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1880-1900
Science courses were mainly geared towards college students. during this time the industrial revolution pivoted the science curriculum from agricultural and farming based to technical and industrial. -
1900-1945
Science curriculum began to make its way to lower grades. High school courses offered were: General Science for 9th grade, Biology for 10th grade, Physics for 11th grade,and Chemistry for 12th grade.
General Science was later added to 7th and 8th curriculum in the 1940's. -
1950-1957
This was a very progressive time for science. In 1956 the College Board allowed high schools to administer college level science courses. These courses were then known as AP, or advance placement courses. 1957 was the year in which the first satellite, Sputnic I, was sent out to space. This was done by the Soviet Union. In attempt to make up for lost ground the United States then began investing in science based programs to encourage science education. -
1958-1959
In 1958 the National Defense Education Act was passes, distributing $887 million among science education, including the National Science Foundation (NSF). In the summer or 1959, the NSF offers their first summer training institutes for elementary teachers. -
1969
July 20th, 1969 placed the United States in first place in the space travel race. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. -
1970
In 1970, President Nixon signs the National Environmental Education Act that was intended to distribute grants towards curriculum development and teacher training. From this act the Office of Environmental education arose but was eliminated by congress in the 1980's. In 1990 this office was reopened but as the US Environmental Protection Agency, (EPA). -
1983
President Ronald Reagan returns funds to the NSF which he had removed a year prior. The Imperative for Education Reform was also written this year which include recommendation as to how to improve education in the U.S. -
1993
Teachers were given statements in which they found recommendations as to what students need to know at a given grade. This was called Project 1061 or, Benchmarks for Science. -
1999
The National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century was created. John Glenn, former US senator and astronaut helped to find new strategies for teaching science and math. -
2013
Finally in 2013 there were a new set of science standards. This was thanks to the collaboration of The National Research Council, the National Science Teachers Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Achieve. -
1920 Mathematics
1920 was the birth year of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Today it is composed of 80,000 members who work to ensure students all over the United States are received a quality education in Mathematics. http://www.nctm.org/About/ -
1960's Mathematics
During the 60's teachers began to fight against calculator usage in their classrooms. Even though families were buying these new devices and using them in their homes. http://hackeducation.com/2015/03/12/calculators -
1990's Mathematics
This period was called the "Math Wars".
Many different curriculum and standards arose for mathematics during this time. The NSF funded many projects to reflect state standards from elementary to high school levels.
In 1999, the U.S. Department of Education provided a list of the top 10 recommended math programs. -
1940's Mathematics
This was the time of war. It was noticed that not all the recruits were capable of performing simple math problems. Because of this, the army and other military branches began to teach arithmetic to their soldiers.
Also the discussion about college came about. Did everyone need to attend college or should some students choose a school where they grew on "life skills" instead of academic enrichment. Two tracks were created:
College track= algebra geometry
Life track= home, shop, store, health -
1950's Mathematics
During this time the importance of mathematics returned to education. "Life Tracks" slowly faded out as new technological intentions entered the United States. Some of these new attractions were:
Radar
Cryptography
Atomic Energy
