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Northwest Ordinance
Written in regards to western expansion, but mentioned that education should be encouraged and stipulated that every township should have land reserved for education. -
Horace Mann
Horace Mann (Most Important): Horace Mann became extremely concerned with education during the 19th century. He was appointed Secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Education. During that time, he placed heavy emphasis on public schools sometimes referred to as Common Schools. He worked to increase funding for the schools and help teachers become better trained to take on their teaching responsibilities. He was an extremely important figure in the development of America’s public education system, and -
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Early 20th Century Immigration
Increased education in the early 1900s led to changes in the nation’s education system. For starters, many new immigrants did not receive public education because there was no more room for them. Also, teaching English to non-English speaking students began to be implemented in the classrooms. -
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Measurement Movemnt
People began trying to measure children’s intelligence through various forms of testing, such as IQ testing. These different forms of measuring intelligence were many times detrimental to children who weren’t as quick at understanding or were from poorer, uneducated families. -
John Dewey
John Dewey(Most Important): John Dewey is known as the father of the progressive movement in the United States. The progressive movement that he advocated for had various elements including focusing on the “whole child,” making education applicable to real world situations, and helping children to more fully participate in America’s democratic society. These values are still important in education today, and many people push for this way of teaching and thinking. -
World War II
Schools faced many problems when the United States entered the war. Education was placed lower on the nation’s list of priorities since many young men were headed off to war. Not only did the schools suffer a loss of enrollment by students, but teachers were also joining the war effort. However, following the war the G.I. Bill gave over hundreds of thousands of veterans the opportunity to attain higher levels of education -
Brown v Board of Education
Brown v Board of Education(Most Important): The Supreme Court ruling in Brown v Board of Education did so much for desegregation in schools. The ruling stated that separate was not equal, meaning schools could not discriminate against any child of any race. Brown v Board of Education only dealt with segregation in schools, but paved the way for other movements and laws that dealt with Civil Rights. Obviously the effects of this can still be seen in every public school. -
Sputnik and NDEA
In response to Sputnik, the National Defense Education Act was passed which gave more funding to science and math related learning. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Lyndon B. Johnson’s effort to help those less fortunate. This act provided $1 billion dollars to help Title I schools and other education programs. -
Individuals with Disabilities Act
IDEA(Most Important): This act gave all American children the right to education. Not only did they receive the right to free education, but also education that is the least restrictive and appropriate for the each child’s needs. This act has been built upon and has given more rights and accessibility to disabled children. -
"A Nation at Risk"
A Nation at Risk(Most Important): The report titled “A Nation at Risk” claimed that the nation’s education system was broken. The report called for many reforms, including more homework, longer school days and school years, more technology learning, and more testing. This report caused the spark that has led to the nation’s current situation of standardized testing, which has caused much controversy and many problems. -
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Growth of Standardized Testing
After “A Nation at Risk,” standards and standardized testing became more and more prevalent in American education. -
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School Choice
The idea of being able to choose the school that one’s child could attend was a new and radical idea. While it is still controversial today, many people have experienced success with the increased levels of competition among schools to become better in order to attract students. -
No Child Left Behind Act
Signed into law by President George W. Bush. Mandated more testing, held schools accountable for achievement of students, and had penalties for schools that did not reach yearly progress goals.
