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Harvard College was founded
Originally started out as a school to educate new ministers in the colonies. -
The Massachusetts Law of 1642
Ordered that leaders in towns made sure that parents and masters were educating their children. -
Education Law of 1647
Ordered every township of 50 households to provide a teacher to teach reading and writing, and all townships of 100 households to establish a grammar school. -
The New England Primer used to educate children
Used to educate children in the alphabet and spelling but also had religious teachings embedded in it. -
Birth of Academies
While still focused on reading and writing, arithmetic was now added into the mixed and became important to learn in schools. Practical and Vocational training also took place in Academies. -
Jefferson's Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge
MOST IMPORTANT #1:
Jefferson's bill though it was defeated by the Virginia legislature was one of the first proposals for the education of not just the elite children but education for the masses as well. He wanted to educate all so that it would ensure the continuation of good government, public safety, and happiness. This was the first proposal for universal, free, public education for all. -
Noah Webster and his "blue-back speller"
MOST IMPORTANT #2
He sought cultural independence from England, and tried to achieve this in his 'blue-black speller". He believed that the primary purpose of education was to teach patriotism, which led him to start and create a national language for the United States. The "blue-back speller" taught patriotism. This was one of the first textbooks used in schools. This book has never been out of print, and has sold an estimated 100 million copies. -
Academies for Women began to open
MOST IMPORTANT #3
This was the beginning of real education for women to have a profession. In the academies sometimes known as seminaries women were trained to become teachers. Troy Female Seminary in New York was one of the first opened followed by others. This led the way for women to be educated more and to eventually enter other professions outside of the home. -
The first High School opens in Boston
The first high school opened in Boston and was known as the English Classical School, later renamed the Boston English High School. This was the beginning of the high school system. By 1900 more than half a million students were enrolled in high school and 62,000 graduated. -
Massachusetts abolishes charging rates to pay for education
This was the first state to abolish charging rates to parents to school their children. With the rates gone, schools began to truly be free. With Massachusetts leading the way the rest of the states followed. -
The Common School Movement began
MOST IMPORTANT #4
This is the period when the American education system began to take form. This is when state systems of education were established, and publicly supported schools were attended by all children. One of the driving forces of the movement was Horace Mann whose work and writings helped influence education legislature and practices throughout the entire country. -
Henry Barnard serves as the first US commissioner of education
He was a huge advocate for the Common School movement, and had a personal philosophy of "schools good enough for the best and cheap enough for the poorest". He was always advocating for better schools for the nations children. -
John Dewey and Progressive Education
John Dewey was a strong advocate for Progressive education and believed that education should focus on the entire child. This means not only intellectual, but social, emotional, and physical needs of a child. He called it his child-center curriculum. This would be one of my most important if they weren't already taken up by others. -
Brown vs. the Board of Education
MOST IMPORTANT #5
This was the first winning stepping stone taken towards the full integration of African-American children into better schools with White children. This may not have been an immediate thing that happened in most states, but it was a huge win and paved the way for the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which did end segregation in not just schools but everywhere. -
The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975
This act made it possible for children with disabilities to start attending public schools.
