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Educational Roots of The United States
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The Colonial Period (1607 - 1775)
Colonial schools were taught by men who were waiting to become ministers or lawyers. The instruction was primitive, resources were scarce, and students often had to sit passively for hours. The schools in the colonies focused on religion and emphasized memorization and recitation. -
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The Colonial Period (1607 - 1775)
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Establishment of Boston Latin Grammar School
Early college preparatory school served as the colonial elite. Prepared boys for the ministry and law with a curriculum based on Latin and Greek. -
Old Deluder Satan Act (Massachusetts)
The established legal foundation for public support of education. Every town was required to hire a teacher of reading and writing. -
Franklin's Academy of Philadelphia
A co-ed secondary school without religion from the curriculum focusing on the practical needs of colonial Americans. Students were able to select their own courses. The curriculum included math, science, navigation, bookkeeping, logic, and rhetoric By 1860, at least 6,000 such tuition-charging academies would model American high schools until 1890. -
The Early National Period (1775 - 1820)
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The Early National Period (1775 - 1820)
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The Land Ordnance of 1785
Established a role for the federal government in funding public education. Townships created by the ordinance would include one section of land whose income would go toward supporting public education.
May 20, 1785, the Continental Congress passed a law providing for the surveying and selling of public lands. It provided that Lot 16 of every township should be reserved for the maintenance of public schools. -
1789 - Adoption of the U.S. Constitution
The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights includes the "establishment clause," prohibiting the government from passing legislation to establish any one official religion over another. This created the principal known as the separation of church and state, which includes public schools. -
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The Common School Movement (1820 - 1865)
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1821 - English Classical School (later English High School)
First free secondary school, focused on the needs of boys not attending college. The curriculum included English, math, history, science, geography, bookkeeping, and surveying. -
The Common School Movement (1820 - 1865)
During this period, states and local governments began to directly tax citizens to support public schools. Educators will begin organizing schools by grade level and standardize the curriculum. States organized improved teacher preparation through the establishment of two-year normal schools. -
Horace Mann 1837-1848 - Secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Education
During his tenure, Massachusetts led in education reforms by: Doubling appropriations for education Building 50 new secondary schools Increasing teacher salaries by 50% -
1852 - Massachusetts compulsory school attendance law
By 1900, 33 states would have compulsory school attendance laws. -
State Boards of Education
28 of the 35 states have established state boards of education. -
1865
Nationally, school enrollment reached 50%. -
1881 - Tuskegee Institute established
Founded by Booker T. Washington to advance higher education for African Americans. Washington encouraged his students to become teachers and improve the quality of education for African American children whose segregated "separate but equal" schools were not equitably funded. -
1890 - Native American Boarding Schools
U.S. government begins building boarding schools to assimilate Native American children. They were administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs until 1930. -
1892 - Committee of Ten
Appointed by the National Education Association (NEA) to revise and create new standards, programs, and methods for high schools. Results-focused on college preparation. -
1909 - First junior high school opens in Columbus, OH
Teaches grades 7-9, with a deeper focus on subject content. By 1926, juniors highs are established in 800 school systems. -
1918 - Commission on the Reorganization of Secondary Education
A second commission appointed by the NEA; Created report Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education, including applied goals in health and civic education. Broadened high school curriculum to include basic skills of reading and writing, vocational education, personal health, worthy home membership, civic education, effective use of leisure time, and ethical character. -
1928 - 1934 - Reforms in Native American education
National reports and federal legislation provide Native Americans with greater control over education. Share -
The Modern Era (1946 - Present)
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The Modern Era (1946 - Present)
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1954 - Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
Supreme court rules that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal and that racially segregated schools generated a feeling of "inferiority." -
1960s - "War on Poverty"
President Lyndon Johnson leads the expansion of the federal government's role in education.- Increases federal funding for K-12 education
- Creates Job Corps, a system of rural and urban vocational training centers.
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1964 - Civil Rights Act
1964 - Civil Rights Act Prohibits discrimination of students on the basis of race, color, or national origin in all institutions receiving federal funds -
1965 - Head Start established
Designed to help 3- and 5-year old disadvantaged children enter school ready to learn. -
1970s - Middle School model established
Teaches grades 6-8. Designed to meet the unique social, emotional, and intellectual needs of early adolescents. Emphasis on interactive instruction guided by teacher questioning. Often student/teacher cohort-based to provide cross-curricular instruction and sharing of common students' learning development. -
1972 - Title IV of the Education Amendments of 1972
"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance." -
1972 - Indian Education Act
Establishes Office of Indian Education -
1975 - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
Required free and appropriate public education for all students, including those with exceptionalities -
1979 - Department of Education established
Having been part of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, it is elevated to its own cabinet-level position. -
1990 - Native American Languages Act
Protects the languages and cultures of Native Americans -
2001 - No Child Left Behind Act
Required all states to develop a comprehensive accountability plan to ensure that all students acquire basic skills, with primary emphasis on reading and math.
