ANALYSIS OF ESSENTIALISM 2
Abstract
Essentialism is a educational philosophy that promotes curriculum based on teaching the
essential skills needed to function in society. Willim C. Bagley was a lead essentialist, who
believed that education should be built on the foundation of core subjects, such as mathematics,
language arts, history, and science. Essentialism focuses on a “back-to-the-basics’ approach and
is considered to be a “one-size-fits-all” philosophy. Essentialists believe that education should be
teacher-centered rather than student-centered. Essentialism does not consider student disabilities
and needs when creating curriculum. Differentiation is a very crucial part of education, and
essentialism is the complete opposite of that idea. Essentialism has influenced the idea of
education in many ways, and this paper will strive to discuss the influences and historical context
of essentialism as a whole.
Keywords: Essentialism, education, educational philosophy, curriculum, differentiation,
essential skills
ANALYSIS OF ESSENTIALISM 3
Educational Philosophies: An Analysis of Essentialism
Essentialism is the idea in which the school’s primary function is providing students with
an education that focuses on maintaining the achievements of human civilization by relaying
essential skills to students. Essentialist curriculum is carefully formed to ensure that students are
able to learn and utilize crucial skills in different subjects (Ornstein et al., 2016). Essentialism in
education incorporates a “back-to-the-basics” approach and aims to promote and improve
citizenship. Essentialism focuses on academic training in the core areas such as literacy, writing,
mathematics, science, and history. Curriculum developed under an essentialist approach centers
around the teacher instead of the learner and utilizes mastery of essential knowledge as a
measurement before moving on (Acquah et al., 2017). Throughout education’s history, the
philosophy of essentialism has impacted the realm of education both positively and negatively.
Summary and Historical Context
William C. Bagley, lead essentialist philosopher, believed that all schools should provide
students with an education that focuses on the skills and knowledge needed to function properly
in a democratic society (Ornstein et al., 2016). During 1934, Bagley published a book by the title
of Education and Emergent Man: A Theory of Education with Particular Application to Public
Education in the United States. During this time, America’s education system was battling to
include traditionalist or progressive curriculum and pedagogy. Because of this, Bagley’s book
was overlooked and rejected by his colleagues. Michael John Demiashkevich read and promoted
Bagley’s book by writing a review and including a section titled An Introduction to the
Philosophy of Education in his own book. Demiashkevich’s mention of Bagley’s philosophy
served as a catalyst and sparked the essentialist philosophy in American education (Null, 2007).
Bagley created and established an intricate teacher education program that moved teachers
ANALYSIS OF ESSENTIALISM 4
forward from preservice to professional classroom service. For essentialism to work in the
classroom, it is crucial that educators have an understanding of liberal arts and sciences, the
skills and subjects they teach, professional education experience, and methods to ensure they are
able to teach the essential skills. Because essentialism requires a large amount of knowledge to
be learned, the curriculum has to emphasize essential knowledge, and the teaching methods have
to be effective. Essentialists continuously argue that philosophies that neglect teacher-directed
instruction in the basic skill subjects have and continue to have a negative effect on students’
academic performance (Ornstein et al., 2016). A professor of history and leader of the Council on
Basic Education, Arthur E. Bestor, Jr., reconceptualized the essentialist principles into the theory
of basic education. Bestor stated that schools should provide a quality education in the
intellectual subjects of history, science, mathematics, literature, language, and arts. Historically,
these disciplines helped people search for cultural understanding, intellectual power, and useful
knowledge. Since the 1980s, there has been a movement that has asked to reincorporate specific
aspects of essentialism in the Nation at Risk report, the NCLB act, and the Common Core State
Standards Initiative. Nation at Risk has asked that all core subjects meet the standards and
approval of Bagley, Bestor, and other early essentialists (Ornstein et al., 2016).
Critical Analysis
Essentialism is created on the foundation that assumes all people and things have natural
and essential common characteristics. In education, essentialism is the idea that all children
should learn traditional disciplines and basic essential subjects thoroughly and equally, without
consideration to their capabilities, conditions, needs, and interests (Mehmet, 2018). Essentialism
is considered to be a conservative philosophy that describes schools’ purpose to remain realistic,
preparing students to become valuable members of society. Essentialism is the complete opposite
ANALYSIS OF ESSENTIALISM 5
of progressivism, which believes education should be child-centered, in the fact that essentialism
states that essential skills should be taught and mastered before students study less essential
materials that may interest them (Acquah et al., 2017). Incorporating essentialist ideologies in
education is very beneficial, but relying solely on essentialism as the foundation of education is
very restricting for students and educators (Newman & Knobe, 2019). Progressivists rejected the
idea of essentialism and stated that children should learn on their own timetable rather than adult
scheduling. Differentiating instruction for students to learn at their own pace and capabilities is
much more of the foundation that schools are built on today. It is believed that children learn best
when they are able to explore their own interests and construct their own reality from direct
experiences (Ornstein et al., 2016). The idea of essentialism is very beneficial for students, but
combining the student-centered ideologies from progressivism would create a learning
environment that is positive and effective for students.
When viewing essentialism compared to a biblical worldview, it is very clear that they
differ in many aspects. Essentialism does not take into consideration the capabilities and needs of
each student, but rather states that all students must master essential concepts in the same way
regardless of their academic needs. The Lord calls educators to serve each of their students in a
way that will benefit and grow that student. By ignoring the needs of students, educators are
ignoring the call of the Lord. It is very difficult to steward the gift of education, serve students
well, and glorify the Lord when essentialism states that educators should not consider the needs
of students. It is absolutely crucial that all students learn the basic and essential skills needed to
function in society; however, to ensure that all students are learning these concepts, it is
important that teachers are differentiating instruction.
ANALYSIS OF ESSENTIALISM 6
Comparison of Educational Philosophy with Personal Educational Beliefs
When looking at essentialism compared to today’s educational system, teaching and
allowing students to understand the basic skills to function in society is crucial; however, it is
extremely important that students capabilities and needs are taken into account when developing
curriculum. Differentiating instruction for all academic needs is the foundation of the present
educational system. The main goal of education is to have students learn and achieve academic
success; therefore, it is crucial that educators find strategies that motivate all types of learning
needs. Essentialism promotes a “one-size-fits-all” approach, and that simply does not work for
students. Finding curriculum that teaches the essential skills and concepts is very important, but
it is just as important to find a curriculum that differentiates instruction so all students can grasp
the concepts (Roberts & Inman, 2023).
Looking at education through a biblical worldview, educators are called to serve one
another to the best of their ability. Christian educators were given the gift of teaching by the
Lord, and in order to steward what the Lord has provided, educators must have an understanding
of their students and how to best serve them. Differentiating instruction to meet the academic
needs of all students is stewarding the gift that the Lord has provided; “God has given each of
you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another” (New
Living Translation, 2008, 1 Peter 4:10). More importantly, education should be used to glorify
the Lord. Providing every student with a quality education where they are able to learn how to
love and serve one another is a way for the Lord to be glorified even more. The foundation of
everything, including education, should start with Jesus Christ and Christianity.
Implication for Today’s Education and Classroom
ANALYSIS OF ESSENTIALISM 7
For essentialists, the primary goal of education is to transmit and maintain the necessary
fundamentals of human culture (Ornstein et al., 2016). Professional educators who want to
implement essentialist ideologies into their classroom should incorporate structured curriculum
that revolves around basic skills and subjects. Educators should also incorporate traditional
Western and American values of patriotism, hard work, effort, punctuality, respect for authority,
and civility. Implementing essentialism in today’s classroom should involve effective classroom
management and fair spaces of discipline and order. Lastly, incorporation of essentialism should
promote students on the basis of academic achievement not social considerations (Ornstein et al.,
2016). Curriculum that mirrors essentialist ideologies for current classrooms would utilize
deductive logic to create instruction. For example, implications for today’s education and
classroom, an educator would first teach basic concept and factual information and then lead
students to make generalizations based upon that knowledge (Ornstein et al., 2016).
Conclusion
The idea of essentialism promotes educators to teach the essential skills to function in a
democratic society (Ornstein et al., 2016). Essentialism is built on a “back-to-the-basics”
foundation and focuses on core subjects, such as mathematics, language arts, history, and
science. It is extremely important that students are taught the essential skills and concepts to
function in society; however, essentialism does not consider students’ needs and capabilities and
does not promote student interest. Finding a curriculum that differentiates instruction to meet the
needs of each and every student is more important than focusing solely on the essential skills.
Without differentiation, select students would grasp the knowledge of essential skills. Promoting
student-centered learning would ensure that every student would understand the essential skills
needed to participate in the world. More importantly, it is crucial that all education is built on the
ANALYSIS OF ESSENTIALISM 9
References
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philosophers on the aims of education, role of education and the focus of
education:HImplications for curriculum development and practice in Ghana. Journal of
Philosophy, Culture and Religion, 32.
Mehmet, Ş. (2018). Essentialism in philosophy, psychology, education, social and scientific
scopes. Journal of Innovation in Psychology, Education and Didactics, 22(2), 193–204.
Newman, G. E., & Knobe, J. (2019). The essence of essentialism. Mind and Language, 34(5),
585–605. https://doi.org/10.1111/mila.12226
NLT Study Bible. (2008). Tyndale House Publishers.
Null, J. W. (2007). William C. Bagley and the founding of essentialism: An untold story in
American educational history. Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in
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Ornstein, A. C., Levine, D. U., Gutek, G., & Vocke, D. E. (2016). Foundations of Education
(13th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Roberts, J. L., & Inman, T. F. (2023). Strategies for differentiating instruction: Best practices for
the classroom (4th ed.). Routledge.
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