English

ERIC ED349475: Rockefeller and General Education Board Influences on Vocationalism in Education, 1880-1925.

Through philanthropic donations, John D. Rockefeller and the General Education Board (GEB) encouraged vocationalism in education during the years 1880-1925, the Progressive Era. Evidently, Rockefeller believed that the best education for poor youth was vocational, presumably so they would be able to maintain occupations in their adult lives. This precedent set by Rockefeller was continued by the GEB after its founding in 1903. The GEB was known for its expenditures that rescued schools from desperate circumstances. Yet the programs they recommended time and again advocated vocational offerings for students who would not attend college. The problem with this approach was not with opening doors to poor children, as the philanthropists viewed their donations, but with closing doors to any other area a student might choose to pursue. They believed a student's destiny was known and there the future lay. Actual program changes under GEB auspices showed that vocational education was both the goal and a result of their involvement. For example, to stimulate agriculture in the South, GEB insisted that young people's education should consist primarily of agriculture and domestic science. GEB

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