History of Education

  • Education in the Colonial Period

    The primary education of upper class children in colonial days included reading, writing, simple math, poems, and prayers. Paper and textbooks were scarce so boys and girls recited their lessons until they memorized them.
  • The Impact of Jefferson, Rush, & Webster

    Jefferson: Made a system of public schools that would allow everyone to have a basic education.
    Rush: He wanted to make a system of schools in Pennsylvania and later the whole nation that would cause public support for free schools.
    Webster: Also supported the idea of free schools which he believed were meant to teach the necessary patriotic and moral precepts.
  • Secondary School Movement

    Secondary school was not a common thing until the mid 19th century. Secondary education was schooling beyond elementary school.
  • The Impact of Horace Mann

    The Impact of Horace Mann
    ** Most important** Mann's influence was significant because he was the "Father of American Education" who was also the spokesperson for the common school movement. He established a state board of education as well as helped organize the schools in Massachusetts into an official state system. These school boards are still in affect today. [Link text]https://www.britannica.com/biography/Horace-Mann
  • Common Schools

    This was when state systems were finally put into effect. This was when the American educational system, similar to our current system, started to take form.
  • The Progressive Reform Movement

    The Progressive Reform Movement
    MOST IMPORTANT
    This movement is significant because it called for curricular and administrative reforms. This is significant because this movement included lower student-teacher ratios as as well as cleaner and more conductive to creative activity schools which are still in affect today. Link text
  • The committee of Ten

    The committee of Ten
    ** MOST IMPORTANT** The Committee of Ten was a working group of educators that, in 1892, recommended the standardization of American high school curriculum. I think that this is the most important because this is when higher education started to form. I think that it was very important for education to become important and that the committee of ten helped it happen. Link text
  • The Impact of John Dewey

    John Dewey was "the real spokesman for intellectual America in the Progressive Era." He didn't like the old, rigid, subject centered curriculum instead he believed learning came by experiences the students had as opposed to just memorization.
  • The Measurement Movement (Thorndike, Terman)

    The movement was developed by psychologists named Lewis M. Terman and Edward Thorndike. This movement was all about learning the individual mental development in students as well as measuring achievement in common subject areas.
  • Brown Vs. Board of Education

    Brown Vs. Board of Education
    MOST IMPORTANT
    The Supreme Court decision of the Brown vs. Board of Education court case is significant because it eventually led to the desegregation of schools in America. This is significant today because it gave students of all races equal rights to an education. Link text
  • Sputnik and NDEA

    Sputnik and NDEA
    MOST IMPORTANT
    This event is incredibly significant because it caused the federal government to pass the National Defense Education Act (NDEA) which increased funding to specific curricular areas like math and science as well as increased specialized revisions to the curriculum. This is impacting today's education through the emphasis we are still placing on subjects like math and science. Link text
  • Elementary and Secondary Education

    Elementary and Secondary Education
    MOST IMPORTANT ESEA is an extensive statute that funds primary and secondary education, emphasizing high standards and accountability. As mandated in the act, funds are authorized for professional development, instructional materials, resources to support educational programs, and the promotion of parental involvement. Link text
  • Individuals with disabilites in education act

    The Education For All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) made it so all children who have disabilities have a free and appropriate EHA. Another name for this Act is "The Bill of Rights for Handicapped Children."
  • A nation at risk report

    A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform basically called out America's education system as being mediocre. It was a call to action to reform the educational system in the U.S.
  • No child left behind

    "...No Child Left Behind required that by the 2005-06 school year all states must have developed standards for what every child should know and learn in math and reading and that 95% of all students in grades 3-8 be tested annually and at least once in grades 10 to 12 to determine their progress in meeting the standards. NCLB sets a target of 100% of tested children meeting a state ­established "proficient" level on state standards by 2014."