Educational History Timeline

By sopsip

  • 1913

    A sex education program is
    introduced citywide in public
    high schools in Chicago, Illinois

  • 1913

    A sex education program is
    introduced citywide in public
    high schools in Chicago, Illinois.

  • 1917

    Congress passes the Smith-Hughes act, allowing
    funds for vocational education below the college level.

  • 1917

    Congress passes the Smith-Hughes act, allowing
    funds for vocational education below the college level.

  • 1918

    School attendance becomes
    compulsory in every U.S. state.
  • 1918

    1918

    School attendance becomes
    compulsory in every U.S. state.
  • 1934

    1934

    Pennsylvania is the first state to establish
    a driving course for students, creating one
    at State College High School.
  • 1954

    1954

    The U.S.
    Supreme Court
    rules schools
    segregated by
    race are
    unequal and
    therefore
    unconstitutional.
  • 1960

    1960

    Series of Supreme Court cases dealing with
    state plans for education aiding religious schools

  • 1965

    Congress passes the Elementary
    and Secondary Education School
    Act, providing aid to secondary
    and primary schools and helping
    educate poor children.
  • 1966

    1966

    The School Breakfast
    Program pilot is
    launched. It becomes
    permanent in 1975.

  • 1968

    Congress passes the
    Bilingual Education Act,
    providing the first funding
    to encourage schools to
    incorporate native-language
    education in their
    curriculum.
  • 1970

    1970

    Office of Economic
    Opportunity launches
    the first modern
    voucher experiment.
  • 1975

    1975

    Congress approves
    the Education for
    All Handicapped
    Children Act,
    requiring states to
    provide free education
    for all children
    with disabilities.

  • 1976

    An expansion of
    the Emergency
    School Aid Act
    (1972) provides
    federal funding
    for the planning
    and implementation
    of magnet
    schools.

  • 1979

    U.S. spending on education reaches
    $151.5 billion, up from $8.3 billion in 1950.

  • 1979

    The U.S.
    Department of
    Education is
    established
    under the
    Department of
    Education
    Organization Act
  • 1983

    1983

    Birth of charter schools
    in Minnesota.
  • 1988

    1988

    The Eddie Eagle Safe Program is developed to help
    parents, teachers, and law enforcement personnel to
    teach preK-6th graders

  • 1993

    The Education Act
    of 1986 is expanded
    to mandate biological
    education about
    HIV, AIDS, and sexually
    transmitted
    diseases in public
    schools.

  • 1994

    Proposition 187 passes in California,
    making it illegal for children of undocumented
    immigrants to atten public school.

  • 1996

    Children of U.S. baby
    boomers swell school
    enrollments to a record
    51.7 million students in
    the fall.
  • 2000

    2000

    An NCES study reveals that only
    31% of new teachers feel "very
    well prepared" to integrate technology
    into their curriculum.