Factory model school, along with terms such as factory model education and industrial era schools, is a rhetorical phrase used since the mid to late twentieth century by writers and speakers advocating changes to education systems, comparing schools to factories and teachers to assembly lines. Education historians describe the phrase as an ahistorical and misleading account of how American public education actually developed, arguing it persists because schooling is risk-averse and because debate about it leans on metaphor rather than history. When used, the phrase generally points to features that emerged in European education in the late eighteenth century and then spread to North America in the mid-nineteenth century, including top-down management, standardized age-based classrooms and outcomes designed to meet broader social needs. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
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Education LevelPrimary Education (ISCED 1) 1 Education LevelLower Secondary Education (ISCED 2) 1 Education LevelUpper Secondary Education (ISCED 3) 1 Core Claimthe term references characteristics of European education that emerged in the late 18th century and then in North America in the mid 19th century, including top down management, outcomes designed to meet societal needs, age based classrooms, the modern liberal arts curriculum, and a focus on producing results 2 Partially Attested
Origin Yearsource hedges with the word likely on this being the first public use of the term FAQs
Did public schools really copy factories?
Historians call the factory comparison a misleading metaphor rather than an accurate history.
Education historians generally say no. The phrase factory model school is a rhetorical device used since the mid to late twentieth century by writers and speakers who want to change education systems, and historians describe it as a misleading and inaccurate account of how American public education developed. When people use it, they are usually pointing to features that emerged in European education in the late eighteenth century and reached North America in the mid nineteenth century, such as top-down management, age-based classrooms and outcomes designed to meet societal needs. The first public use of the term for K-12 education was likely a 1972 speech by Dr. Howard Lamb.
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1. Factory model school (Wikipedia)
Lead section
"Factory model schools", "factory model education", "industrial era schools", "industrial models" are ahistorical terms that emerged in the mid to late-20th century and are used by writers and speakers as a rhetorical device by those advocating changes to education systems.
Article text
The first public use of the term "factory model schools" to describe K-12 education was likely in a speech by Dr.
In Group: Hidden Curriculum and Social Reproduction Critiques, Lead
"Factory model schools", "factory model education", "industrial era schools", "industrial models" are ahistorical terms that emerged in the mid to late-20th century and are used by writers and speakers as a rhetorical device by those advocating changes to education systems.
View the Source2. Factory model school (Wikipedia)
Origin section
The first public use of the term 'factory model schools' to describe K-12 education was likely in a speech by Dr. Howard Lamb in September 1972.
Definition section
Generally speaking, when used, the terms are referencing characteristics of European education that emerged in the late 18th century and then in North America in the mid-19th century that include top-down management, outcomes designed to meet societal needs, age-based classrooms, the modern liberal arts curriculum, and a focus on producing results.
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