IMPACT OF ESSENTIALISM ON AMERICAN EDUCATION 2
Abstract
There are many philosophies that have influenced education over time. One of the
prominent philosophies is that of essentialism. Essentialism believes that there is a moral
obligation to transmit certain cultural and intellectual values in order to be a productive member
of society. Essentialism focuses on the core subjects of reading, writing, math, science, and
social studies in order to help with the previously mentioned preparedness. There is no room for
social emotional learning or vocational training. The teacher is seen as the main transmitter of
knowledge and should have a disciplined classroom environment. If a teacher were to teach with
essentialism at the forefront, all students would get the same information in the same way. In
order to meet the needs of 21st century students, flexibility and differentiation are required. While
essentialism has had a far reaching impact, there needs to be some changes made in order to best
teach the students of today’s classrooms.
When considering the dominating influences of the American education system, one does
not have to look far to see the far reaching impact of the essentialist philosophy. Originating
around the 1930s, essentialism saw a rise in popularity during a changing time in America’s
history, with rapid advancements being made in all areas of society. The education system
needed to consider new ways to educate the masses in order to have a more productive
workforce. Essentialism focuses on the role of the teacher as the transmitter of knowledge and
the instructional practices that are being used. While not the only philosophy that has influenced
education, essentialism is a clear front runner that has had not only education implications, but
societal, and political as well. While it is easy to see the variety of influence on the education
IMPACT OF ESSENTIALISM ON AMERICAN EDUCATION 3
system, Essentialism is a standout due to its focus on the basics and emphasis on ensuring
teachers are properly prepared before stepping into the classroom.
Summary and Historical Context
Before diving into the influence that essentialism has had on the American education
system, there needs to be a discussion on what all is involved in the philosophy and its
components. William C. Bagley is seen as the leading essentialist theorist, living from 1874-
1946. Most of his professional career was spent as an administrator and teacher of normal
schools, that were responsible for the education of teachers (Null, 2007). Bagley’s focus on the
education of teachers was one of the pillars of essentialism because it directly contradicted the
traditionalist idea that teachers did not net specialized training or education in subjects such as
pedagogy, and that content knowledge would be sufficient (Null, 2007). Bagley believed that
teachers were not being adequately prepared to teach and took issue with the fact that many
students were being passed on to the next grade without mastering the required skills and
knowledge. He thought that educators had a moral responsibility to pass down the moral and
intellectual values are passed on to students, so that they can become productive and contributing
members of society (Sahin, n.d.). At the root of essentialism was the belief that “certain ideas are
essential to culture and that these ideas should be taught to everyone in traditional ways,” (Smith,
2011). If one looked into a classroom with a teacher who was following the essentialist
philosophy, there would be an structured and disciplined learning environment with a focus on
core subjects (Layne, 2023). Elementary students would be focusing on reading, writing, and
math, while secondary students would be focusing on English, math, science, history, and
foreign language (Ornstein et al., 2016). Essentialism is centered around the core academic
subjects and has the belief that basic concepts need to be taught first and mastered before a
IMPACT OF ESSENTIALISM ON AMERICAN EDUCATION 4
student should be allowed to move on to the next grade level (Johns Hopkins University, n.d.).
Essentialism came about at a time where traditionalism and progressivism were two of the
dominant ideologies. Null (2007) discussed four guiding principles for essentialism according to
Bagley; that students have the right to a caring and well trained teacher, ever student should have
access to quality learning, there should be a well thought out curriculum, and the focus of
schooling needed to be on the core subjects.
At the time that essentialism was gaining traction, America was going through rapid
changes due to industrialization and immigration. Not only were advancements being made, but
the makeup of the country was changing, and that required an analysis of how best to educate the
populus (Null, 2007). During this time period Americans were beginning to emerge from the
Great Depression and people were seeking a way to see what role, if any, did the education
system play in it (Sahin, n.d.). This time period saw the rise of Hitler and Stalin (Null, 2007).
Thinking of some of the farthest reaching impacts of essentialism, can clearly been seen in
government mandates following the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) (2001), or the A Nation
at Risk report (1983), or the introduction of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in 2010.
NCLB had an emphasis on going back to basics with a focus on core subjects and academic
achievement being measured by standardized tests, while CCSS “addressed the need for
nationally shared key ideas,” (Ornstein et al., 2016). NCLB also called for an emphasis on highly
qualified teachers, something that was a big focus of Bagley’s work on essentialism (Imig &
Imig, 2006).
Critical Analysis
The essentialist view of education is in the belief that certain pieces of knowledge and the
morals that are valued as a culture, need to be transmitted. The best way to ensure this happens in
IMPACT OF ESSENTIALISM ON AMERICAN EDUCATION 5
in the classroom. Teachers are viewed as the facilitators of learning and should be the ultimate
source of knowledge and pedagogy. Essentialism is rooted in everyone being taught the same
way.
One of the competing theories that originated before essentialism, and competed with it,
was progressivism. Notable progressivists were Dewey, Thorndike, and Kilpatrick. They
advocated for things like differentiation, vocational training, and project-based learning. While
many of these ideas were not accepted by essentialists, not all of the ideas proposed by
progressivists were dismissed by essentialists (Null, 2007). A big proponent of differentiation or
changing learning practices to best meet the needs of the students, are progressivists. One of the
major criticisms of essentialism comes from the lack of differentiation. With such a rigid
expectation on focusing on teaching everything the same way, teacher transmitting information
and students practicing through worksheets and assignments similar, many students are unable to
de successful. There is an emphasis on conformity over creativity (Layne, 2023). Where the
focus is on purely academics, there is no room for students to pursue topics that interest them or
to teach things like emotional regulation, which is a vital component of primary education. This
issue is rooted in the discussion on what role a school plays in society. Much of education today
focuses on constructivist approaches to education, that is student’s having a hand in building
their own knowledge. Constructivist approaches are something that many essentialists are wary
of (Ornstein et al., 2016).
One of the strengths of the essentialist philosophy is the emphasis of a well thought out
curriculum that begins with students focusing on the basics and then scaffolding their knowledge
from the bottom up. The intent in focusing on academics is to prepare students to be functioning
and productive members of society beyond school.
IMPACT OF ESSENTIALISM ON AMERICAN EDUCATION 6
Comparison of Educational Philosophy with Personal Educational Beliefs
In learning about essentialism, I was surprised by how much of it I already incorporated
into my own teaching. This being said, there are many areas where I differ from educators who
hold essentialist beliefs. Due to the rigid nature of essentialist teaching, there is not much room
for differentiation. On of the pillars of my belief is that not all students learn the same way or
require the same things in order to be successful, think English language learners (ELLs) or
students with disabilities. While we are bound by common state standards, there is a variety of
ways that we can help students access this knowledge, which is not allowed with an essentialist
school of thought.
Another challenge I have with essentialism is he belief that schools should only focus on
the academics. Schools and communities work together to meet the needs of the whole child, and
some of those needs are not academic. Schools play an important role in teaching students how
to regulate their emotions and that would not happen under an essentialist view. There is also the
issue that students should be passively receiving the new information they are to learn with
teachers being the ‘sage on the stage’, where my teacher preparation program and many
professional developments have emphasized the importance of allowing students the room to
explore and have a hand in constructing their own knowledge.
Even with the many difficulties I have with essentialism, I do still find many similarities.
One of the biggest is the emphasis on ensuring that teachers are properly prepared before going
into the classroom. This is such an important factor in helping teachers to be successful. A good
teacher prep program will not only go over pedagogy, but also provide students with practical
experiences. The idea that there is a collective responsibility to ensure that students leave school
IMPACT OF ESSENTIALISM ON AMERICAN EDUCATION 7
with the ability to be productive and contributing members of society is also important tenant of
essentialism that I adhere to.
Implication for Today’s Education and Classroom
As previously discussed, essentialism has had far reaching impacts that are still felt in
today’s classrooms. The aftermath of NCLB and A Nation at Risk in particular, have directed
correlations to essentialism. In classrooms today we can see a clear emphasis on having a proper
organized and well thought out curriculum (Null, 2007). While individualized instruction is
lacking in essentialist teaching, the rigor that is expected of schools will help to prepare students
to be successful, contributing, and productive members of society (Sahin, n.d.). The NCLB act
had states and districts focusing on ways to ensure that their staff were “highly qualified”,
something that is vital to essentialism in having properly prepared teachers (Imig & Imig, 2006).
While there is an emphasis on constructivist and progressive approaches to education, there is
still a strong desire and recommendation for teachers to have a structured and disciplined
learning environment (Layne, 2023). Another area that essentialist ideals can be felt is in the
emphasis on standardized testing. Where there is such a focus on acquisition of knowledge in
core subjects, one of the ways to assess that mastery is through standardized testing. Teachers
become so focused in teaching to these standardized tests that much of the “learning” that
happens is through memorization and not true understanding as well as the underdevelopment of
critical thinking and problem solving skills.
Conclusion
Essentialist approaches to education lay emphasis on passing on specific knowledge and
morals so that students can be successful and contributing members of society. While there is an
IMPACT OF ESSENTIALISM ON AMERICAN EDUCATION 8
emphasis on having a structed curriculum, properly prepared teachers, and importance of core
subjects being taught, there are many weaknesses that need to be considered. With a rigid
emphasis on only teaching the core subjects the same way for all students, the lack of
differentiation is concerning, where teachers have students that are coming to them of varying
abilities. Teachers need to be flexible and willing to differentiate instruction as needed to best
meet the needs of students. It is important to realize that while there is an emphasis on teacher
preparedness and properly thought out and organized curriculum, an inclusive and flexible
approach to education is necessary in order to meet the needs of 21st century learners.
IMPACT OF ESSENTIALISM ON AMERICAN EDUCATION 9
References
Imig,CD.CG., & Imig,CS.CR. (2006). The teacher effectiveness movement. Journal of Teacher
Education, 57(2), 167-180. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487105285672
Johns Hopkins University. (n.d.). 4 Major Educational Philosophies. Center for Teaching
Excellence and Innovation.
https://ctei.jhu.edu/files_ta/4_Major_Educational_Philosophies.pdf
Layne,CJ. (2023, March 2). Pros and cons of essentialism in education 2023. Ablison.
https://www.ablison.com/pros-and-cons-of-essentialism-in-education/
Null,CJ.CW. (2007). William C. Bagley and the founding of essentialism: An untold story in
American educational history. Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in
Education, 109(4), 1013-1055. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146810710900408
Ornstein,CA.CC., Levine,CD.CU., Gutek,CG., & Vocke,CD.CE. (2016). Foundations of education.
Cengage Learning.
Sahin,CM. (n.d.). Essentialism in philosophy, psychology, education, social and scientific scopes.
Journal of Innovation in Psychology, Education and Didactics, 22(2), 193-204.
https://www.proquest.com/docview/2416855541?pq-origsite=summon
Smith,CD.CV. (2011). Neo‐liberal individualism and a new essentialism: A comparison of two
Australian curriculum documents. Journal of Educational Administration and History,
43(1), 25-41. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220620.2010.532864
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
