Postwer and Recent Higher eduction - Research Paper Example

Postwar and Recent Higher Education activism was the work done by which affected the environmental, economical, political and social change in the society. This often focused on making of changes in the educational system, influencing educational funding and the student curriculum (Thelin, 2011). Some settings even resulted in students having vital roles in enormous political events. In the United States this student activism has often been seen as a structure of youth activism as it is majorly oriented toward bringing about changes in the American educational structure.

It was during the period of the 1960s that the student activism gained the political prominence. The best part of this period was the formation of Students for a Democratic civilization in Michigan which solely focused on schools being social agents and uplifting the society. Most of the student groups that were formed during this period focused on societal issues such as fighting racism, pushing for integration and calling for the halting of state-led education (Wechsler, 2007). One of the largest student strikes occurred in May and June of 1970 which was in response of the Kent State Shootings and when America invaded Cambodia.

During the early 1980s numerous formal groups brought together neoliberal models of various student activism across the nation mostly from the campuses. The Campus Outreach Occasional League is credited for the identification and championing of the vast interests in service amongst the higher education students. Student activism also rose during the 1990s as the neoliberal population service policies were ushered in by Bill Clinton (Thelin, 2011). There was also the renaissance of populist student activism which was against standardized teaching and testing.

They also pushed for radical changes to ensure their sustainability by pushing for leadership changes and education policy and funding.ReferencesThelin, J. R. (2011). A history of American higher education (2nd ed). Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.Wechsler, H. S., Goodchild, L. F., &Eisenmann, L. (Eds.). (2007). The history of higher education (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Custom Publishing. pp. 575-660, pp.775- 790ORpp. 791-800