History of CTE

By mackenzie.mcgary
  • 469 BCE

    Socrates

    Founder of western philosophy but thought educators should focus on teaching the techniques of rationala thought.
  • 427 BCE

    Plato

    Believed society should prioritize education and that education is a means of attaining individual and collective justice - shaped education.
  • 384 BCE

    Aristotle

    Known as the "father of zoology" and classified species of the animal kingdom based on history, movement, and progression.

  • Thomas Jefferson

    Third president of the U.S. founded the University of Virginia and helped education become more accessible.

  • Publication of Rousseau's Emile

    Treatise on education that focuses on natural education from birth through adulthood with special emphasis on a child's development.

  • Horace Mann

    Known as the "founder of the U.S. public school system" and was an advocate for the common school movement. Head of state board of education where he improved the school system to create colleges to train teachers, raise salaries of teachers, and lengthen the school year.

  • Industrial Revolution

    Pushed people toward cities to find work which led to the first public education system. This also created a demand for workers in technical fields.

  • John Swett

    Educator known as the "father of the California public school system". Organized teachers' institutes, established a teacher-certification system, won legislative support for school taxes, wrote a revised school law, and provided for uniform textbooks.

  • Ellen H. Richards

    Women's advocate and sanitation engineering pioneer. One of America's first female professional chemists and the first woman to be accepted to a scientific school.

  • Booker T. Washington

    Led Tuskegee University to teach practical training to African American students. These included manual trades and agricultural skills.

  • Alice P. Norton

    Advocated for women's CTE studies as a professor and chairman.

  • John Dewey

    American philosopher who believed occupation was central to educational activity. Believed that occupations in education would help students understand science, history, and problem solve.

  • Martha Van Rensseleaer

    Created a framework for the school of home economics to later become the New York state college of human ecology.

  • Morrill Act

    Established land grant universities to teach agriculture and vocational skills. Eligible states received 30,000 acres of land from the government to use for the university.

  • David Snedden

    Commissioner of education in Massachusetts and critical of literacy education. Promoted occupational experience in vocational education.

  • Rufus Stimson

    President of the University of Connecticut. Wrote over 18 articles for Agricultural Education Magazine and wrote a history of agricultural education.

  • W.E.B DuBois

    Sociologist who became an influential voice of the African American community in education.

  • Charles A. Prosser

    Associate commissioner of education in Massachusetts and believed successful vocational education should be widely used.

  • Hatch Act

    Gave funds for research on better farming practices and spread findings to local farmers.

  • Major Dennis Mobley

    Agricultural educator in Georgia and served on the association of CTE. He also helped organize FFA.

  • Second Morrill Act

    Intended to reform land grant universities in what were the confederate states. Required schools to prove race was not an acceptance criterion and gave funding to historically black colleges.

  • Smith-Lever Act

    Helped establish extension services for land grant universities.

  • World War 1

    Increased pressure on education system to take care of children. Many schools held fundraisers to raise money for relief organizations.

  • Smith-Hughes Act

    First federal vocational education act which established importance of agriculture, industrial arts and home economics in public high schools and designated funding to help said programs. To receive funding, states were required to establish vocational education boards.

  • Women's Suffrage

    Gaining the right to vote gave women a stronger voice in the education system and began breaking down barriers for women to the workforce and male dominated professions, especially CTE.

  • American Vocational Association Developed

    Formed when the National Society for Vocational Education and the Vocational Education Association of the Mid-West united in the aftermath of the Smith-Hughes Act. The goal was to advance leadership in vocational education, unite groups with an interest in vocational education across the country.

  • George Reed Act

    Removed home economics from the industrial arts portion of the Smith-Hughes Act, no funding was allocated through this act.

  • George-Dean Act

    Allocated $12 million to vocational education and added marketing to that group of subjects.

  • World War II

    The world began to rely more heavily on the U.S. for food imports and once the U.S. joined, the demand greatly increased which led to a change in farming practices. Women began training to replace men in industry.

  • George-Barden Act

    Added to the George Deen Act with an additional $34 million and expanded the ways that the money could be used.

  • Sputnik

    Start of the space race which increased demand for scientists, engineers and skilled machinists. Inspired students to pursue careers in these fields.

  • National Defense Education Act

    Helped schools increase education in science, math, and foreign languages. Allowed college students to receive loans and fellowships for media education.

  • Vocational Education Act and Amendments

    Replaced all vocational education acts besides the Smith-Hughes Act. Established an advisory board to evaluate current vocational education programs. Funding was increased to $225 million. Created a federal definition for vocational education and expanded what agricultural education and home economics entailed.

  • Civil Rights Movement

    Fought to ensure that students of all races were given access to equla education.

  • Manpower Development and Training Act

    The first federal job training program which provided training to unemployed people.

  • Educational Amendments (Title IX)

    Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in any publicly funded education program.

  • Comprehensive Employment and Training Act

    CETA grouped together all previous federal job training programs and provided funding to state and local programs which gave them more control. Aimed to help those unemployed, underemployed or considered economically disadvantaged and also helped support youth programs such as summer work programs and job corps.

  • A Nation at Risk Report

    Created by the Regan administration and warned that American schools were falling behind so they needed more "rigor". Common standards across the states were recommended as well as increasing requirements for teachers.

  • Job Training Partnership Act

    Replaced the comprehensive job training act and expanded the programs while keeping control at a state and local level. Also created programs for displaced workers, homeless, and older members of the workforce.

  • Carl Perkins Vocational Education Act (Perkins 1)

    Allotted $950 million to vocational education with 57% of that being specifically assigned to programs that helped disadvantaged people such as those with disabilities, single parents, and criminals. Academic subjects like math and reading were incorporated into vocational education and state vocational education consoles were required to be established.

  • New Directions Report (Ag Ed)

    Created with the goal of reforming both education and education in agriculture. This was to improve the public's understanding of agriculture and the methods used to teach agriculture in the classroom.

  • Perkins Act (Perkins 2)

    Increased funding to $600 million and created a new federal definition of vocational education and required measurable standards be created.

  • The Secretary's Commission of Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) Report

    Evaluated what skills were needed for students to become productive members of the workforce. Looked at basic skills, critical thinking, personal relationships, resource management, and skills with technology.

  • School to work Opportunities Act

    Introduced by the Clinton administration and gave money to states in the form of grants to encourage them to provide performance-based training to prepare students for the transition from being students to members of the workforce.

  • Land-grant to Tribal Colleges

    Categorized tribal colleges as Land Grant Universities. Most were two-year programs and offered vocational training to both native and non-native students.

  • Education Amendment Act (Perkins 3)

    Changed the definition of vocational education again.

  • American Vocational Association becomes Association of Career and Technical Education

    Changed its name to reflect the changing environment in vocational education. The organization wanted to broaden its horizons to include new technologies and careers.

  • Technology Revolution

    Saw an explosion of jobs in the IT, automated production, and software development industries. CTE was used to help meet the demand for these new jobs which led to an increase in computer technology class in high schools and postsecondary education.

  • No Child Left Behind Act

    Set out to increase the accountability of schools when it comes to closing the gap between high and underperforming students. Schools received funding to conduct national standardized testing and required schools to act based on the results of these tests to improve students' scores year to year.

  • Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act (Perkins 5)

    Reauthorized the Perkins 4 Act and congress committed to continue giving $1.3 billion a year to CTE programs. Allowed states to define their own program goals and set aside special funds for rural communities and those with an especially high demand for CTE trained workers.