Education in state schools seems to have stayed the same for so many years now. However, the reality is that it often changes all the time on a minor basis. Maybe not as fast as some may want it too, but it does. Things have changed dramatically in the last 50 years in economic growth and technology. 
Five decades ago education was completely different in its demographics, disciplines, and other important syllabus and qualifications aspects. So, if you are wondering how it looked like back then, read on about outdated education facts.
Students Held More Respect for Teachers Back Then
Years ago, teachers treated students totally different from today’s standards. The teachers expected great discipline from their students when in the classroom and no disruptions or disrespect were tolerated or allowed. According to the statistics and data provided by a study taken by USA Today, students now are way less respectful to their teachers and academic peers. This correlates to saying that before, at least 79% of students showed respect to teachers compared to the 31% of students that do these days. Furthermore, parents of students going to school in the present day are more likely to believe their children rather than the teachers. Not so long ago it used to be the other way around.
No More Uniforms (Down to Schools Policy)
15 years ago students had to wear uniforms to reduce discrimination and that no inequality was demonstrated inside the school or the classroom. However, things have changed and now students can wear literally anything they feel comfortable in. Retrospectively, cities like New Orleans, Cleveland, Chicago, and Boston are with the highest number of public schools stating uniforms to be worn are mandatory.
According to the recent survey, parents are the ones against the uniforms because “it hinders students’ self-expression and personal liberty”. Meanwhile, teachers believe that it reduces peer pressure, disruption, competition inside the classroom, and promotes school pride and positive behavior among students.
Teaching Methodology Has Changed
It is documented that education 50 years ago was mainly done by way of conveying knowledge to the students theoretically and through direct instruction, while these days teachers endeavor to interact with the class as much as possible. Of course, before the progression of the internet, it was libraries and learning from the classroom. Now teachers are able to teach and show visual aids and start projects inside the classroom to offer other ways of learning instead of just giving lectures.
Punishment
The Corporal Punishment was introduced as a measure by the educational system to deliberate bodily pain or discomfort in response to undesired behavior. According to Wikipedia, ‘as of 2014, a student is hit in a U.S. public school an average of once every thirty seconds’. Although it is still practiced in some states, it has slowly been phased out after a recent public opinion survey was taken, which shows that ‘most Americans are not in favor of school corporal punishment; in polls taken in 2002 and 2005, American adults were respectively 72% and 77% opposed to the use of corporal punishment by teachers. Back in the day students used to be caned for things like having an untidy appearance. Today, there are very few schools that don’t even have rules or punishment that impose physical disciplinary measures so kids can learn from their own mistakes. The philosophy is that this method promotes a habit of learning from your own mistakes which often leads to a path of success.
Technology
As briefly touched upon with the arrival of the public internet ( the World Wide Web) in 1990. It is obvious to state that technology would be the first major thing which changed education most recently. Traditionally people had to travel to learning centers to get somewhat an education. Today, the web allows access to many people that can study easily and wherever they are. With other benefits the interconnectivity the web brings, a large amount of information is available to students on the internet which can help them learn more about the topics they’re learning. Technology has been an important role in education throughout these present years. It is creating new and innovative ways to provide education.
Women Are Now More Educated Than Men
“Who run the world? Girls!?”
Today it is said that roughly 38% of women have achieved at least a four-year college degree compared to around 31% of their male counterparts and was taken from people aged 25-32. 50 years ago, however, 12% of women of this age had higher education compared to the 20% of men of similar age. The social-political structures were completely different back then and women did not have as many rights and possibilities as men did. But the challenge for girls and women to get equal opportunities to education across the world is still far from complete, which is why you should support women’s education.
The Huffington Post stated that between the decade of 1990 – 2000, another wave of feminist activism was successful and brought about positive changes. As a result, more women now enter higher educational establishments than men do.
Americans Achieved More Diplomas 30 Years Ago
The number of successful US high school diplomas that students achieved; only some 30 years ago, the USA was amongst the leading countries when it came to the number and quality of the diplomas. Today it is not so. Many modern schools experience problems with bullying, discrimination, and other issues that cause young people to drop out without achieving and completing their high school diploma. This is an issue that the government continue to work on and recent publications show that the number of students obtaining a degree of this level is still decreasing.
Religion Was a Major Part of the Daily School Routine
In most cultures, every morning of a school day started with a prayer where the teacher would read a passage from the Bible. However, religion has been removed from most schools since then and are now mainly involved in specialist religious schools. You will now find that nothing associated with it is allowed on school grounds this is because the government is scared of the possible conflicts and/or discrimination. For the most parts in westernized civilizations, Jewish and Christianity religions were of the majority and was a significant part of the school day, fifty plus years ago.
So, a lot has changed with regards to education over the last 50 years, have you noticed any other major changes that should be included? Please share them in the comments section below.
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