I thought it made perfect sense that as the United States became more industrialized and modernized, high schools and junior high schools shifted their focus towards preparing students for work through vocational training and specialization. It does bother me some that today’s schools, especially at the college level, are really just an extension of Corporate America. Education today is not valued simply for allowing an individual to gain knowledge or establish an intellectual understanding of the world, but to learn a particular skill that will be useful in a certain job or career. Of course, this change in the value of education resulted from the changes in our society. As was discussed in the chapter, there was a battle between the older academic concepts of high school and the new doctrines of social efficiency. I agreed with the social efficiency doctrines which stressed the importance of specialization. As many of us may have noticed, there has been a significant increase in the number of vocational schools and programs throughout the country, which I see as a good thing. Students often lose interest in school because they are forced to learn subjects they have no interest in and which will not be useful for them in the future careers they hope to pursue. In my opinion, these specialized schools and programs afford many students the ability to engage in learning that will not only benefit them in the classroom but in the workplace as well. I understand the need for young individuals to have a well rounded education, but it is more important to keep these individuals interested in school and providing them with a clearer and earlier path to their future careers.
The major problem that arises from the emergence and progression of human capital education is the relationship between the corporations and the schools. The major debate that arose in the late 19th century was whether or not human capital education was geared towards the public good or towards benefiting corporations. Personally I would say it’s the latter. It’s no secret that corporations have great influence over our education system, from the materials, goods, and supplies being bought and sold in schools, to the food being served, to the recruitment of students on campus at the college level. As schools continue to become more specialized and more focused on job training, it only makes sense that the corporations that will eventually hire these students would want to have some say and influence on what they learn and how they learn it. Corporations would want to make sure that these future “investments” are well prepared to follow orders and become good corporate “soldiers”. With that said, are there any major benefits to the education system or schools in general from partnering with or having any relationship with corporations? Should school curriculums continue to become more specialized by teaching valuable job skills or stay committed to providing students with a good well rounded education in various subjects and topics?
