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Beginnings in Colonial America
MOST IMPORTANT Early colonists were influenced by Calvinism’s emphasis on bible study which led the demand for education. In 1642, Massachusetts colony passed the first educational law in America, this law fined parents whose children did not learn how to read or write, but it left education a family responsibility. In 1647, Massachusetts passed another law that required towns with more than 50 families to fund a school. This was the first step towards state funded education in America. -
Jefferson and Webster
The change from colonies to independent nation changed the way some people looked at education. Thomas Jefferson felt that educated citizens were essential to a democracy and fought for compulsory education, even though his bill of 1778 was not approved. Noah Webster wanted to use education to build a national identity and instill patriotism. His Blue Book of 1783 was to establish American vocabulary over English. -
Horace Mann
MOST IMPORTANT Horace Mann was an early educational reformer who helped shape education in America. His reforms firmly established state compulsory education, which promised each child a free, elementary education. Mann sought higher standards in education after encountering crumbling buildings, poor educators, and harsh punishments among other issues. The development of normal schools to educator teachers was one of Mann’s achievements. -
Bishop John Hughes
Bishop John Hughes worked in New York City and was an advocate for Catholic Irish immigrants. Common Schools at the time were based on the Protestant version of the Bible and heavily prejudiced against Catholics. Hughes participated in the 1840 school debates where he did not win for separate Catholic schools, but the system did change and religion began to be removed from American classrooms. -
Common School Movement
The reforms of Horace Mann created the common school movement during the last half of the 19th century. These schools were designed to provide an equal base for American children in the form of free, high-quality education. The schools were non-denominational Protestant and accussd of enforcing social control over lower-classes, especially Catholics. The movement and the schools did not last past 1900. -
Abolition of slavery
Under slavery, black Americans were denied an education in order to maintain their social inferiority and servitude. The quest for black freedom was tied to the idea of becoming educated. Sewing schools to teach black children a trade would illegally teach reading and writing to the enrolled students. After abolition, education became legal, however it was not equal. The fight for a fair education continued, but abolition was a milestone in the movement. -
Secondary School Movement
MOST IMPORTANT As elementary education grew, the need for secondary education grew with it. This need for an educated populace was driven by immigration and industrialization. High schools were an alternative to classics-based prep school and offered students a variety of programs, such as vocational training. Starting slowly, especially in cities, the movement grew as the middle class in America grew and homogenized. -
Committee of Ten
The Committee of Ten were appointed by the National Education Association to address issues developing from immigration and industrialization across America. The committee proposed standardization across education which led to uniform instruction, higher standards for educators, and the modern school year. -
John Dewey
John Dewey was a philosopher and reformer who focused on the whole child and led the Progressive movement in education across America. His approach was focused on the child and what their needs and interests are. It affects education today as we maintain attention on working with children in school, rather than against them. -
Brown v Board of Education
MOST IMPORTANT In 1950’s America, segregated schools were the norm in many parts of the country. These schools were legal under the umbrella of “separate but equal”. The schools however, were far from equal and black schools were chronically underfunded and inadequate. Oliver Brown from Kansas sued the school board to allow his daughter to attend a white school closer to her house. The ruling to desegregate schools was controversial at the time, but essential to how our schools look today. -
War on Poverty
The War of Poverty was declared by President Johnson in 1964. It was designed to bring education, health care, and other basic needs to all Americans, despite economic status. The movement lost popularity and has ended, but left the lasting effects of Job Corps centers that help at-risk young adults and of the Head Start program designed to help the youngest citizens have proven to be essential to today's American education spectrum. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
The ESEA was a critical part of the War on Poverty. It was designed to equalize access to education and has mandated against discrimination based on economic status, disability, English language ability, gender, or race. -
Nation at Risk
A Nation at Risk was a report published in 1983 that decried the state of education in America. Stating that students in American schools were falling dangerously behind their peers in other countries, the report created a flurry of new reforms in education. Beginning the standards-based movement still in practice, the report has since been criticized for enforcing a political agenda and detracting attention away from the issues of inequality in American schools. -
Standards Movement
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No Child Left Behind
MOST IMPORTANT The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 was a reformatting of the ESEA with a goal of extending equal education while holding schools to standards in education. The bill requires states to set standards and schools to test student performance annually to make sure standards are met. Special needs students are also required to be tested in an attempt to improve education to all students. The bill has been criticized, but it is the defining movement in classrooms today.
