-
Oberlin College becomes the first U.S. college to admit both men and women
It was the first coeducational college in the United States, admitting African American male students and two year later it became the first college to admit female students. http://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2014/10/women-of-oberlin-college.html -
The first Department of Education is created.
President Andrew Johnson signed legislation creating the first Department of Education. It was originally designed to collect information and statistics about nation's schools. It was soon demoted to an Office in Education due to the fear that it would have too much control over schools. Later on, it came back due to the need for federal funding for education. https://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/focus/what.html -
The Pledge of Allegiance is first used in public schools.
The Pledge of Allegiance was composed by Francis Bellamy to teach students loyalty to the United States. It was introduced on Columbus Day to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival to the Americas. It is something which is recited in schools everyday now and is a big part of our education system. http://www.ushistory.org/DOCUMENTS/pledge.htm -
The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) was administered for the first time.
The SAT was intended to assess a student's readiness for college. It originally was not designed to align with high school curricula, but was changed in 2016 to align what students learn in high school. The scores range from 400-1600 from results of two of the three sections: mathematics, critical reading, and writing. It also has an optional essay to add on. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/sats/where/timeline.html -
Schools face low attendance and staffing when young men are drafted into World War II.
World War II pulled a lot of students out of schools because many young men enlisted or were drafted to war. https://www.theedadvocate.org/uncovering-devastating-impact-world-war-ii-american-education/ -
Congress passes the National Defense Education Act (NDEA)
Designed to improve the study of math, science, and foreign languages in schools. President Dwight D. Eisenhower wanted to increase technological sophistication and power of the United States. Made while competing in the space race to send a human up into space. https://www.britannica.com/topic/National-Defense-Education-Act -
Apple Inc. releases its first personal computer, known as the Apple I, and donates computers to schools.
Apple I was the first desktop computer released by Apple Inc. in 1976. It was designed and hand-built by Steve Wozniak and sold to schools. It was the introduction of technology in schools. https://youtu.be/sH-g9SyX4S0 -
The United States Supreme Court Case, Brown v. Board of Education is passed, making segregation in public schools illegal.
Brown v. Board of Education was a Supreme Court Case which was a combination of Oliver Brown and four other cases related to school segregation to state that school segregation violated the "equal protection clause" of the 14th Amendment. This lead to several other civil rights movements in the United States and moved a step closer to desegregation in schools. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/brown-v-board-of-education-of-topeka -
The first online high school, CompuHigh, opens.
It is a private, accredited online high school that provides individual courses and a diploma program. The introduction of online classes, which many of us use today. https://www.whitmoreschool.org/about/mission-history/ -
The Box Tops for Education Program is created.
Created by General Mills, the Box Tops for Education Program helped schools earn money by collecting coupons from food packaging. It has helped America's schools today earn over $868 million. https://www.boxtops4education.com/about/history
