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First Organized School
Bostin Latin School, the first public (not free) school in the United States, is opened. -
Founding of Colleges
Harvard College is founded in Cambridge Massachusettes. It is one of the first major colleges in America and is still a prestigious university today. After Harvard was founded, colleges began to spring up all across the colonies. -
Compulsory Education
Massachusettes Bay Colony organizes the first compulwory, or required, education system. The trend soon follows throughout the colonies. -
Textbooks in America
Textbooks were first brought to America in 1690 and were reprinted by the masses to be sold to schools across the colonies. Textbooks rose in popularity over the next hundred years. -
First Public High School
Boston opened the first free, public high school. This trend spred across the nation and high schools started to outnumber private schools in the following years. -
Free Elementary Schools In America
Every state in America had free public elementary schools by 1870. This marked America as one of the most literat nations in the world. -
Spread of Compulsory Education
Every state in America required the completion of elementary school by the year 1918. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Considered as a landmark supreme court case, Brown v. Board of Education revolutionized the public education system in America. In the case, the Supreme Court decided that seperate public schools for different races was unconstitutional. Not only did this case introduce multiracial public schools, it also overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson case and did away with "seperate but equal" being acceptable. -
ABINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT v. SCHEMPP
In this supreme court case, Edward Schempp argued that Bible readings in school were unconstitutional. The Supreme Court decided 8-1 in favor of Schempp. This case is one of the most well-known examples for religion being banned from teaching in school. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
The goal of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, passed by Lyndon B. Johnson, was to close the gap between public and private school's academic standards. The act also pushed to improve public schools and fund them more sufficiently. -
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
The goverment passed an act that ensured no child is left behind by giving students more flexibility and choice and focusing not so much on just academic scores.
