ABSTRACT
Benjamin S. Bloom was born in Lansford, Pennsylvania in 1913 into a Jewish family which had emigrated from a climate of discrimination in Russia a few years earlier. The father was a poor tailor and Ben like many others with his background wanted to become a teacher, a way of climbing the social ladder. After graduation from Pennsylvania State College in 1935 he became a research assistant in the American Youth Commission. Psychologist and authority in educational measurement, Benjamin Bloom has influenced a whole generation of researchers. His research into the importance of early childhood education has challenged educators to reconsider present procedures for organising schools and allocating resources. One reason why differences in school achievements have traditionally been seen as due to some kind of aptitude is that the tests given to students are usually time limited. In 1976 Bloom tried to 'take stock' after his didactical model had been used both inside and outside the United States.
