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Period: Jan 1, 1492 to
Education in the Colonial Era and the Early National Period
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Boston Latin School
The Boston Latin School is the first public school established in America and is still in existence today. Upon opening, the school catered to the elites of Boston, including John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, and Thomas Paine. The first woman to graduate from Boston Latin School, Helen White, was also the first woman in America to earn a doctorate. The school now serves a diverse population of students in grades 7 - 12. Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Boston-Latin-School -
Harvard University
Harvard University, the oldest university in the United States, is funded with the sum of 4oo pounds. An acre of land with a house is purchased, followed by John Harvard's gift of half of his estate along with 400 books. Both Presidents, John Adams and John Quincy Adams, graduated from Harvard. The Declaration of Independence is signed by 8 Harvard alumni. History of Harvard University:http://www.harvard.edu/about-harvard/harvard-glance/history -
Massachusetts School Law of 1642
The Massachusetts School Law of 1642 was the first education law in America requiring parents and clergymen to educate children. The law provided for the education of children without parents who could support them. It also provided for apprenticeships for these children so that they could learn a trade. The law was funded by a property tax. Source: https://pediaview.com/openpedia/Massachusetts_School_Laws -
Old Deluder Satan Law
This law is considered to be the first compulsory education law in America and required that towns with fifty or more families employ a reading and writing teacher for educating its students. In towns of one hundred or more families, a Latin teacher must be employed as well to prepare students for college. Source: https://pediaview.com/openpedia/Massachusetts_School_Laws#Text_of_the_Massachusetts_General_School_Law_of_1647 -
The New England Primer is published
The New England Primer was published by a British journalist named Benjamin Harris. Between six and eight million copies were sold by the year 1830 and less than 1,500 copies remain today. The book taught basic religious and moral principles through the use of rhymes, scripture, poems, and prayers. Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-New-England-Primer -
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was a practical, free-thinking education advocate. He thought the old way of schooling, meant to deter students from evil, did not work well and supported a more positive approach. He first envisioned the idea of an English, rather than a Latin, school. He supported a comprehensive curriculum of English, math, social studies, science, foreign languages, and vocational classes. Source: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED120098.pdf -
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Rush was a strong advocate for education in America and especially advocated for a free education and educational access for women. Rush did not support the idea of the separation of church and state and felt that schools should readily teach religion, science, and politics. Rush believed that the whole basis of an American education was to support American nationalism. Source: https://etcweb.princeton.edu/CampusWWW/Companion/rush_benjamin.html -
Johann Pestalozzi
Johann Pestalozzi had a strong belief that everyone had the ability to learn. He supported the belief in the right to an education and also supported educating the poor. Unlike others of his time, he believed that children should learn by doing and should be free to explore and come to understandings in this way. His philosophies embody the idea of the worth of every child and the cultivation of a love for learning.
Johann Pestalozzi -
Noah Webster
Known for his creation of the first English Language Dictionary, Noah Webster contributed to education by writing various other textbooks and seeking to standardize the American language. He could be considered the father of today's modern Language Arts curriculum with his focus on reading, writing, spelling, and grammar. Webster, like Franklin and Rush, supported the concept of American nationalism in education. Source:http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED120098.pdf -
Emile by Jean Jacques Rousseau
Emile is a novel depicting the life of a young man in an educational journey. Rousseau believes this journey will lead to an education that is not corrupted by society. The first stages until age twelve develop the student as a student of nature. The next stages develop a love for learning. The final stages develop the student as a spiritual person. This path leads to an education uninfluenced by society. Emile Sparknotes -
The University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is known as America's first state-supported university. The university was chartered in 1785 with 40,000 acres of land identified to build a college, but the actual university would not be built until 16 years later. The University of Georgia was founded upon the idea that an education is not just for a privileged few, but should be accessible to all Americans. History of the University of Georgia: http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/cgi-bin/ebind2html.pl/reed_c01?seq= -
Catharine Beecher
Catharine Beecher was a strong advocate for the education of women and the need for women as teachers. She became a teacher in 1821. Although she was a strong advocate for women, she felt they could best influence society through the home and by teaching. She felt that women could be intellectual, but did not support women in other roles such as business, law, or medicine, nor did she support voting for women. Catharine Beecher -
First Modern Blackboard
James Pillans, from Scotland, invents the blackboard and revolutionizes classroom instruction. Previous to this, students used slates or wood and teachers had to individually present lessons. The blackboard allowed for whole group instruction. It is believed that the first modern blackboard was used in America at West Point. Source: http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/reference-material/the-history-of-the-classroom-blackboard/ -
Period: to
American Education Developing
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Normal Schools
Normal Schools were the first concept of teacher colleges. With its beginnings in France, the normal school concept came to America in the 1800's. The purpose of these schools was to establish and train teachers in educational pedagogy. Prior to this, teachers were mostly men and were in the clergy and were scholars. It was also thought that this was a gift one was born with, rather than something one could learn.
Normal Schools -
The McGuffey Readers
Two McGuffey Readers were first published in 1836, followed by two additional readers in 1837. The books' themes revolved around morality and patriotism. The first book has multiple stories teaching moral lessons and uses mostly one syllable words. The second reader was similar in content, but the third and fourth reader had biblical and historical selections. Over 120 millions copies of the books sold by 1920. McGuffey Readers -
Horace Mann
Horace Mann (1796 - 1859) was secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education and later became a US Representative and President of Antioch College in Ohio. He is credited with reforming public education in the early 1800's. He began the teacher training schools movement referred to as "normal schools." He began a journal named the Common School Journal, which was published biweekly. Horace Mann -
Francis Parker
Francis Parker is referred to as the father of progressive education in America. He was the superintendent in Quincy Massachusetts and believed in children learning by doing rather than by rote memorization. He also believed in the individuality of students and allowing children to learn in a less formal manner, but more in an interactive, engaging way. Francis Parker -
Henry Barnard
Henry Barnard (1811 - 1900) was the first US commissioner of education. He contributed a great deal to the improvement of education in the US during the early1800's, which included improvements to school buildings, teacher wages, and instruction. He was a founder of the American Journal of Education and helped with the founding of the American Association for the Advancement of Education.
Henry Barnard -
Kindergarten
Friedrich Froebel first developed the idea of a kindergarten as a means for children to play and learn together. The first kindergarten in America was in Watertown, Wisconconsin founded by Margarethe Schurz in 1856. They were began as a means for educating 3 to 6 year olds and were intended to provide social skills to children of working class parents. They were generally funded by philanthropists through donations.
Kindergarten -
Booker T Washington
Booker T Washington supported the advancement of the black community, but sought to accomplish this by working through the system. He believed that hard work would allow them acceptance into the white community. Many other African Americans did not necessarily accept his views of accepting parts of this system as long as they were allowed equal economic and educational access.
Booker T Washington -
John Dewey
John Dewey's philosophy of education was based on the idea of learning by doing and experiencing. He believed that human experience was more important to learning and believed that while the past was important to understand, those things affecting the present were much more important.
John Dewey -
Jane Addams
Jane Addams was committed to social reform and the plight of the poor. She opened Hull House in Chicago which was cooperative housing for poor working women. Many social reformers of the time worked at Hull House and fought to enact social reformation laws such as abolition of child labor, compulsory school attendance, and safer conditions in factories for working. She believed in supporting immigrants and helping them adjust.
Jane Addams -
Fisk University
Fisk University, one of the first black universities in America, was located in Nashville, TN. It was established six months after the Civil War ended. General Clinton B. Fisk provided the university's facilities which were in former Union Army barracks. The founders of the university wanted to provide the best American education to all students, not just those of African American descent. Fisk University -
William E. B. DuBois
William DuBois was a founding officer of the NAACP and was very influential in the ideas of education in black communities. He supported other such movements as the right to vote, segregation in public places, and the rights of equality for African Americans. William E.B. DuBois -
Maria Montessori
Maria Montessori was an Italian educator who believed that education should support a child's natural desire to learn. The environment she believed in supported the child as they learned and at the pace that was best for them. Children learn by doing and do not receive grades in the Montessori method of learning. The ultimate goal is to create a love of learning in children. Maria Montessori -
The National Education Association
The NEA began with a group of 43 educators seeking to unite for the cause of educators and education. The NEA has historically fought for the rights of educators and students. Over the years, the NEA has been involved in improving teaching conditions for teachers and in providing access to education for all students, including African American students, Latinos, and Native Americans.
The National Education Association: Our History -
The Kalamazoo Case of 1874
The Kalamazoo Case of 1874 paved the way for the funding of public high schools. Previous to this legislation, elementary schools were the only entities of public education. The Kalamazoo legislation upheld the authority of school boards to use local taxes to fund high schools in districts of 200 or more, with the voting support of citizens. Kalamazoo Case -
Progressive Era Education
Progressive Education is a movement during the late 1800's and early 1900's where the aim of education is to produce citizens who are actively engaged in their society and democracy. This also embodied the beginnings of the idea of diversity and appreciating the individuality of people. The movement was the beginnings of a child centered education with the goal of supporting the common good of a society. [Progressive] (Educationhttp://www.uvm.edu/~dewey/articles/proged.html) -
The Committee of Ten
The Committee of Ten was established in 1892 by the National Education Association to address the current issues in secondary education. The report issued called for simplification of the high school program and established high school curriculum to include English and foreign languages, mathematics, physical and natural sciences, and history. This first introduced the influence of higher education on high school education.
The Committee of Ten -
Plessy vs Ferguson
Plessy vs Ferguson upheld segregation under the "separate but equal" premise and reached the Supreme Court. The ruling, determined by a 7 - 1 vote, required that equal education be provided to African American students but this could still be provided in a separate setting. Justice John Marshall was the only dissenting opinion saying that the constitution gives equal rights to all citizens regardless of race. Plessy vs Ferguson -
The Project Method
The Project Method of learning began to take form in America in the late 1800's. This also contributing to the beginnings of a child centered education and supported the idea that students learn by doing by completing projects associated with the curriculum. The focus was on applying the learning and understanding the content, rather than just memorizing concepts that had no meaning for students. Project Method -
The GI Bill
The GI Bill was first created to help World War II veterans with the expenses of college or trade school as well as with low-interest mortgages and establishing veteran's hospitals for their care. This bill was extended in 1966 by the Readjustment Benefits Act to include all members of the armed forces, and even those who served during peacetime.
The GI Bill -
Mendez vs Westminster School District
Mendez vs Westminster School District occurred eight years before Brown vs Board of Education. The case fought for the rights of Sylvia Mendez's access to an equal education that was not separate from white students. The case was based on the feelings of inferiority among Mexican Americans when they were separated from whites in schools. Mendez vs Westminster School District -
Brown vs Board of Education
Brown vs Board of Education is a historical supreme court case in which the idea of separate but equal education was overturned. Brown declared that separate schools were inherently unequal and declared that desegregation of schools must take place immediately. The decision was unanimous.
Brown vs Board of Education -
Little Rock Crisis
After Brown vs Board of Education, nine students were chosen to attend Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. They were met by an angry group of white parents, students, and community members. The governor ordered the state national guard to keep the students from attending. In the end, President Eisenhower intervened and ordered that they be allowed to attend and provided protection to them as well. Little Rock Crisis -
Sputnik Launched
Sputnik, the world's first spacecraft, was launched in 1957 by the Soviet Union. This was an indication of how far ahead of the US Russia was in space exploration. Many in the US were concerned that the Soviet Union would use this technology maliciously. Sputnik signified the beginning of the "space race" between the US and the Soviets, which affected the focus on education at the time. Sputnik Launched -
Free Speech Movement at Berkeley
The Free Speech Movement (FSM) at Berkeley occurred as a result of the ban on political activities on the campus. These activities were a response to the opposition of the Vietnam War and in response to civil rights issues. One student was arrested, but swarms of students surrounded the car he was held in and kept it from leaving for 36 hours.
Free Speech Movement at Berkeley -
Lau vs Nichols
This case declared students attending schools receiving federal funds must help students with language barriers to overcome these by providing them an equal opportunity to instruction. Based on the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it prompted the development of bilingual programs to students in many schools, but failed to provide specific recommendations for these, which still contributes to varying levels of quality in these programs.
Lau vs Nichols -
A Nation at Risk
A Nation at Risk, published in 1983 by the National Commission on Excellence in Education, shared various data indicating that the American education system was failing. This sparked an education reform movement regarding aspects of education such as curriculum, teacher salaries, time in school, and providing educational equity to all groups. The impact of this publication was addressed at all levels of government in the US.
A Nation at Risk -
No Child Left Behind
The NCLB law, passed in 2002, provided for the federal government to hold public schools accountable in educating students. At this point, America was losing its competitiveness with other nations in educating its students. Its main purpose was to close the education gap for minorities, poor students, Special Education students, and English Language Learners.
No Child Left Behind
