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Period: Feb 5, 1492 to
Colonial Period in America
America's Colonial Period -
Education in the Colonial Period
School in America during the Colonial period was attended by children from affluent families. Teachers were paid by these students' families.
http://www.stratfordhall.org/educational-resources/teacher-resources/colonial-education/ -
Top 5 Events: The Impact of Horace Mann
Horace Mann is the Father of the Common Schools and public education. He was elected as Secretary of the newly-created Massachusetts Board of Education in 1837. Mann used his position to achieve major educational reform in America. He launched the Common School Movement, assuring that every child could receive a basic education funded by local taxes. Mann believed that political stability and social harmony depended on education.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4Qc3gZQZpI -
Secondary School Movement
In 1831, the first American comprehensive high school, offering both English and classical courses of study was opened in Lowell, Massachusetts. In 1838 Philadelphia opened a coeducational high school with three tracks: a 4-year classical curriculum, a 4-year modern language curriculum, and a 2-year English curriculum.
http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1871/Common-School-Movement.html -
Top 5 Events: Common Schools
The Common School movement pushed for free public schools across the nation was a highly contested movement. At the time there was a belief that free schools were only for poor families.This idea severely hindered the acceptance of publicly supported schools. The common school movement didn't take hold until the 1830s. By the time the Civil War Started Common Schools were well established.
http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1871/Common-School-Movement.html -
The Progressive Reform Movement
The Progressive education movement was an integral part of the early twentieth-century reform impulse directed toward the reconstruction of American democracy through social, as well as cultural, uplift. John Dewey is the Father of the Progressive movement in education. Dewey's concept of education put a premium on meaningful activity in learning and participation in classroom democracy. In 1894 he founded The New School for Social Research.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGjSMqwlP3E -
Population Growth and Immigration in the 19th century
Immigration and a rapid growth in industry and technological change, increased the demand for skilled workers. A high school education was increasingly seen as necessary to the full realization of social and economic goals.
http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2077/Immigrant-Education.html -
Top 5 Events: The Measurement Movement
The first modern intelligence test in history was developed in 1904 by Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon. Binet investigated complex behaviors, such as comprehension and reasoning. Eventually the test was used to test school performance.
http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2101/Intelligence-MEASUREMENT.html -
The Impact of WWII on Education
Schools in America took a heavy blow when World War II began. Large numbers of teachers leave the classroom to join in the fight, and enrollment dropped significantly as youth students chose not to return to school or to go to work.
http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/ae8.html -
Top 5: Brown vs. The Board of Education
In the Brown vs The Board of Education decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled segregated educational facilities have no place in public education and feelings of inferiority that affects the student's motivation to learn. But instead of being the height of the struggle for racial equality in education, it marked the beginning of the Civil Rights movement.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/rights/landmark_brown.html -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 further involved the federal government in the activities of the schools.Title VI of the act prohibits discrimination against students on the basis of race, color, or national origin in all institutions receiving federal funds. Title VII forbids discrimination in employment based on race, religion, national origin, or sex.
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/hq43e4.html -
Top 5: Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act, 1975
Congress opened public school doors up to millions of children with disabilities. The act laid the foundation of the country’s commitment to ensuring that children with disabilities have opportunities to develop their talents, and contribute to their communities. We as teachers should strive to ensure that all children have the support they need and to find ways to meet each student’s needs within the school.
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/idea35/index.html -
The Standards Movement
Rather than averaged rankings, a standards-based system measures each individual student against a concrete standard. Curriculum, assessments, and professional development are aligned to the standards.
https://www.sonoma.edu/users/p/phelan/423/standards.html -
School Choice Movement: Charter Schools, Vouchers
During the school choice movement, it was up to the parents to decide where their children went to school. Different schools competed for enrollment.
https://www.edchoice.org/school-choice/what-is-school-choice/ -
A Nation at Risk 1985
A Nation at Risk was a milestone report in the history of educational reform in the United States. A Nation at Risk and the series of reports that followed are responsible for the Educational Reform Movement of the 1980s. History is not kind to those who idle. A Nation at Risk pushed public high school education to get tougher.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9WMI703WrA -
No Child Left Behind Act
NCLB dramatically increased the role of the federal government in overseeing the quality of public education for all children in America. NCLB increased funding for poor school districts, called for higher achievement for poor and minority students, and new measures to hold schools accountable for their students' progress. NCLB dramatically expands the role of standardized testing in American public education.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/schools/nochild/nclb.html
