one of the most important social developments that helped to make
possible a shift in thinking about the role of public education was the
effect of the baby boom of the 1950's and
1960's on the schools. in the 1920's, but especially in the depression
conditions of the 1930's, the united states experienced a declining birth
rate -- every thousand women aged fifteen to forty-four gave birth to about
118 live children in 1920，89.2 in 1930，75.8 in 1936, and 80 in
1940. with the growing prosperity brought on by the second world war and
the economic boom that followed it young people married and established
households earlier and began to raise larger families than had their
predecessors during the depression. birth rates rose to 102 per thousand
in 1946, 108.2 in 1950, and 118 in 1955. although economics was probably
the most important determinant, it is not the only explanation for the
baby boom. the increased value placed on the idea of the family also helps
to explain this rise in birth rates. the baby boomers began streaming into
the first grade by the mid 1940's and became a flood by 1950. the public
school system suddenly found itself overtaxed. while the number of
schoolchildren rose because of wartime and postwar conditions, these same
conditions made the schools even less prepared to cope with the flood. the
wartime economy meant that few new schools were built between 1940 and
1945. moreover, during the war and in the boom times that followed, large
numbers of teachers left their profession for better-paying jobs elsewhere
in the economy.
therefore in the 1950's and 1960's, the baby boom hit an antiquated and
inadequate school system. consequently, the "custodial rhetoric"of the
1930's and early 1940's no longer made sense that is, keeping youths aged
sixteen and older out of the labor market by keeping them in school could
no longer be a high priority for an institution unable to find space
and staff to teach younger children aged five to sixteen. with the baby
boom, the focus of educators and of laymen interested in education
inevitably turned toward the lower grades and back to basic academic
skills and discipline. the system no longer had much interest in offering
nontraditional, new, and extra services to older youths.
"公共教育的角色變化"英語作文譯文:
一項重要的、有可能促使人們對公共教育的角色的看法發生轉變的社會發展是本世紀五
六十年代的生育高峰對學校的影響。 在 20 年代，尤其是在 30 年代後的大蕭條中，美國經 歷了一次出生率的下降--1920 年每千名年齡在 15
歲至 45 歲的婦女生下大約 118 個存活嬰兒，
1930 年 89.2 個，1936 年 75.8 個，1940 年 80 個。 隨著二戰帶來的持續繁榮以及隨之而來
的經濟成長，年輕人比大蕭條中的同齡人更早地結婚成家，而且比前輩養育更大的家庭。
1946 年出生率上升到 102%，1950 年達 108%，1955 年達 118%。 對於生育高峰，經濟有可
能是最重要的決定因素，但它並不是唯一的解釋。 不斷受到重視的家庭觀念也有助於解釋 出生率的上升。 到 40
年代中期為止，這些生育高峰出生的孩子們開始源源不斷地進入國小 一年級。 到了 1950 年，就形成了一股洪流。 公共教育系統突然感到不堪重負了。
由於戰 時和戰後的狀況，使得學齡兒童人數增加，這些狀況使得學校面對這股洪流更加措手不及。 戰時經濟意味著在 1940 年到 1950
年間幾乎沒有建立新學校。 而且，在戰時和隨後的經濟 增長時期，大量的教師離開崗位去別處從事報酬更為優厚的工作。 因此，在五六十年代，
生育高峰衝擊著陳舊而不完備的學校體系。 這樣一來，30 年代以及 40 年代早期，"監護理 論"就不再有意義了。 也就是說，通過使 16
歲以上的年輕人留在學校不進入勞動力市場的 做法再也不是教育機構的優先考慮了。 因為教育機構不再能找到場地和教師來教育那些更 小的 5-16
歲的孩子。 隨著生育高峰，教育者和圈外人士對教育的興趣和焦點，不可避免地 轉向了更低的年級和基礎的學術技能和學科上。
這個系統不再有濃厚的興趣給較年長的年 輕人提供非傳統的新式的和額外的服務。