In looking through my university's archives, I've come across an article written by an English professor that discusses the quality of the typical student he interacted with. He finds it likely that the University of Oregon produces more educated students than California schools on the grounds that "California has gone further with 'progressive' education". I've included a part of the article below, with the term bolded.
But surely I am expected to point out that things “ain’t what they used to be.” As Mark Twain pointed out, they never were; but nobody believes optimism in these studiously hardboiled days. There are changes, obvious ones such as the relative upping in average age levels. G.I.’s and their wives, and the tendencies toward adult education account for some of this. It is not uncommon now to have future Oregon students attending classes, although they are still among the unborn. The proportion of married students is impressive. This means that the run of students is much more familiar with some of the basic facts of life, takes them calmly, and may possibly be more inclined to think in terms of the ultimate job and material values in general. Just to let fly with some generalizations: students are more mature, but not so well trained (in the fields of literary study, I mean). They are just as studiously inclined, but they haven’t learned the rudiments of how to study. They are more acute listeners and observers, but they are poorer readers, and perhaps weaker in memory. They like to laugh, but they know all the jokes, and are quickly suspicious of superficiality, particularly the kind that substitutes cheap wit for hard-bought knowledge. They come with less, but they take more away with them. They are appallingly incompetent in taking notes, but they are quick as cats at taking hints. I heard the remark recently that Oregon school training puts pupils a year ahead of California schools. Probably that is true, since I believe California has gone farther with “progressive” education. I hope we drop farther back, even to my imaginary little school in not so imaginary Willow Creek, where the teacher is still interested in the minds of her students rather than social adjustment, good citizenship and “togetherness.”
R. D. Horn, Old Oregon June-July 1958
Generally speaking, the moniker "progressive" refers to a philosophy of education ("Progressivism") that emerged in the mid to late 1800's that education should focus on the nature and needs of the individual child. That said, "progressive" education isn't one thing or a particular pedagogical or content focus. (As a counter-example, a "classical" education means coursework in Greek, Latin, math, and science with an emphasis on lecture, discourse, writing, and memorization.) It's also worth noting that it doesn't necessarily have the same connotation as it does in politics. That is, a progressive American educator wasn't necessarily liberal or left-leaning but was generally speaking, advocating for some form of change. However, there was an overlap between the goals of progressive educators and progressive politicians (i.e. Wilson, etc.)
There are few things that particular author might be referring to.
First, California is noteworthy as it was among the first states to require advanced teacher preparation that focused on pedagogy (how to work with small humans) as opposed to content (what to put in front of small humans).^1 Fraser's survey of the history of teacher preparation doesn't detail Oregon's but the state is mentioned among those that certified teachers with a high school diploma and some professional training. Oregon also had a dramatic gap between the salaries for male and female teachers which typically reflected teaching as a temporary or placeholder position rather than a professional commitment. This often meant that male teachers were trained in another field or expecting to take another job would teach for a year or two before getting a job in their desired field. This generally meant a non-progressive approach to teaching - teachers weren't overly concerned with the how, but passed along the what.
Second, progressive educators didn't always identify themselves as such. Rather, it was often a phrase used by those who disliked changes for which such educators advocated. If the original text included the quotation marks, I suspect Horn was using it derisively or mockingly. In many cases, those who wrote about "progressive" educators were often frustrated with what they saw as change for the sake of change or a focus on the individual over societal needs^2. Some of the most painful growing pains in American education history are about that tension - supporting a system organized around what's perceived as best for each and every child versus a system that focuses on what's best for the future of America. He's speaking to that in the last sentence of that quote, "minds of her students rather than social adjustment."
Finally, Oregon was one of the last states in country to enact compulsory education laws. This meant that prior to 1922, schools and districts could legally turn away children for any reason and parents were under no obligation to see their child received an education. This typically meant children with obvious physical disabilities and in some districts, children who were not white or perhaps from the "wrong" part of town. If a family had several children, it wasn't uncommon for daughters to stay at home while their brothers went to school. By the time Oregon passed compulsory education laws, California children had been going to school for several generations (since 1874). To be sure, there were huge discrepancies between the school experiences across the state but in effect, California was generally educating all children while Oregon was educating some (mostly boys, mostly white.) Although that was changing, as he noted, "It is not uncommon now to have future Oregon students attending classes."
Fraser, J. W. (2007).* Preparing America's Teachers: A History*, Reflective History Series. New York: Teachers College Press.
Tyack, D. B. (1974). The one best system: A history of American urban education (Vol. 95). Harvard University Press.
Reese, W. J. (2001). The origins of progressive education. History of Education Quarterly, 41(1), 1-24.