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The first public school was founded in Boston, Massachusetts
The Boston Latin School is the oldest American public school. Its curriculum was founded upon the Latin school movement from the 18th century, with an emphasis on classical studies. The school was founded by the Town of Boston with an aim to provide education to young men of all social classes. -
Harvard College was founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Harvard College was founded with an aim to train clergy for the new commonwealth after thousands of Puritans migrated to New England. The college got its name after John Harvard, a Colonial-era English minister. -
Thomas Jefferson supports public education
In the 1770s, several prominent politicians expressed their support for publicly-funded education. Jefferson, Franklin, Webster, Washington, and Rush were among them. At that point, Jefferson’s idea that every child has the right to education at the public’s expense was considered radical. -
Horace Mann becomes the Secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Education
Horace Mann is a notable figure in the reformation of the American schooling system. He promoted public education in his role as a Secretary, and later as a member of the House of Representatives. He won support for his policies for common schools that would provide a diversity of religions and races. -
Seneca Falls Convention
This was the first women’s rights convention, which focused on the civil, social, and religious rights of women. During the meetings, the general role of women in society was discussed and debated. The right to vote stirred the most heated debates, but so did the suggestions that women should have equal rights and access to education as men. -
Elizabeth Blackwell becomes the first woman to graduate from medical school
Blackwell had trouble being accepted at Geneva Medical College (later known as Hobart College) as a medical student in 1847. 150 male students unanimously voted for her to be accepted. She chose the topic of typhus for her graduating thesis, and the dean stood and bowed to her when conferring her degree. -
The U.S. Department of Education was established
With the signature of President Andrew Johnson, the Department was established with the purpose to help all states to create and support productive schooling systems. It took a lot of time for the Department to become functional; it started operating in 1980. -
The Peabody Education Fund was established
George Peabody established this education fund with a value of $2.1 million. His purpose was to support elementary education for schools in the south, which were in a desperate situation at that point. -
Plessy v. Ferguson Decision
Homer Plessy was a New Orleans resident, who violated the Separate Car Act in Louisiana. This act required equal, but separate train car accommodations for non-white and white people. The U.S. Supreme Court made a decision that as long as the segregated facilities were equal in qualify, racial segregation laws are valid. The “separate but equal” policy was extended to education as well. -
The Association of American Universities was founded
The American educational system lacked standardization, which is why many American students went to Europe to attend graduate school. The AAU was intended to standardize U.S. doctoral programs. It started accrediting programs in 1914. -
Founding of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Andrew Carnegie founded the CFAT with a mission to improve teaching practices. The foundation introduced a measuring system, which would evaluate study processes and offer feedback to teachers regarding their effectiveness. -
Founding of the American Federation of Teachers
Margaret Haley was the first leader of the AFT. It was established as a union, which would advocate for the rights of federal and state school-related personnel. Together with the National Education Association, the AFT has contributed with more than $57 million to federal campaigns promoting educational programs. -
The SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) was introduced
The first SAT was based on the Army Alpha test, which was used to measure IQ, leadership potential, job classification, and capability for serving of soldiers. In 1934, Harvard University started using the SAT to identify scholarship recipients. -
Samuel A. Kirk draws attention to learning disabilities
At a conference on children with perceptual disorders in Chicago, psychologist and educator Samuel A. Kirk uses the term learning disability in his speech. The Association for Children with Learning Disabilities was formed in 1964. -
The Higher Education Act of 1965 was signed
The act was intended to ensure financial assistance to students in postsecondary and higher education and to provide better educational resources to colleges and universities. -
Herbert R. Kohl Publishes The Open Classroom
The book promotes the concept of open education, which puts the student at the center of the educational process. The Open Classroom triggered a conservative movement in the 1970s, which opposed open education. Nevertheless, Kohl’s theories changed the way teachers approached the educational process and made them focus on students’ needs. -
Apple Inc. introduces Apple II
This was one of the first personal computers that were easy and efficient to use. Apple IIe became a popular device in schools. It triggered the concepts of gamification and computer-supported learning. -
Columbia College accepts women in undergraduate programs
Columbia College was the last Ivy League school to allow women in undergraduate programs. Although it had been granting professional and graduate degrees for years before that point, it took long for its undergraduate system to become coeducational. -
The first online campus was established
The University of Phoenix was fast to turn to online learning as an alternative method to traditional education. The program offered online BA and MA degrees. From that point, educational opportunities were significantly transformed. During the 1990s, the distance learning concept led to an increased number of online learning resources. Such is the EduBirdie website, which assists students with writing, editing, plagiarism checking, and more. -
The No Child Left Behind Act was introduced
The act introduced a standards-based reform, with a goal to improve individual outcomes in the educational process. The states were required to develop assessment systems, which would measure a student’s basic skills. -
The COVID-19 crisis makes distance education imperative
The U.S. was not spared from the pandemic. With the need for physical distancing, schools had to be closed and students had to study from home. Research showed that students can learn effectively online. They still have access to books and lectures in a controlled online environment.
