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The Beginning: Colonial Education
Education in Colonial America was primarily left up to parents. Girls were only taught housewife duties and boys often went to the house of a teacher or "Dame School" to learn how to read and write.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZq2ou4XWqU -
The Common School Movement
Horace Mann argued for nonsectarian, common schools open to all children for the betterment of society.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9r3Ei4RC4k -
Native American Boarding Schools
"Kill the Indian in him, and save the man"
The U.S. government forced thousands of Native American children into boarding schools to "educate" them, but in reality they stripped them of their culture, and forbid them from using their own names, languages, and religions.
https://www.mdpi.com/humanities/humanities-04-00726/article_deploy/html/images/humanities-04-00726-g001.png -
Plessy vs. Ferguson
The Supreme Court ruled racial segregation constitutional under a "separate but equal" doctrine. This meant Southern states were able to pass laws requiring segregation in public schools.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj54KP16Ilw -
Secondary Education Movement
Economic changes created a need for a labor force with a higher education. Before, about 90% of the workforce were in jobs that only required an elementary education as many people didn't get more schooling than that. To keep up with the changing economy the U.S. began building more public high schools and enrolling mass amounts of students.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aYHCB6TfrQ -
Smith Hughes Act
Provided federal aid to the states to promote vocational education in agriculture, industrial technology, and home economics. Many saw it as a way to solve a shortage in skilled laborers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wau5JGlF5EY -
Progressive - Child-Centered Education
Thanks to John Dewey, educators moved their focus to the whole needs and interests of the child, rather than the needs of the school.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMh1LYuZ3B4 -
Brown vs. Board of Education
Supreme Court justices unanimously ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTGHLdr-iak -
No Child Left Behind Act
Law created to help provide equal educational opportunities for students who are disadvantaged and hold schools accountable for their achievement and learning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0--2nhsDorg -
