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One of the most notable events during our colonial period was the creation of the concept of a free public education (https://web.archive.org/web/20080708182801/http://historichamptonroads.com/syms_eaton_01.htm). Due to this event, education spread over the colony.
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Though educational system in the U.S. has been progressing since 1600s, there are still many issues about education. How should we do to eliminate all problems?
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Boston Latin School is the oldest school in America. It was founded April 23, 1635 by the Town of Boston. The curriculum of the school is centered in the humanities, its founders sharing with the ancient Greeks the belief that the only good things are the goods of the soul (https://www.bls.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=206116&type=d). It is assumed that this method was influenced by the contemporary western philosophy and educational system.
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Harvard is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States, established in 1636 by vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (https://www.harvard.edu/about-harvard/harvard-glance/history). This school was intended for those who want to have higher education, and the establishment of this illustrated that many options began to be served.
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In 1642, Massachusetts Bay Colony passed the first law in the New World requiring that children be taught to read and write. The English Puritans who founded Massachusetts believed that the well-being of individuals, along with the success of the colony, depended on a people literate enough to read both the Bible and the laws of the land (https://www.massmoments.org/moment-details/massachusetts-passes-first-education-law.html).
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Massachusetts Bay Colony requires that all towns establish and maintain public schools (https://www.massmoments.org/moment-details/massachusetts-passes-first-education-law.html). Afterward, the public schools successfully opened for all children. This fact had an effect on a free public schooling system in Massachusetts in the mid-nineteenth century and it is asserted that this is the beginning of the public educational system in the U.S..
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His philosophy, empiricism and Enlightenment written in this book influenced on The Declaration of Independence and others. Actually, "the United States Constitution concerning 'life, liberty, and property' can also be said to have been taken directly from Locke"(Stern, 1996). That is how the U.S. positively took in the other country's idea because the contemporary America was immature.
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The American Philosophical Society, the oldest learned society in the United States, was founded. He brought ideas of European Enlightenment to colonial America "for the purpose of “promoting useful knowledge”(https://www.amphilsoc.org/about).
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"Even after the initial battles in the Revolutionary War broke out, few colonists desired complete independence from Great Britain"(https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/declaration-of-independence). Because of this event, the U.S. became one nation totally.
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He endeavored to improve American education because he believed education was a main factor to construct a great nation. He wrote in a letter to a friend, "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be"(http://tjrs.monticello.org/letter/327).
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This book was very widely used throughout the United States, and "it's true that most of the distinctive features of American spelling (such as the missing u in words like honor and favor) can be credited to the influence of Webster's best-selling Grammatical Institute of the English Language" (Nordquist, Noah Webster's Plan to Reform English Spelling). This textbook is attributable to American children's high literacy rate.
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Act 3 of this law says, "Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged" (https://www.law.gmu.edu/assets/files/academics/founders/NW-Ordinance.pdf). This fact demonstrates that education became common in most areas in the U.S..
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The English High School in Boston was established. "The Committee passed a resolution in 1820 that authorized the creation of a public secondary school to educate boys with an emphasis on a strong course of study in the English language" (https://www.englishhs.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=75360&type=d&termREC_ID=&pREC_ID=129652&hideMenu=1). This school was intended for working-class people and educated practical skills so that they could be successful in society.
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The first Indian boarding school on the Yakima Indian Reservation in the state of Washington. The purpose of the school was "to use education as a tool to “assimilate” Indian tribes into the mainstream of the American way of life" (http://www.nativepartnership.org/site/PageServer?pagename=airc_hist_boardingschools). By the establishment of this school, assimilation by education began.
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After the war, the U.S. attempted to integrate one nation. Therefore, the vital role of Civil War is considered as "the formation, reconfiguration or, at least, reinvigoration of American nationalism and national identity"(https://www.journalofthecivilwarera.org/forum-the-future-of-civil-war-era-studies/the-future-of-civil-war-era-studies-nationalism/). This is why public educational system greatly prevailed in order to achieve integration of the nation by this event.
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The Supreme Court considered the case of Plessy v. Ferguson, and made "separate but equal" policies legal. It finally caused "'separate but equal' education as segregated public schools did not violate the Constitution" (https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/plessy-v-ferguson). This event caused an increase of segregated school in the U.S..
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The Columbus Board of Education approved the creation of a junior high school, Indianola Junior High School in Columbus. "Columbus school officials hoped that new schools, consisting of the seventh, eighth, and ninth grades might better prepare students for the rigors of high school and keep a larger percentage of students enrolled in school"(http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/First_Junior_High_School_in_the_United_States). As above, this school shows the expansion of education from the bottom.
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The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) established "minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and child labor standards affecting full-time and part-time workers in the private sector and in Federal, State, and local governments"(https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/hrg.htm). Besides, children under 12 were not forced to be employed by this act. By this act, the situation where children can learn was arranged.
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By Brown v. Board of Education verdict, it was decided that "in the field of public education the doctrine of separate but equal has no place, as segregated schools are inherently unequal" (https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/brown-v-board-of-education-of-topeka). Segregated school since Plessy v. Fergusson in 1896 was diminished.
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In this act, all handicapped children including "toddlers and youth with disabilities and their families" (https://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/leg/idea/history.html) were become helped. This act illustrates that equality of education was focused on other than race and class.
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Due to this law, charter schools started to be admitted and got popular soon. "By 1995, 19 states had signed laws allowing for the creation of charter schools, and by 2015 that number increased to 42 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia" (https://www.yosemitewawonacharter.org/history-of-charter-schools.html)。
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"Students in Canada, Finland, and New Zealand outperform U.S. students"(https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/2002116.pdf). Especially, Finland has been standing high position on the test for about 20 years though the United Status cannot be ranked now. This is because this country adopt unique educational systems and type of class. The U.S. has to positively accept successful examples as it did in the eighteenth century.
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The purpose of this act is to diminish the severe access of children's education. Therefore, it tried to help it "regardless of race, income, zip code, disability, home language, or background”(https://www.ed.gov/essa).
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Economic recession represented by Lehman Brothers' collapse was occurred. "The Great Recession that started in 2007 caused the largest collapse in state revenues on record"(https://www.cbpp.org/research/states-continue-to-feel-recessions-impact?fa=view&id=711) although education and health care requirements continued to grow.
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This act tackled the issues which had not been dealt with for a long time such as shortage of jobs and insufficient payment in order to "modernize the nation's infrastructure, enhance energy independence, expand educational opportunities, preserve and improve affordable health care, provide tax relief, and protect those in greatest need"(https://www.ntia.doc.gov/page/2011/american-recovery-and-reinvestment-act-2009). Many people believed that the U.S. would advance in the right direction.
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Officials said that "the plan was partially inspired by Tennessee Promise, a program that makes the state's community college free for recent high school graduates"(https://www.eab.com/daily-briefing/2016/02/11/obama-doubles-down-on-free-community-college-in-2017-budget-proposal). However, there seems little hope that this proposal will be implemented soon.
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32,000 Los Angeles educators went on strike over class size, pay, and lack of support staff. "That means about 600,000 kids have no idea when they'll see their teachers again"(https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/14/us/los-angeles-teachers-strike/index.html). Many those who concerned with education still suffer the harsh situation though a lot of reforms has been enacted.
