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Theodore Brameld was first introduced to pragmatism and influenced by John Dewey and that is where is influence of educational philosophy came from. Brameld thought that schools should be the driving force behind social and cultural change. If you teach students when they are young that they have the ability to change the world around them, then as they get older they will keep trying to change society and make it a better place. Brameld had a lot of education in his lifetime, he received a doctorate at the University of Chicago. After getting his doctorate, he began his career in education. He began at Long Island University, then to Adelphi College. After leaving there, he continued teaching at the University of Minnesota, New York University, and at Boston University. Brameld retired from Boston University, and then taught at Springfield College and the University of Hawaii.
Brameld thought that creating a new social order through education could provide society with the basic needs that it needed. Everything, including the child, school, and the education received would be effected by the social and cultural forces. The teachers job would be to convince their students of the reconstructionism. The portrait of a social resconstructionist teacher is one that provides the students with methods for dealing with the crisis that confront the world, such as war, depression, natural disasters, inflation, or technological advances. If a teacher is a social reconstructionist, they are one who would have the students learn about the problems in society and show them what they may can do to fix them. They will show them that they can make a difference in the world.
Brameld was trying to perfect the education in American, by doing so, he established goals for society. \"Specifically, he proposed a curriculum structure which included the following: 1) a nursery school for ages 2-5 which emphasized guidance and personal development, 2) a lower elementary for ages 6-11 which emphasized social development and related personal qualities, 3) an upper elementary for ages 12-16 which emphasized activities and learning, and 4) a secondary school for ages 17-21 which would be equal to present day high school and 2 years of college (Brameld). Many of his proposals such as a longer school day; a year round school calendar; and open facilities to facilitate adult education, recreation, and counseling are widely accepted as means of improving the education system of today\" (Southeastern).