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Massachusetts “old Deluder Satan Law” of 1642
Massachusetts wanted their children to be able to read the bible so they wouldn't bee fooled by Satan. If a Master hadn't provided for their apprentice to learn to read, the apprentice could be taken away. This is the first sort of compulsory educational law in America. -
Education Law of 1647
Areas with enough people are required to have some sort of education center. Towns of 50 families are required to have a reading and writing teacher, towns of 100+ families are required to have a grammar school. This movement from a privately funded education to a community funded education is one of the MOST IMPORTANT events in American Education as it is the start of our system today.
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Thomas Jefferson, the First Advocate for Education Reform
“If a nation expects to be ignorant and to be free, it expects what never was and what never will be.” Thomas Jefferson thought that education was essential for democracy to work. He tried to pass a bill that would make at least three years of education free and available to all, with the possibility of receiving a scholarship to continue to secondary school if found to be talented, but this was struck down in 1779. They were very concerned with taxation back then. -
The Northwest Ordinance, 1785
The Northwest Ordinance created the first new new territory to the original 13 colonies. The ordinance also called for a public university as part of the settlement and eventual statehood of the Ohio Territory. -
Horace Mann hits the scene!
One of the MOST IMPORTANT events influencing American Education is the appointment of Horace Mann to the first State Board of Education in Massachusetts. He visited schools and districts in his state and reported on their conditions, bringing their issues to the public eye. He standardized the condition of the classroom and promoted Common Schools that were funded through taxes and accepted students of high and low class.
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The Case of Sarah Roberts
Sarah Robert's father tried to enlist her in schools that were closer to their house. She was denied because of her skin color. Her father filed suit, and the case was taken to the State Supreme Court and they lost. So they approached legislators. in 1855, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts banned segregated schools in the state! This is MOST IMPORTANT because it is the first law prohibiting segregation.
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Secondary School Movement
After the civil war, a population boom, industry boom, and technology boom created a need for a higher educated population. Education was needed to be more successful in this new industrial economy. Free high schools replaced academys with fees. -
Progressive Reform Movement
At 1900, 50% of all children went to school. Two million children were working in factories and 80% of them wanted it to stay that way. School wasn't fun, and you could easily get sick being there. Progressive Reformers first banned children from working in factories, and then required them to be in school instead. They also worked on making school more fun and hygienic. This new system is MOST IMPORTANT in shaping today's schools.
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World War I
Many agreed with the ideas of Theodore Roosevelt that Americans speak English and nothing else. With the onset of World War I this ideology became the standard for most school districts across America, burning textbooks in other languages. -
World War II
During World War II, enrollment and funding for education went down, but after it ended, the GI bill enabled returning soldiers to go to school and provide for the baby boomer generation which increased student numbers by the millions. -
Brown vs. Board of Education, 1954
The abolition of segregation in schools began, as well as the Civil Rights Movement. This event began a domino effect not only going into racial discrimination, but gender discrimination, age discrimination, and disability/handicap discrimination.
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National Defense Education Act (1958)
The Russians had just launched Sputnik and the American people were terrified. An arms race ensued into which the education system was pulled. The National Defense Education Act was passed. This was the first Federal law that concerned itself with educational curriculum. Heavy emphasis was now placed on math and science in order to get ahead of the Russians. Progressive education was squashed. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Even though the Supreme Court supposedly ended segregation, there were till states that totally ignored them. The Civil Rights Act was passed, banning discrimination based on race, and anyone who wanted federal funding had to abide by that. -
Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA)
Previously known as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA), it is the birth of the special education program. This law mandates that states educate students with disabilities and accommodate to their needs. -
A Nation at Risk Report, 1983
A strange report that blew whistles and pointed fingers at a non existent issue for political gain. Since this point public opinion on the state of America's school system has been low.
