Jan Amos Komenius And School Reform

School reform: a controversial topic in the US and in other countries around the globe as well. What is it about education that gets people all wound up? What are the most debated controversies? And when it comes down to it, what is the most effective way for humans to learn new subjects? If we look back to the reforms Jan Amos Komenius started in the Bohemian lands and brought to the rest of Europe, perhaps these ideals give us a basis on how society should proceed in the future of universal education? This paper will first describe who Jan Amos Komenius was, his life and his work; then attempt to explain how modern day education would be different without his reform.

Jan Amos Komenius was a philosopher, studier of education, and theologian,

It is referred to as the nature versus nurture issue: how much of what we are a result of what we have been born with, and to what extent is this (or can this be) enhanced by how we are brought up?” (Abbott 1). Most Americans agree United States public schools are failing. A number of tests in recent years have shown American students of middle and high school age performing either average or below average compared to students in several dozen other countries. As a result, new proposals have been made in recent years to insert national standards as a way to bring American test scores up to a level where they can compete on a global scale. This concept of grading all American children by the same standards has long heard opinions from supporters and opposition. Jack Schneider from The Atlantic wrote: “American schools are charged with the task of creating better human beings. And they are expected to do so in a relatively consistent way for all of young people.” The statement does hold some truth: as the building where children spend seven hours of their day, give or take, five days a week, most of their influence derives from what they learn at school. Essentially giving teachers the responsibility to pass on to their students not just lessons in math and grammar, but in teamwork, work ethic, and good social behaviors. All which must be done using a

However, policy makers argue that it is an unbiased, reliable way to measure academic growth, which in turn helps schools pinpoint in what areas they can improve on. Though, the real controversy remains: those in favor of standardized testing insist the program puts education on a level playing field, students aren't disadvantaged by income, or location, and thus receive the same education as any other student. However, this argument does not take into factor school funding, how much after-school time teachers are willing to give, or outside influences of the community (i.e. inner- city schools with a significant amount of drugs or gangs in the community tend to see higher rates of dropouts compared to schools who don’t). Possibly the strongest argument against standardized education, or would’ve been in the eyes of Komenius at least, studies have shown multiple times that as schools turn more to a uniform method of teaching, the disengagement among students