Annie Holmquist compares a middle school reading list from 1908 to one from today. It isn’t just that the latter is dumbed down in comparison, though it is. She goes on to analyze the content of what is taught in these two sets of books and the kinds of education they exemplify.
From Jason W. Stevens, Middle School Reading Lists 100 Years Ago vs. Today | The Federalist Papers:
There’s a delightful and true saying, often attributed to Joseph Sobran, that in a hundred years, we’ve gone from teaching Latin and Greek in high school to teaching remedial English in college.
Now comes even more evidence of the steady decline of American educational standards.
Last year, Annie Holmquist, a blogger for better-ed.org, discovered a 1908 curriculum manual in the Minnesota Historical Society archives that included detailed reading lists for various grade levels.
For Annnie Holmquist’s original post, go here.
HT: Mary Moerbe & Lars Walker
