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Boston Latin School Founded
Boston Latin School was founded on April 23, 1635 becoming the first school in America. Its curriculum was centered around the humanities. Reverend John Cotton had a great amount of influence over the school, and sought to create a school in America that would teach Latin and Greek. The town assigned public funds to support the school, much like local funding of public schools today. -
The Old Deluder Satan Act of 1647
The Old Deluder Act was passed by Massachusetts in 1647; it required that communities with over 50 families must hire a teacher to educate the children on reading and writing. It's name refers to the fact that if children couldn't read, Satan would be keeping them from the scriptures. Similar acts were soon adopted by almost every other state in New England. This laid the foundation for public schools by initiating the idea that education was a community responsibility. -
Pennsylvania Academy and College
Benjamin Franklin establishes the first "English Academy" in the United States. He combines classical and modern ideas to form the curriculum. The academy offers courses such as history, geography, navigation, modern languages, and classical languages. The academy eventually becomes the University of Pennsylvania. -
A Grammatical Institute of the English Language
Noah Webster published the first volume of A Grammatical Institute of the English Language. This textbook consisted of spelling, grammar, and reading. Webster began "Americanizing" the spelling of words, for example changing the word "colour" to "color". This textbook soon spread all over the U.S. and was used in almost every classroom. Today we still follow Webster's spelling and grammar rules. -
The African Free School Founded
The African Free School was founded in lower Manhatten by Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. This was the first school for blacks in America. Many students were children of slaves, and this school helped prepare them for the New York public school system. This mission was to educate black children for something other than slavery. -
First American School for the Deaf Established
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet saw a young girl that wasn't interacting with other children; he investigated and discovered that she was deaf. He became inspired to discover a way to teach her, and the girl's father funded his trip to Europe to study the schools for the deaf. During his study, he met Laurent Clerc, who traveled back to the United States with Gallaudet. Together they founded the American School for the Deaf and Clerc became the first teacher for the deaf in America. -
Hartford Female Seminary
Catharine Beecher founded this all-female seminary where girls were provided with a rigorous education. Beecher believed that girls were just as capable of learning as males. She encouraged the girls to become teachers themselves, and would go on to found the American Women's Educational Association in order to recruit and train young women to become teachers. -
Oberlin College Founded
Oberlin College was founded in 1833 and became the first college to enroll blacks and women. Blacks were enrolled as early as 1835. Women attended Ladies' Course to received diplomas, but were unable to receive a bachelors degree until 1837. In 1844, George B. Vashon became the first black man to earn a bachelors degree from the college. Then, in 1862, Mary Jane Patterson earned a degree in education becoming the first black woman to earn a degree through an American college. -
The First Kindergarten
Margarethe Schurz immigrated from Germany to Watertown, Wisconsin and created the first Kindergarten in 1856. She received the idea from the German word Kindergarten which means "the garden where children grow". Education was very formal in the 1800s, but Margarethe's "garden" helped young children learn through games, songs, and teamwork. In 1859, Margarethe met Elizabeth Peabody, a well-know writer and teacher. Elizabeth loved the idea and helped establish Kindergartens all over the U.S. -
American Federation of Teachers
The American Federation of Teachers was significant because unlike other education unions, it prevented administrators from joining. Because of this, it was unpopular with school boards and politicians. It finally took off during the Great Depression has gained members during various teacher strikes over the years. The union originally fought for things such as equal pay. However, it has become very political, and over 95% of donations from the union have gone to democratic campaigns. -
Brown vs Board of Education Topeka
Oliver Brown filed a law suit against the Topeka Board of Education for denying his daughter, Linda Brown, enrollment into one of Topeka's all-white schools. He claimed that segregation in schools violated the 14th amendment. Four other cases along with Brown's case reached the Supreme Court in 1952 and were all placed under the same case. Eventually, on May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court came to a decision that segregation in schools was "inherently unequal". -
The Equal Educational Opportunities Act
President Nixon signed the EEOA which addressed many civil rights issues. This act was among the first steps in providing services to ELL students. It mandated that schools must accommodate students of all nationalities and must offer courses in English for non-native speakers, and offer resources and opportunities for non-English speaking students to learn in their first language. This act also offered support and legal services to those facing discrimination in public schools. -
Education for All Handicapped Children Act
The United States voted that the EAHCA should become a law to ensure that all children should have access to public education regardless of their learning differences. This act brought federal funding into public schools to allow the establishment of special education services. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004
This act (IDEA - signed by President Bush) was originally known as the EAHCA; its name was changed in 2004. This act has been modified many times by lawmakers as parents and teachers learn new methods for best meeting childrens' needs. In this updated version of the act, the standard was changed from children with special needs receiving education in an isolated classroom to a more inclusive learning experience in which children with disabilites learn alongside general students. -
Every Student Succeeds Act
This act was voted in by the senate and signed into law by President Obama on December 10, 2015. It replaces the No Child Left Behind act and gives states more control in judging and delegating the quality of schools. -
Works Cited
History.com editors. (2019, September 6). Brown v. Board of Education. In History.com. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/brown-v-board-of-education-of-topeka
History.com editors. (2019, September 26). The Equal Educational Opportunities Act is signed into law. In History.com. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/equal-educational-opportunities-act-1974-signed-into-law-nixon -
Works Cited
A town of firsts. (2019). In Oberlin College and Conservatory. Retrieved from https://www.oberlin.edu/about-oberlin/oberlin-history
America's first kindergarten teacher. (2019). In Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved from https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS4385
The history of special education in the U.S. (2016, July 14). In Arkansas State University. Retrieved from https://degree.astate.edu/articles/k-12-education/the-history-of-special-education-in-the-u-s.aspx -
Works Cited
BLS history. (n.d.). In Boston Latin School Association. Retrieved December 3, 2019, from https://www.bls.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=206116&type=d
Carleton, D. (n.d.). Old deluder satan act of 1647. In The First Amendment Encyclopedia. Retrieved December 3, 2019, from https://mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1032/old-deluder-satan-act-of-1647 -
Works Cited
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. (n.d.). In Gallaudet University. Retrieved December 4, 2019, from https://www.gallaudet.edu/about/history-and-traditions/thomas-hopkins-gallaudet
Noah Webster reforms the teaching of English language in the United States. (2019). In History of information. Retrieved from http://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?entryid=3679 -
Works Cited
Kates, A. (2017, November 2). African free school. In Village preservation. Retrieved from https://gvshp.org/blog/2017/11/02/african-free-school-first-in-america-for-blacks-found-a-home-in-greenwich-village/
American federation of teachers. (n.d.). In Revolvy. Retrieved December 6, 2019, from https://www.revolvy.com/page/American-Federation-of-Teachers?cr=1
Benjamin Franklin opens Pennsylvania academy and college. (n.d.). In World history project. Retrieved from https://worldhistoryproject.org -
Works Cited
American educational history timeline. (2019, November 5). In EDS-Resources. Retrieved from http://www.eds-resources.com/educationhistorytimeline.html
May 20: Catharine Beecher opens Hartford female seminary. (2019, May 20). In Today in CT history. Retrieved from https://todayincthistory.com
