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Colonial time 1700s-1800s
Schools were very different in colonial times compared to the 21st century. Many people learned in one room schoolhouses with kids from grades first through 12th grade if students stayed in school that long. It was very simple with little structure, and it was only the beginning of expanding schools for students in America. YouTube. (2020). YouTube. Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLidIajv54Y. -
Noah Webster Invented the English Dictionary
Noah Webster invented the English dictionary that would allow for words to not change between multiple different spellings. There would be one way to spell 'this' instead of three or four. It was just the beginning of creating more structure in education. About Us | Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). In The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Retrieved September 28, 2022, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/about-us/americas-first-dictionary -
Common School Movement
Common School is built on the idea that we can't have a good country if students can't get access to a basic education. With the help of Webster's dictionary and Horace Mann's vision, public schools are possible for free to students. Common school movement - colonial and Republican schooling, changes in the antebellum era, the rise of the Common School. StateUniversity.com. (2022). Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1871/Common-School-Movement.html -
Women's Education
For many years, women weren't allowed to attend school, and even when it started to expand, they weren't able to attend college. It took many years as well as very intelligent women who fought for the right of their education. History of Women’s Education in America | Gale. (n.d.). Retrieved September 28, 2022, from https://www.gale.com/primary-sources/womens-studies/collections/womens-education -
Native American Boarding Schools
Boarding schools were built on reservations as a way to assimilate them into the English way of life. They wanted to push Protestant teachings and get rid of the Native American way of life and to "civilize" them. American Indian Relief Council. (n.d.). Native American History and Culture: Boarding Schools - American Indian Relief Council is now Northern Plains Reservation Aid. Retrieved September 26, 2022, from http://www.nativepartnership.org/site/PageServer?pagename=airc_hist_boardingschools -
Plessy vs Ferguson
Plessy vs Ferguson put into place that "separate but equal" was the way to go. As long as everyone had access to bathrooms, schools, and restaurants, it was ok. Even if they had vastly different amounts of support and money going into them. YouTube. (2022). YouTube. Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2rWjpDNnQ4V. -
Brown vs the Board of Education
Brown vs the Board of Education came in to stop "separate but equal" because it was anything but. Schools for African American students should have the same access to textbooks, technology, and extracurricular activities as white students in other schools. This court ruling stopped the segregation of schools starting the new distribution of students like the Little Rock Nine or Ruby Bridges who were some of the first to enter white schools with a lot of backlash. -
Disabilities Act
The Disabilities Act provides for students who need extra help getting around with leg braces or blindness as well as students who have disabilities that make it hard to focus. Americans with disabilities act (ADA) and educational accommodation. Stimmel Law. (n.d.). Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://www.stimmel-law.com/en/articles/americans-disabilities-act-ada-and-educational-accomodation#:~:text=The%20ADA%20covers%20private%20elementary,program%20for%20students%20with%20disabilities. -
No Child Left Behind
No Child Left Behind had good intentions, to keep everyone on track. Some students struggle more with learning than others do. They should be able to get more help in doing so. Sadly, schools went about it the wrong way. Standardized testing was pushed hard, and schools received less funding if they achieved bad test scores which hurt teachers for having students who needed more help. YouTube. (2012). YouTube. Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0WUqNO0qo4. -
Online/Hybrid Learning
In recent years, having access to online education is important. COVID-19 has kept us physically out of school. Having a way to teach online is important not just for the moment, but to keep students caught up when they are sick or during a snow day. It allows students to stay on track. It's also another option for families if they don't like the schools in their area. YouTube. (2020). YouTube. Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fm8bUWS9oU.