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Benjamin Franklin
He was one of the most important leaders in the early colonies. He worked to expand the educational opportunities, and started a secondary school in Philadelphia. The school was open to anyone who could pay the tuition and attend. And thanks to Franklin public schools are available everywhere to everyone with wide variety of subjects. -
Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson had a key role in establishing the American Education System. He thought that education was the key to making a newly formed democracy a success. Eventually he divided the counties of Virginia and made a public system of education, and within the next century his dream became the way America’s Public Schools were organized. -
Elizabeth Palmer Peabody
Elizabeth was taught by her parents from an early age with her mother encouraging a high degree of accomplishment in a broad range of subjects. Elizabeth became a school teacher in 1822 and spent some years in that profession and private tutoring in Boston and Maine. She was a principal behind a successful private school. -
Horace Mann
Mann was served at the first secretary of the State Board of Education in M.A.. Which made a huge impact in education. He worked hard to have a free, public education for every girl and boy. Be thought that everyone had the right to a proper education, and give the same education to everyone no matter different the levels of society. -
Common Schools
The first public state-supported schools were called common schools, giving the same education to people from different levels of society. -
Normal Schools
Reflected the hope that through teacher training, all schools would become more “normalized” or in other words similar to each other to improve quality. -
The Morrill Act
Also known as the “Land Grant College Act” gave federal land to establish colleges in every state. The colleges provided practical education in Ag, Home Econ, and other professions. Land Grant Colleges made higher education available to Americans nationwide. -
Friedrich Froebel
He believed that young children learned best through play.They used Froebel’s songs, ideas, and games in the school. His creative thinking helped many students learn and work well with each other. In the 1870s, public schools began to offer kindergarten programs, and kids didn’t attend school until they were seven years old. -
Maria Montessori
She developed a program that had a significant impact on young children during the American Progressive Period. Montessori believed that young children are capable of great discovery and have motivation to explore the world. She believed sensory experiences should come before learning to read and write. Which later she created the Montessori Method. -
John Dewey
An educational philosopher, psychologist, and writer believed that classrooms were too rigid and inflexible and didn’t adapt to the needs, interests, and abilities of individual students. He thought that schools schools should place a greater emphasis on the development of problem-solving and critical thinking. He wanted students working together doing projects and go through real-life activities. -
Booker T. Washington
The Alabama legislature approved $2,000 for a "colored" school, the Tuskegee Institute. Gen. Armstrong was asked to recommend a white man to run the school, instead recommended Washington. Under Booker T. Washington's leadership, Tuskegee became a leading school in the country. At his death, it had more than 100 well-equipped building. He believed that if African Americans worked hard and obtained financial independence, they would win acceptance and respect from the white community. -
Smith-Hughes Act
It established federal funds to support vocational education. It prepared students for many career opportunities in specific trades and occupations where skilled workers were needed. -
Dick and Jane Readers
A new set of textbooks for beginning readers began publication, known as the “Dick and Jane” books. These books taught basic reading skills with simple stories about a family. Over 85 million students used these textbooks which helped standardize Education. -
Brown vs. The Board of Education
Many schools in America were racially segregated based on “separate but equal” policies. African-American teachers were only allowed to teach in African-American schools, and they received lower pay. Then in 1954 the supreme court agreed to hear the case of Brown vs. the Board of Education and the court ruled that racial segregation of schools violated by the constitution -
The Civil Rights Act
In 1954 called for an end to segregation, many schools. Ten years later a lot of African-American children were still being educated both separately and unequally. The the Civil Rights Act began in 1964, formally outlawed segregation in the U.S. public schools and places. Which school districts were ordered to end segregation. -
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 sought to improve the schools most in need. Federal Education dollars were given to school districts based on the number of poor children enrolled. This was a major boost to struggling schools and helped equalize educational opportunities. -
Project Head Start
It still exists today, but it began in 1965. The purpose to this was to help preschool children from low-income families develop the skills they needed for success in kindergarten and so on. Some head Start programs are coordinated with other social programs. -
The McGuffey's Readers
Textbooks became much more widely available during the American Common School Period. Rev McGuffey was asked to write a textbook series on reading for primary students. Thus, the beginning McGuffey’s Readers which is a series of books widely used in schools across the country. These books taught moral lessons and many other subjects as well. -
Children With Disabilities
In 1975 Congress passed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, it guaranteed a free public education for children with disabilities. It further went on for every child to be provided with an education and have it take place an appropriate environment, and parents were to be involved in the child’s placement. -
No Child Left Behind Act
The goal of this act was to improve the performance of schools in the U.S.. They wanted to increase the accountability, and have more choices for parents when choosing schools for their children, and focus on reading skills.
