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The Colonial Period
The colonies in what will become the United States starts schools. Religion was a crucial part in the information taught and also taught the basic alphabet. -
Schools Begin to Be Required - First Education Laws: Massachusetts
MOST IMPORTANT
Starting in 1647, any town with at least 50 households was required to have a teacher of reading a writing and towns with at least 100 households was required to open a grammar school.
This made a huge change in those who lived int hose times because they were starting to realize the importance of education and most everyone was educated at least a little bit.
(https://www3.nd.edu/~rbarger/www7/masslaws.html) -
Elementary Spelling Book Published
MOST IMPORTANT
Noah Webster published the "Elementary Spelling Book", which changed to the "American Dictionary of the English Language". This may have been one of the most influential events in the history of education in that it was a book that defined the English language - especially for English learners. This book is still used today.
(https://www.noahwebsterhouse.org/discover/noah-webster-history.htm) -
English Classical School Opens in Boston
MOST IMPORTANT
In 1821, the first classical school was opened in Boston. This opened the doors for a secondary education for boys that was an affordable option. This is an important event also in that it led to a girls school being opened, and leading to the formation on more modern day high schools.
(http://www.englishhs.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=75360&type=d&termREC_ID=&pREC_ID=129652&hideMenu=1) -
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The Common School Era
Started in 1830, towns were required to have schools.The Curriculum was more standardized, and the schools were funded with tax dollars. They were good quality schools to try and draw students away from private schools. -
Period: to
Population Growth in the USA
Between the years of 1830 and 1860, the population of the United States went from 13 million to 32 million (4 million were immigrants). This also played a role in where people lived - as people were moving into more urban areas rather than rural. Schools ended up being popular because bigger schools became more popular in larger cities. -
Horace Mann publishes "The Common School Journal"
MOST IMPORTANT
Once Horace Mann saw the state of the schools in the early US, he wrote a journal that went over the weaknesses of the schools and how to change them. He was influential overall in that his thinking led to more public schools and making school more accessible for everyone. The public school really came around with his influence.
(http://www.pbs.org/onlyateacher/horace.html) -
Roberts V. Boston Court Case
MOST IMPORTANT
In 1850, after Sarah Roberts has beenr ejected from 5 white schols and her father had sued the city, the court case in April of 1850, the court justice deemed that there was no reason to abolish Black schools, and separate but equal is still fine. This is important to the history of education because this case led to the winning of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.
(http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/roberts-vs-city-boston-begins) -
John Dewey Publishes "The School and Society"
in 1899, John Dewey published "The School and Society", which questioned how school functioned in society. This was an instrument in the progressive movement in education in the United States. -
States Require Full Time Attendance
By the year 1918, all schools in the US had some law in place that required full-time school attendance for students up to a certain age. This was new for the time, and led to students going to school more like they do today. -
Sputnik is Launched
At the inauguration of the Space Age, when Russia launched the satellite Sputnik, the US increased teaching about science and math. This spurred the interest in math and science, which continues today. -
Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights act in 1964 made it so that the government was more involved in schools. Schools that were government funded were required to follow certain regulations - if schools were found to not be following these regulations, they lost the funding from the government. This enacted a somewhat common view of what school should be. -
"War" on Poverty
In 1964 when poverty was at a high, residents began to see education as a solution to end poverty. The belief that the poor don't have the skills to be productive made people want to send their children to school so that they could acquire the skills and knowledge needed to escape poverty. -
Individuals with Disabilities in Education
In 1975, the real conversation started about students with disabilities and their access to education. This started the integration of individuals with disabilities into regular schools. This changed the quality of life for many - as they were now able to have an appropriate and affordable education as well as others. -
No Child Left Behind
The United States enacted "No Child Left Behind". This act made it so that schools had regulations of what children and students needed to know at the end of certain grades - to ensure that students were learning an appropriate amount of information. This also made it so that teachers are qualified to teach, which led to better educations. But if schools weren't proficient for 2 years, they are marked as "needs improvement" which led to some issues later on.
