Reflection Paper#12: What kind of revolution in curriculum took place after Sputnik? Why and how did the launching of Sputnik affect U.S. education?

Sputnik was the name given to the Russian artificial satellite, the first of its kind. It was launched in 1957. With its launching, competition jealousy the anything you can do I can do better syndrome arose as the powers that be in The United States of America started to evaluate why such a feat was not done by the united States. The evaluation found that the educational system of the United stated was not up to par with other countries especially in the areas of science and mathematics. It was through this that the education of the United Stated went through an overhaul.
America realized that the students were not learning to become critical thinkers they were in fact regurgitating what was being fed to them. This brought about a change in the curricula; that is giving Mathematics and Science their place in schools. The idea was that if these areas were developed then further space advancement would occur. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) came into being as a result of the Sputnik launch. The launch might have brought to light other careers in science and mathematics, instead of the traditional doctor nurse option.
Sputnik though an embarrassment to the United States turned out to be a blessing; as it helped to put some focus on the educational system so that changes could be made so that strengths could be enhanced and weakness in the sciences fixed with an appropriate game plan. It also gave students more career options to choose from in college or high schools.