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The first printing press in the American Colonies is set up at Harvard College in Boston.
The introduction of the printing press would allow for books to be printed rather than hand copied. This means that they would be more readily available and at a significantly lower cost. As the use of printing presses spread more and more families were able to afford books that they could use to educate their children. This was a significant step forward towards giving poorer children access to education. -
The Massachusetts Bay Colonies Make Community Schools Law
“The General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony decrees that every town of fifty families should have an elementary school and that every town of 100 families should have a Latin school. The goal is to ensure that Puritan children learn to read the Bible and receive basic information about their Calvinist religion (ARC, 2013).” -
The New England Primer is printed in Boston
The New England Primer was first printed in Boston by Benjamin Harris. This is the first textbook that was widely used in the colonies and was based on a textbook that Harris had printed in London prior to traveling to the colonies. The primer was a religious based textbook that emphasized religion while also teaching grammar. -
The Blue Backed Speller is created
In response to his dissatisfaction with American textbooks, Noah Webster creates the Blue Backed Speller that becomes a staple in every classroom. The Blue Backed Speller is still used to this day, only it is now called Webster’s Dictionary. The creation of this book has allowed for the regulation of the spelling of words in our school system. This book has had a profound effect on our country’s language. -
James Pillans invents the blackboard
The chalk dusted blackboard is the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of school. It used to be a staple for every classroom, now being replaced by whiteboards and smart boards; it allowed teachers to present visual information to the entire class. The invention of the blackboard was an integral part of the history of education worldwide. -
The first school for the deaf opens.
The Connecticut Asylum at Hartford for the Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons opens. It is the first school founded specifically for the education of the deaf. Before this it was thought of as a waste of time to educate the blind or deaf. It was thought to be an act of God that they were disabled and it was discouraged to attempt to educate them (Gaither, 2011). -
Massachusetts enacts the Compulsory Education Law
Massachusetts seems to be the epicenter of educational reform in our country. Sticking with this tradition it becomes the first state to create a mandatory attendance law mandating attendance for children between the ages of eight and fourteen for at least three months out of each year,. Of these twelve weeks at least six had to be consecutive. -
The Department of Education is formed.
The Department of Education was formed to collect information on schools and teaching that would help the States establish effective school systems. This data collection allowed the United States Government to see problem areas in our educational system and to adjust policies accordingly. The role of the Department of Education remains much the same today as it was the day that it was founded. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
This is perhaps the most famous legal action in the history of American Education as well as in African American history. In Brown vs. the Board of Education it was decided that segregation in schools was unconstitutional. This decision by the Supreme Court over ruled the previous ruling in the Plessey vs. Ferguson case stating that segregation was constitutional so long as both school offered equal services. -
Sputnik is launched by Russia which results in A billion dollars of funding for the education of math and science.
In response to the start of the space race between Russia and America, the United States Government provides a billion dollars in funding to fuel our nations math and science education. This is significant because it is a large amount of funding as well as the fact that it puts a new emphasis on science and math education. This seems to be the point in time where our nation started to turn more towards science and away from the arts in schools. -
Prayer is banned in Public Schools
The Supreme Court ruled in the case of Engel vs. Vitale that state officials may not compose an official state prayer and require it to be recited in public schools because it violated the first amendment. This is one of many steps headed towards taking religion out of public schools. -
Project Head Start
Project Head Start is a preschool program that was targeted at children from low-income families. It is free to children ages 3-5 years old and is part of the “war on poverty”. The program is also targeted at children with disabilities. The goal of the program is to promote a positive self-concept, enhance awareness of the world, and expose children to a variety of environments and concepts (project now, 2013). -
Texas Instruments introduces the first line of hand held calculators
Math class will never be the same. I don’t think there is a person in America who didn’t experience using a Texas Instruments calculator during their education. With this introduction students are now able to make quick calculations and are able to double check their work to ensure accuracy. -
Lau vs. Nichols
The San Francisco school district refused to provide English language instruction to its Chinese students that had limited English proficiency. The US Supreme court ruled that this violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which requires that a school district provides equal opportunity for all students, including those who do not speak English. -
Education for All Handicapped Children Act is passed
This act requires that “a free, appropriate public education, suited to the student’s individual needs, and offered in the least restrictive setting be provided for all handicapped children” (eds-resources.com, 2013). Each state was given until 1978 to fully implement this new law. This is the start of the movement of inclusion for disabled children. -
The Emergency Immigration Act is passed.
In order to serve the large amount of immigrant students in America, the government created this Act. The act helped to fund English language instruction as well as supplies and materials for lessons. Up to this point it had been difficult for districts to recruit bilingual teachers. This act aimed at helping to recruit and train the appropriate teachers. -
Education for All Handicapped Children Act is revised into the Disabilities Education Act
This act is a revision of an earlier act. The changes that were made to the act were to change the wording from handicap to disability as well as to mandate transition services. The revision also added autism and traumatic brain injury to the eligibility list. -
Google is founded.
I cannot imagine going through school without Google. Google is always the first place that I turn to when I am researching anything. With the introduction of Google the whole virtual world was put at students fingertips. Depending on how a child is taught to use this tool it can be a great thing or a horrible thing. -
The No Child Left Behind Act is passed
This Act has been controversial since it was passed. It is basically a replacement for the ESEA of 1965. It calls for high stakes testing and seeks to hold schools accountable for student achievement by rewarding schools that do well and penalizing schools that do not. This act is responsible for creating teachers that must “teach to test”. The idea behind the Act is honorable; however, the execution leaves much to be desired. Teaching to test is detrimental to our educational system and I belie
