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Education during the Colonial Period
The first text books were introduced during this time. Noah Webster had his Blue-Blacked Speller book become very popular because it taught people how to read and spell. -
Northwest Land Ordinance of 1785
The 1785 ordinance declared that one section in each township had to be set aside for a public school. The land was to be rented to a settler, and the money was to be used to pay for the school. -
Common Schools
Schools around this time focused their teachings on the Protestant Bible. They provided education for the common person even though not everyone had access to it. -
The impact of Horace Mann
He visited schools across the state of Massachusetts, and wrote on their condition. He stressed that they were over crowded, with horrible teachers, and outdated textbooks. -
Secondary School Movement
Secondary schools used to be mainly private schools that were a way for wealthy men to prepare for college. In 1874, a court case in Kalamazoo, Michigan ruled that tax funds could be used to support secondary schools. -
Population and Immigration growth in the 19th Century
Immigrants who came to this country in the 19th Century had a significantly less number of school years when compared with the students who were born here.
https://us.corwin.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/27680_Rong_Chapter_1.pdf -
The impact of WWII
Schools were urged to change their curricula to meet wartime needs. There was a great push to influence the youth to support the war, there were ads, books, articles, speeches, and even radio broadcasts directed at them. -
Brown vs. The Board of Education of 1954
The landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that says that separate educational facilities for colored people were unequal. Taking place in Topeka, Kansas, nine black students were the first to integrate their school, and became known as The Little Rock Nine.
https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/brown-v-board-of-education-of-topeka -
School Choice Movement, Charter Schools, Vouchers
Rather than attending the school assigned to you according to where you live, because of the School Choice Movement, a family can send their student to a school that best fits their needs. Students may attend a charter school, or receive a voucher to attend a private school if they can’t afford the tuition. Vouchers started in 1955, and Charter Schools in 1992. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
Created by Lyndon B. Johnson as an attack on poverty, the ESEA emphasizes high standards and accountability. The funds for this act are to be used for professional development, instructional materials, resources to support educational programs, and the promotion of parental involvement.
https://www.nasponline.org/research-and-policy/current-law-and-policy-priorities/current-law/elementary-and-secondary-education-act-(esea) -
Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act of 1975
This wonderful document ensures that those with disabilities are provided a free and appropriate public education that is tailored to their needs. Before this act, schools did not have to accept or accommodate those who had special needs.
http://www.apa.org/pi/disability/dart/toolkit-three.aspx -
A Nation at Risk report of 1983
A report that was put out by the Reagan Administration, it said that our schools were greatly lacking, and were failing to educate students well. It suggested adopting new standards, becoming more rigorous, and evaluating teacher pay. -
The Standards Movement
This calls for clear, measurable standards for all school students. Curriculum, assessments, and professional development are all tied to the standards. -
Growth of Standardized testing
What were supposed to be tests to measure the knowledge the children have gained throughout the year, have literally taken over our schools. They cause stress to the teacher as well as the student, and they don’t measure everything they have learned. They only care about the core subjects, not the human behind them. -
No Child Left Behind of 2001
This was an act of Congress that reauthorized the ESEA of 1965, it included Title 1 provisions applying to disadvantaged students. It supported Standards Based Education, and required each state to create its own test to measure basic skills.
