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Massachusetts Law of 1642
The Law of 1642 required that parents and master have their children know the principles of religion and the capital laws of the commonwealth. It stated that parents and masters of those children who had been apprenticed to them were responsible for their basic education and literacy. All children, and servants as well, should be able to demonstrate proficiency in reading and writing as outlined by the governing officials -
Northwest Land Ordinance
To develop schools and make education mandatory, Congress got the Land Ordinance of 1785. This ordinance set aside what was known as Section Sixteen in every township in the new Western Territory for the maintenance of public schools. It also distributed section number 29 for the purpose of religion and no more than two townships for a University. The separation of church and state was now in two different places. -
The Impact of Horace Mann
Horace Mann was an American education reformer credited with founding the Common School Movement, which was instrumental in the development of a system of public education. -
Common School Movement
The Common Schools Movement was a movement beginning in the 1830s that involved a push for a tax-funded, well-developed, state public education system. This was Horace Mann's approach to changing education focused largely on changing the professional conversation regarding education and in changing the way teachers were trained. -
Committee of Ten
The Committee of Ten recommended eight years of elementary education and four years of secondary education. It defined four different subjects as appropriate for high school. Courses that are now considered basic like foreign languages, mathematics, science, English and history were included in each curriculum. -
The Gary Plan
Gary Plan was an educational system instituted in 1907 in Gary, Indiana. It was part of the larger scientific management movement in the early part of the 20th century that tried to increase efficiency in manufacturing through increased separation of worker roles and duties as well as through incentivized wages. The Gary Plan was one example of the educational practices that were strongly influenced by the business-driven movement. -
The Impact of John Dewey
Dewey's view of education was in contradiction to much of the then-present system of schooling. Dewey's approach was child-centered. A child-centered approach to education places the emphasis of learning on the needs and interests of the child. In Dewey's view, children should be allowed to explore their environments. -
Brown vs. Board of Education IMPORTANT
Brown vs. Board of EducationBrown v. Board of Education now acknowledged as one of the greatest Supreme Court decisions of the 20th century, unanimously held that the racial segregation of children in public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The decision did not succeed in fully desegregating public education in the United States, it put the Constitutioninto a full revolution. -
LIttle Rock Nine
Nine black students enrolled at formerly all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in September 1957. On September 4, 1957, the first day of classes at Central High, Governor Orval Faubus of Arkansas called in the state National Guard to bar the black students’ from entering into the school. Later, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent in federal troops to escort the “Little Rock Nine” into the school, and they started their first full day of classes on September 25. -
Sputnik and NDEA IMPORTANT
Sputnik and NDEATThe Soviet achievements led U.S. to believe that the Soviets had gained a substantial advantage in scientific research beating the U.S. scientific establishment, including educational preparation in areas of science and technology. The U.S. Congress saw that the American schools and colleges were not producing the quantity and quality of scientific and technical specialists thus creating NASA and NDEA -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act IMPORTANT
ESEAThe Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was signed into law in 1965 by President Lyndon Baines Johnson. ESEA offered new grants to districts serving low-income students, federal grants for text and library books, it created special education centers, and created scholarships for low-income college students. Additionally, the law provided federal grants to state educational agencies to improve the quality of elementary and secondary education -
Title IX
Title IX of the education amendments of 1972 is enacted into law. Title IX prohibits federally funded educational institutions from discriminating against students or employees based on sex. It begins: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” -
Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act IMPORTANT
IDEAThe Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities. -
A Nation at Risk Report
A Nation at Risk report showed American schools were getting worse, test scores were falling, millions of Americans were illiterate, and our teachers did not have the proper education and were not paid enough. President Reagan suggested that there should be higher graduation requirements, standardized curriculum mandates, more testing for students and teachers, longer school days and year, increase on basic skills, public schools to compete, shift from equity to excellence, and more technology. -
No Child Left Behind IMPORTANT
NCLBThe No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, President George W. Bush's education-reform bill, was signed into law on Jan. 8, 2002. NCLB places an emphasis on increased funding for poor school districts, higher achievement for poor and minority students, and new measures to hold schools accountable for their students' progress and in the process dramatically expands the role of standardized testing in schools.
