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Catherine Beecher
Considered to be the "Pioneer of in Women's Education."
Through her writings, public appearances and the schools she helped to found, Beecher helped to gain recognition for the value of women’s work in society. Although she did not challenge the subordinate place of females, she did present a new vision of women as a strong and influential force that helped to determine the direction and conscience of the nation. -
Justin Smith Morrill // Morrill Act 1862
Justin S. Morrill was the chief sponsor of the 1862 and 1890 Land-Grant Acts. These were the most important pieces of legislation for American higher education in the 19th century. For the first time, America's working class and minority citizens had the opportunity to pursue higher education. -
Land Grant University
A land-grant university is a United States institute of higher education that was given federal land from the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890. Historically, land-grant universities were an innovative way of supporting the country through economic growth in key fields like agriculture, science, and engineering, while also providing residents of all social classes a chance to better their station in life through higher education. -
Land Grant Universities in Arkansas
There are two Land Grant Universities in Arkansas: University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR - 1871) and University of Arkansas Pine Bluff (Pine Bluff, AR - 1873). -
Ellen Swallow Richards
In 1909, Ellen Richards founded the American Home Economics Association (later renamed the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences). Richards was the first female graduate and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her professional experience led to the formalization of the family and consumer sciences profession. -
Una B. Herrick
She felt that young women should develop skills that would give them an independent source of income before marriage and make them successful household managers. Una became the first Dean of Women at what is present day known as Montana State University. -
Smith Lever Act
The Smith-Lever Act established a national Cooperative Extension Service that extended outreach programs through land-grant universities to educate rural Americans about advances in agricultural practices and technology. These advances helped increase American agricultural productivity dramatically throughout the 20th century. -
Smith Hughes Act
Formally known as The National Vocational Education Act this act provided federal aid to the states for the purpose of promoting precollegiate vocational education in agricultural and industrial trades and in home economics. -
Lenna F. Cooper
Co-founder of the American Dietetic Association founded in 1917. Cooper was considered 'way ahead of her time' because she began the pathway for studying diets that are plant-based and vegetarian diets. Scientific research continues to confirm that these diets are an optimal nutritional approach to the prevention, treatment, and even the potential reversal of many of the chronic diseases facing the world today. -
George-Deen Act
This law provided federal funds to states to improve vocational education in public schools and colleges. Under the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917, the federal government provided matching funds to states to provide vocational education in agriculture and home economics. This law extended funding to workers in "distributive" occupations. These jobs included any positions involving the sale of a product or of a service. -
Barden - Lafollette Act of 1943
This act expanded eligibility for vocational rehabilitation services to mentally retarded and psychiatric handicapped individuals. It also expanded the types of physical restoration services that could be provided to individuals with disabilities. -
Agnes Harris
Agnes became a pioneer in the field of women's education in the mid 1900's. After obtaining her teaching certificate and traveling to different colleges for teaching purposes, she eventually became the Dean of Women at the University of Alabama. -
Vocational Education Act of 1963
This act required all U.S. states to set up detailed plans and reports if they wanted to qualify for specific Federal education funds. -
Vocational Education Act of 1968
The Vocational Education Amendments of 1968 extend the work of the 1963 amendment, but the emphasis on people, not occupations. National and state advisory councils are required once this act takes place. In addition, each state must submit a plan consisting of administrative policies and procedures and an annual and 5-year program plan. -
Vocational Education Act of 1973 (The Rehab Act)
This Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs conducted by federal agencies, in programs receiving federal financial assistance, in federal employment and in the employment practices of federal contractors. -
Title V
This is the section of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that advanced civil rights for individuals with disabilities. EXAMPLES
- Required nondiscrimination in hiring handicapped individuals in the federal government. -Prohibited discrimination against handicapped individuals in employment by any federal contractor or subcontractor receiving $2,500 or more. -Prohibited discrimination against qualified handicapped individuals in any federally supported program or activity. -
Vocational Education Act of 1976
The purpose of the act was to extend, improve and maintain programs; overcome sex discrimination/bias; and develop new programs. -
Carl D. Perkin Act
An ongoing act that began in 1984 and is still continuing to be revised. The latest re-authorization includes three major areas of revision: -Using the term "career and technical education" instead of "vocational education" -Maintaining the Tech Prep program as a separate federal funding stream within the legislation -Maintaining state administrative funding at 5 percent of a state’s allocation -
Workforce Investment Act of 1998
This act combined rehabilitation legislation with other federally supported job training programs in block grants to the states. The purpose was to provide a "one-stop delivery system" for individuals needing help in securing employment and to facilitate the sharing of
employment resources (such as job leads) by the involved agencies. Individuals with disabilities would be served by a variety of programs and would not be strictly dependent upon vocational rehabilitation. -
Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA)
This act is designed to strengthen and improve the nation’s public workforce development system and help Americans with significant barriers to employment, including individuals with disabilities,
into high quality jobs and careers and help employers hire and retain skilled workers.
