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Jefferson: An advocate for education
Thomas Jefferson was not yet president of the United States, but was an advocate for educating ALL children, for a minimum of 3 years. He believed democracy DEPENDS on educated citizens. http://dailysignal.com/2013/04/14/18th-century-advice-thomas-jefferson-on-education-reform/ -
Most Important: 1st Secretary of Education
Horace Mann became the first Secretary of Education, and worked to standardize schools and texts. The school system was still plagued with inequality. Only the privileged were educated. The poor had no opportunity to go to school at all, or in very poor conditions. Mann believed each student should have an equal chance at life.
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Philly Bible Riots
Half of the US Residents were foreign, creating a diverse religious population. However public schools were taught Protestant beliefs, which led to deadly riots.
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Segregation abolished in Massachusetts
Sarah Roberts (5) was denied admissions to 6 public schools, and filed a claim against Boston. She was denied admission at the time, however this led to a ruling six years later that abolished segregation in Massachusetts.
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Most Important: The End of The Civil War
After the Civil War had ended, states were held accountable to provide education for ALL children. Advocate for woman, Katherine Beecher, founded colleges for women. Her goal was to turn teaching into a respectable career. Teachers were educated and sent out west to the fast growing communities in desperate need for educators.
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John Dewey
John Dewey was a philosopher & educator. He is now referred as the father of progressive education. "For over 50 years Dewey was the voice for a liberal and progressive democracy that has shaped the destiny of America and the world." (cited from weblink below)
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Emerson School
In Gary, Indiana, the Emerson School was the first progressive education model known as the Gary Plan. It started the split shift schedule, as well as offered students instruction in so many different fields. Middle and high schools today still use the Gary Plan.
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English ONLY Education
Theodore Roosevelt led the movement for an English only education. The massive increase of immigrants to the US brought along many different languages and cultures. Roosevelt believed that American should only speak one language... English.
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Most Important: Brown vs. The Board of Education
In Topeka, Kansas the law Separate but Equal, was far from equal. African Americans were taught in run down schools, with old text books, and had to travel far to get to a school. White students were educated in well kept schools schools, with the newest material, and in schools in their own neighborhoods. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Brown, which was a huge win in the fight for equality.
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Most Important: Civil Rights Act
A decade after the Brown Ruling the majority of Southern schools ignored the ruling, and schools were still segregated. In 1963 Lyndon Johnson, a former school teacher, was elected President. He believed that all public schools should be equal. He passed the Civil Rights Act, which would stop funding for schools who refused to desegregate. As an incentive, schools who had desegregated would receive more funding.
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IDEA Act
IDEA was such a great leap for the education system. Before 1975, these students were isolated and hidden from the world. This act was a huge deal, another step toward equal education for all. It showed the world that these kids were no different, and they had just as much of a right to an education as any other kid.
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A Nation at Risk
Distressed about the declining economical situation in America, President Ronald Reagan declared a national learning crisis. He blamed the education system, which caused more & longer school days, higher standards. This is when standardized testing was born.
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School Choice
Following the example of an East, Harlem school, a law was passed to allow New York students to go to the school of their choice. Research showed that allowing students to be able to choose which school they attend, drives the need to continuously improve schools.
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No Child Left Behind
President George W. Bush signed the law, No Child Left Behind. The goal was to bring to standards, assessments, and accountability to public schools.
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Every Student Succeeds Act
President Obama signed the ESSA act into effect in 2015. The ESSA provides greater opportunity to low income students, as well as pre-k programs.
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