic Framework for a System of Partnerships (1995)

CES vision: recognizes CES as national lifelong educational network of L-G universities connect research and knowledge from L-G provide access to global info in response to

emerging issues and local critical needs form partnerships est. cooperative ventures with private and public

institutions and agencies. practice scholarship leading to improvement of

organization, methods and outcomes.

Reinventing Agricultural Education for the Year 2020 (1998-2000)

Funded by Kellogg FoundationFuturing project of the Agricultural Education

(the USDE program) family. What should it be? Who should it serve? What should be taught? How should it be organized? Etc.

Documents

Trends Affecting agricultural education §Turning points for changes in our contextual history. §AGED 5053