Education in the 1930s

Introduction: The Depression was a terrible time for the American economy, and patriotic morale for democracy was low for the people. Thus, education received dwindling funds, and many schools were closed. Nevertheless, “every cloud has a silver lining” was true during the Depression because the lacking education resulted in the social opinions given by education advocate John Dewey, and uniquely enough, higher literacy rates among school children.    

John Dewey (1859-1952): “Father of Modern Education”

    -Although John Dewey (not the librarian who created the Dewey Decimal System) isn’t well known today, he is considered by many philosophers as the “Father of Modern Education.”          

     -He created the idea (pragmatism) that education should be learned through experimentation and understanding of nature instead of simply remembering knowledge.

     -John Dewey also supported democracy to be the main aspect of fair education because education in the 1930s still hadn’t been fair to all students. After seeing the Depression’s troubling effects on education, he wrote several articles for magazines about social reforms in education. With so many of his useful ideas, modern education adopted them for today.   

Depression Literacy Rates Among School Children

     – Strangely enough, literacy rates improved during the Depression even though many schools were being closed.

     -Especially, children were encouraged to go to school to keep them out of trouble, and it provided them with a difference and temporary sidetrack from the Depression’s effects in their daily routine. Many also tried to learn to read because it provided them with a boost in happiness and to their social status as well. 

In conclusion, even with so many mistakes in 1930s education, it provided a foundation for improvement in today’s education.



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