History of education: A Timeline

  • 3500 BCE

    First instances of writing surface

    The first forms of writing have been traced back to this time period, with one notable example being Egyptian hieroglyphics
  • 800 BCE

    Greek Alphabet created

  • 384 BCE

    Aristotle born

  • Period: 325 BCE to 375 BCE

    The first schools in ancient Rome rise

    In the middle of the 4th century BC, the first schools in ancient Rome began to pop up
  • 64

    The high priest of Israel....

    The High Priest of Israel demands schools be opened
  • 859

    University of Al Quaraouiyine opens

    The University of Al Quaraouiyine, or the oldest still operating university opened all the way back in 859 AD
  • 1160

    University of Paris opens

  • First Public school in America opens

    The Boston Latin School opens in Boston, and is the first public school in America
  • Harvard College formed

    One of America's most prestigious university opened its doors
  • The Mather school opens

    The first taxpayer funded school opens in Dorchester, MA
  • Massachusetts Bay Colony makes education compulsory

    The Massachusetts Bay Colony made getting a proper education the law
  • The New England Primer published

    The first textbook for use in American schools is published
  • Yale College opens

    Another one of America's most prestigious Ivy league schools opens
  • Reading education becomes compulsory...

    Reading education becomes compulsory for all children in Norway
  • First tax supported schooling for females

    New England was the first area to provide Tax funded education for women, however it was optional
  • First Public High School

    Boston, MA opens the first public High School
  • Horace Mann becomes secretary of education

    Horace was the first to begin working on a statewide system of creating professional teachers
  • Blackboards begin to be manufactured

  • National Education Association formed

  • Tokugawa regime ends

    The Tokugawa regime in Japan ends, leaving behind a legacy of a literate population
  • Every state has a tax payer funded elementary schools

    Every state has a taxpayer funded elementary school
  • Blaine Amendment passes

    The Blaine Amendment did not allow schools with a religious affiliation to receive tax money
  • Nationwide Compulsory laws

    By 1918, every state had a law on the books requiring students to at least finish elementary school.
  • GI bill passes

    The GI Bill passes, allowing thousands of veterans to go on to receive higher education
  • Brown v. Board of Education

    The supreme court unanimously agree the separate but equal schools were unconstitutional
  • GIS

    The worlds first GIS system is created in Canada
  • Microcomputers become affordable

    This leads to a permeation of microcomputers into the classroom
  • Epson HX-20 announced

    The worlds first portable computer is announced. Labtops would go on to become a staple in many learning environments
  • Microsoft Office created

    Microsoft releases its product Microsoft Office, which many students and professionals alike still use today
  • Public Use of the internet begins

    One of the most important additions to education begins public use
  • Adobe launces Acrobat

    Adobe launches Acrobat, one of the most popular programs for reading electronic files
  • ISTE releases first student standards

    ISTE releases the first version of student standards known as NETS
  • Google is incorporated

    Google, one of the worlds best search engines, is incorporated. The effect on education is immense.
  • Wikipedia launched

    Wikipedia, or one of the worlds largest databases of information, launched on this day
  • No Child Left Behind passes

  • Kaplan University founded

    Kaplan university was founded in 2004, and continues to be one of the nations leader in virtual classrooms
  • Dreambox Learning is founded

  • Prezi launched

    Prezi, an app many teachers use to show information in a non-linear style, launced
  • iPad announced

    The iPad is announced, while not the first tablet it is the most popular, eventually leading to many tablet style computers being accessible in schools
  • US census bureau reports...

    The US Census Bureau reports that there are still disparities across racial lines when it comes to access and use of technology in classrooms