Current Trends in Education for American History in the USA - Focusing on Public High School Curriculum -

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초록

This paper reviews issues of the overall American history education in the United States with a special emphasis on the education in public high school. In high school, American history is not limited to certain grade level, but it is categorized as a mandatory course for graduation. It is usually taken in eleventh grade. In 1994, the United States federal government began the process of establishing a national standard for history education. After enduring over two years of debate as a result of unequal understanding of history by conservatives and liberals, the revised National Standard for History was finally enacted in 1996. Each state adopted a state-level standard that reflects the national standard.
Upon reviewing standards and goals for American history courses that were enacted by California and Texas, it was evident that California’s education was based on more liberal inclination and Texas’s on more conservative. In other words, I was able to confirm that the educational goals of American history courses can vary depending on the political disposition of the state despite a unified national standard. In the case of California, selecting American history textbooks involves a very complex administrative procedure and takes two to three years of duration. It is important to note that although this complex process emphasizes transparency and open participation, lobbying by many interest groups and large publishing companies cannot be ignored. Lastly, high school American history education affects overall high school grades point average (GPA) but does not affect the Standardized Aptitude Test Reasoning (SAT I) score, which is the major college entrance exam.
In conclusion, American history related education administration, learning objectives, materials selection, and relevance to college admission that are carried out by the public high schools in the United States are fundamentally left to consistency reflected by the state government and/or the unified autonomy of the states. However, all decision-makings in terms of the education of American history are lastly and fully depended on the students and their parents.

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