Though modern education in America borrows from the progressive teaching philosophy, Kohn believes the difference between the two approaches is significant. Progressive education teaches "the whole child." It is important to the progressive instructor that the student be a good person as well as a good learner. Progressive education is not limited to academics and intellectual growth in a progressive classroom is not measured strictly by a student's mathematic and verbal skills, says Kohn.
A progressive student is encouraged to feel a part of the world community, and to care about others beyond his familial, social ethnic and national group. The student is taught to have a commitment to diversity and to have a personal stake in improving the lives of others. Also, competition between students is downplayed in progressive education because it undermines the feeling of community and collaboration in the classroom.
Progressive teachers consider children to be unique individuals and strongly value their input on curriculum, policy and all other components of instruction, says Kohn. Students are encouraged to formulate questions and to find the answers by exploring the many possibilities. Proponents believe that weighing ideas is much more conducive to long-term retention than simply memorizing answers. Additionally, progressive students are asked to evaluate their own learning and their teacher's instruction.
According to Kohn, extensive research has shown that children learn more productively and more deeply when they spend time thinking about ideas than simply committing answers to memory. Research conducted on the progressive education model for teaching science, "Physics and Everything Else," (PET) supports Kohn's assertion. Studies conducted on 10 different PET courses taught throughout the United States have shown that PET students, who are encouraged to analyze their own learning and the learning of their fellow students, have a greater understanding of science than students of other, more traditional courses of study.
During the Cold War of the 1950s, opponents characterized progressive education as being insufficiently patriotic and the cause of America falling behind in scientific and technological disciplines. A brief renaissance of the educational philosophy during the 1960s and early 1970s came to a halt with the tax revolt and recession of the 70s. Standardized tests and national learning standards -- anathema to the progressive philosophy -- became the order of the day.