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Education in the Colonial Period
If you had money, you got an education. This was the time that they tried to get rid of all things British in America because we were free. -
Common Schools
I thought this one was a MOST IMPORTANT event. The schools were in extremely terrible conditions and Horace Mann decided he wanted to change that. He did all he could and fought as hard as he could to get common schools so that all the children could get an education. Link text -
The Impact of Jefferson, Rush, & Webster
Thomas Jefferson guaranteed that all kids would have at least three years of schooling and if they were "geniuses" they would have the chance to keep going in their schooling. Noah Webster decided that he wanted to get rid of all the British spelling and he came up with his own. He published a spelling book known as the Blueback Speller. It was designed to teach the students about the USA and its inhabitants -
Horace Mann
MOST IMPORTANT. This guy was amazing! He rode on horse back to over a thousand schools in the span of 6 years so he could review them. Once he got a big enough audience he fought and won the battle to get common schools. All the students were able to go to school for free because the citizens were paying for the schools with their tax money! Link text -
Frederick Douglas’s Role in Education
He pushed to get their children to the nearest and best school house, no matter the color of the skin. Separate schools cost more and do less for their children. In response, the school board investigated the Black schools and found that their were in awful condition, but no action was taken. -
The first legal case concerning integration and Sarah Roberts
MOST IMPORTANT. Sarah Roberts was assigned to The Smith School. Her father wanted her to go to a school that was better and closer to home. He applied at other schools and was denied. He sued and lost so he took it up with the state legislature and won. A law was passed in 1855 abolishing segregation in public schools. Link text -
Population Growth and Immigration in the 19th Century
Almost 3 million children came to the US, some for the purpose of getting an education. The day after a steamship arrived 125 children would apply for one school in NY. Some schools would only have part time schools because they had so many students they had to split the school day. -
The Gary Plan
Wanted the children to move and to find things that would interest them. There was your general classes and then your extracurricular classes. The children really loved this plan because there were so many different classes. The parents of the poor/immigrant students decided to refuse the Gary Plan and have a strike against it. When the mayor won that year, the Gary Plan was turned down and schools became traditional schools. Link text -
The Progressive Reform Movement
Children were supposed to be in school but only about 50% of them actually were enrolled. They would rather work than be in school because the schools were awful and they didn't want to be there. John Dewey introduced the "whole child" teaching and more children started to come to school. -
The Impact of the Civil Rights Movement
The civil rights laws represent a national commitment to end discrimination in education. The laws mandate bringing the formerly excluded into the mainstream of American education. They are also designed to help deliver the promise that every individual has the right to develop his or her talents to the fullest. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act, 1965
(ESEA) this was passed as a part of President Johnson’s “War on Poverty”. It is an extensive statute that funds primary and secondary education. Provides each child with equal opportunities to achieve. -
Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act, 1975
MOST IMPORTANT! November 29, 1975, the passage of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, which is now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA guaranteed access to a free, appropriate, public education in the least restrictive environment to every child with a disability. Link text -
A Nation at Risk Report, 1983
This is a report of President Ronald Reagan’s National Commission on Excellence in education. Its publication is considered a landmark even in modern American educational history. The report contributed to the ever-growing assertion that American schools were failing and it touched off a wave of local, state, and federal reform efforts. -
The Standards Movement
The standards movement was based off of A Nation at Risk Report. It is a way for students to get all the education they can. It has bumped the standards up to a higher level and made them more ready to help the students. It tells the teachers what they should be teaching and what the students should be learning. -
No Child Left Behind, 2001
This act was signed into law by President George W. Bush on January 8, 2002. It is the most recent update to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. This law significantly increased the federal role in holding schools responsible for the academic progress of all students.
