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First Colonial Printing Press
The first press in the American Colonies is setup at Harvard in Massachusetts by Mrs. Glover, wife of Jose Glover a minister. THe printing press being setup in the colonies allowed major advances forward in the American Education system and if Mrs. Glover had not done it may have been close to a hundred years before anyone else did so. Without this event it may American Education may not have formed the way it did. (http://uh.edu/engines/epi733.htm) -
William and Mary is founded
The 2nd oldest college in America is founded, William and Mary in Virginia. They also have the distinction of being the Alma Mater of a few important folks: George Washington and Thomas Jefferson included. -
Noah Webster writes the first "American Textbooks"
Because of his dissatisfaction with English textbooks of the day, Noah Webster writes "A Grammatical Institute of the English Language " It's made up of three volumes: a spelling book, a grammar book, and a reader. -
Land Ordinance of 1785
This ordinance said western territories were to be divided into townships made up of 640-acre sections, one of which was to be set aside "for the maintenance of public schools." Because this ordinance specified one of the townships to be used in such a way it displays the importance our Founding Fathers had on education and the role they envisioned it would play in the nation. 9http://www.in.gov/history/2478.htm) -
Horace Mann
An outstanding educator and advocate of public schools, Mann worked for the increase to funding of public schools and better training for teachers. As Editor of the "Common School Journal", his belief in the importance of free, universal public education gains a national audience. -
Darwin's Theory of Evolution
Despite not being a specifically school/education related event the impact of Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution being published has been far reaching. Until that point schools taught the Intelligent Design theory and for the first time educators had a coherent alternate theory to compare it to. Whether you believe in one or the other, the impact it's had on schools cannot be debated despite the topic itself being one of the hottest hot buttons around. 9http://www.aboutdarwin.com/index.html) -
The Land Grant Act
Also known as the First Morrill Act this act also set aside land for the "endowment, support, and maintenance of at least one college where the leading object shall be, without excluding other scientific and classical studies and including military tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts, in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions in life." -
Department of Education
The U.S. DoEd was created to help states form more effective schools.Though later "demoted" to just being an office rather than a department, it was still an important event. -
Second Morrill Act
For the "more complete endowment and support of the colleges" through the sale of public lands, Part of this funding leads to the creation of 16 historically black land-grant colleges. -
Plessy v Ferguson
Challenging the right to sit where he wanted on a train in Louisiana, Homer Plessy's court case established "separate but equal" as law. Although the original case was not specifically related to education, it did set the precedent that the 14th amendment "[had not] been intended to abolish distinctions based upon color". http://landmarkcases.org/en/landmark/cases/plessy_v_ferguson -
Educational Psychology: The Psychology of Learning
Describing Edward Lee Thorndike's theory that human learning involves habit formation. He believes that such connections are strengthened by repetition and achieving satisfying consequences. These ideas, which contradict traditional faculty psychology and mental discipline, come to dominate American educational psychology for much of the Twentieth Century and greatly influence American educational practice. http://www.muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/thorndike.htm -
Army Alpha and Beta Tests
Though not terribly useful for the army, these tests set the groundwork for all future standardized tests in the American Education system. -
Progressive Education Association
Founded to reform American Schooling, the Progressive Education Association challenged existing school ideas placing more of an emphasis on the child being taught how to be a member of a democratic society. The original 7 principles guide its first schools even today. -
Brown v Board of Education of Topeka
The Supreme Court ruled that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal," thus overturning its previous ruling in the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson. Brown v. Board of Education is actually a combination of five cases from different parts of the country. It is a historic first step in the long and still unfinished journey toward equality in U.S. education.(http://www.nationalcenter.org/brown.html) -
Apple Launches Personal Computers
Apple IIe, one of the first personal computers, is adopted into the classroom. Oregon Trail and other computer games as well as learning software pave the way for the technological takeover of the classroom.
