According to research reported in "The Effects of an Interactive Dissection Simulation on the Performance and Achievement of High School Biology Students," the dissection of animals became common in biology classes by the early 1900s. Between 1910 and 1920, dead frogs became steadily available for use in education. Dissection was first taught only in college, but later made its way into high schools.
Frog dissection provides a hands-on experience that helps students learn to better follow directions, increases their observation skills and helps them understand how organs and body parts function.
According to a poll conducted by Humane Teen, part of the Humane Society of the United States, 90 percent of students would rather not participate in dissection because of personal moral or ethical values. A computer software program, Virtual Dissection, has been developed that allows classroom students to virtually dissect a frog.
A frog's internal organs are quite similar to those of a human, thus making the dissection of a frog important in gathering information toward the treatment of diseases affecting internal organs in humans.
There is a concern that frogs are massacred brutally to become available for dissection, but according to the World Medical Journal, most frogs used for dissection are euthanized humanely.