High school movement

The high school movement is a term used in educational history literature to describe the era from 1910 to 1940 during which secondary schools sprouted across the United States. During this early part of the 20th century, American youth entered high schools at a rapid rate, mainly due to the building of new schools, and acquired skills "for life" rather than "for college." Graduation rates also climbed significantly and in fact, by 1940, about 50% of young Americans had graduated from high school. The movement began in New England but quickly spread to the western states. According to Claudia Goldin, the states that led in the U.S. high school movement (e.g. Iowa and Nebraska) had a cohesive, homogeneous population and were richer, with a broad middle-class group. [“Human Capital and Social Capital: The Rise of Secondary Schooling in America,1910 to 1940.” Journal of Interdisciplinary History XXIX (Spring 1999)] [“Decreasing (and Then Increasing) Inequality in America: A Tale of Two HalfCenturies.” In The Causes and Consequences of Increasing Income Inequality, editedby F. Welch, pp. 37–82. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2001.]

The United States exceeded Europe in mass secondary education. The American system of education was characterized as open to all, forgiving, lacking universal standards, and academic. On the other hand, the European system was closed, unforgiving, with uniform standards, and academic for some and industrial for others. In the United States, schools were provided by small, local districts, where as in Europe, schools were provided by the central government. [Goldin, Claudia, "The Human-Capital Century and American Leadership: Virtues of the Past." The Journal of Economic History, Vol. 61, No.2, June 2001]

From the viewpoint of economics, this movement led to the increase of women’s labor force from 1930 to 1950 in the United States. Knowledge and skills women gained in high school helped them to entere in better jobs outside of home. [Goldin, Claudia,"The Quiet Revolution that Transformed Women's Employment, Education, and Family." Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, Department of Economics, National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), 2006.]

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