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First School Built
The first school was the Boston Latin School. This was the first school in what is now the United States and has changed locations but the public school is still operating today. -
Common Schools
The Common School Movement was the effort to fund schools in every community with public dollars. This was seen as an indicator of the start of systematic public schooling in the United States. This movement was begun by Horace Mann. Mann and other reformers argued that schools were necessary to instill nonsectarian Christian moral values and to educate every citizen to participate in a democracy. Schools were locally funded, free, and governed. -
The National Teacher Association
The National Teacher Association was founded in 1857, in Philadelphia, PA. One hundred educators met together to form a national body.
Video: The National Teacher Association -
Department of Education was Created
President Andrew Johnson signed legislation creating the first Department of Education. The main purpose of this was to collect information and statistics about the nation's schools. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
The Supreme Court rules that "separate" education facilities for blacks and whites were constitutional as long as they were "equal." This was a first-hand look at legally sanctioned racial segregation. Plessy vs. Ferguson | The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow -
The Feminization of Teaching
The Suffrage Movement established equality between men and women and allowed women to become teachers. -
Title IX
Title IX act was passed on June 23, 1872. It states that no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.
Title IX and Sex Discrimination -
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is a federal law that supports special education and related service programming for children and youth with disabilities. What is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act? -
No Child Left Behind
George W. Bush announced No Child Left Behind in January 2001. The President called for bipartisan solutions based on accountability, choice, and flexibility in Federal education programs.
No Child Left Behind -
