Please answer one of the following questions:
Question 1: How and why did Progressive educational reformers seek to expand the influence of schooling in the lives of American youth through in the late 19th and early 20th centuries through the modern k-12 school system? In your response, include evidence from John Rury’s text, Dr. Terzian’s video class presentations, and some of our in-class primary source documents.
OR
Question 2: From 1890-1940, the percentage of American teenagers attending public high school rose from 7% to 79%. To what extent, then, do you think that the rapid rise of secondary schooling in this period benefited all American youth? In your response, include evidence from John Rury’s text, Dr. Terzian’s video class presentations, and some of our in-class primary source documents.
Responses should be between 800-1,000 words. Please double-space and use Times New Roman, 12- point font.
Essays will be evaluated on these criteria:
An introductory paragraph that ends with a clear thesis that answers the question and briefly indicates why you think so.
How effectively your response includes a variety of relevant specific examples from each of the specified authors and class presentations to support and develop your thesis. When summarizing from a source, be sure to indicate in a parenthesis the author’s last name; when quoting from a source, indicate both the author’s last name and the page number.
How carefully and persuasively you explain why those specific examples support your thesis.
A concluding paragraph that summarizes your main points convincingly.
How clearly it is written, organized, and carefully proofread.
*Here are some technical and stylistic matters that you should keep in mind when preparing your drafts:
Incorporate a title that represents your main point in the essay.
Be sure to answer the question with a clear thesis statement that appears at the end of your introductory paragraph.
Be explicit in your analysis. Be direct and vivid and include specific examples.
Whether quoting directly or paraphrasing from a written source, include the page number. Quotes from Dr. Terzian’s video presentations must include the title of the video.
Don’t present a quotation as a stand-alone sentence. Instead, embed the quotation into a sentence of your own. Similarly, don’t end a paragraph with a quotation; always try to end with your own words—to remind the reader how that quotation supports your thesis.
Be judicious in determining where to break your paragraphs.
Number your pages.
Use the active voice. Avoid the passive voice whenever possible.
Omit needless words. Only include essential words in any given sentence. For instance, “the fact that” should only read “that.” Etc.
Stay consistent in verb tense. In writing about the past, stay in the past tense throughout. When speaking to your reader about, say, how a particular event in the past makes sense to us today, then feel free to use the present tense.
In using parenthetical page references after a quotation, the punctuation mark follows the parenthesis—it does not fall within the quotation itself.
Always write in complete sentences (make sure there is a subject and verb).
Proofread your final draft carefully—line by line with a ruler.
YOU MUST INCLUDE A WORKS CITED PAGE!! Please attach a complete works cited page including full citations for each scholar/presenter/readings/video referenced in your essay. You may use APA, MLA, or Chicago style.
video resources:
