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Syms Free School funded by Benjamin Syms
In his will, Syms bequeathed over 200 acres of land for the establishment and maintenance of a free school for those living in Hampton, VA who could not afford to pay for schooling. This precedes the founding of Harvard and is the first example of a free public school in the colonies. The Eaton Free School was established a few years later by another wealthy Virginia benefactor, which shows the impact of this initial gift. H.J. Campbell, The Syms and Eaton Schools and Their Successor -
First New England Printing Press
Reverend Joseph Glover planned to set up the first printing press in New England but died crossing the Atlantic. The importance of education and literacy to Puritan New Englanders transformed the region into a flourishing market for religious, educational, accounting, and farming literature. http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1928/11/30/harvard-college-sponsored-first-printing-press/ -
Massachusetts Bay Colony Literacy Law
Massachusetts Bay Assembly passed legislation requiring household heads and masters of apprentices to educate their children. Failure to do so would result in fines by the town authorities. The result: very high literacy rates in New England. New laws required towns of 100 to build grammar schools. Moran, Gerald F. “Education in the 17th Century.” American Centuries, Volume 2, Facts On File, 2014. -
New England Primer
This was the most popular, and perhaps the most influential, educational resource in colonial New England. It was a book that helped teach students to read using religion, music, poetry, and artwork. It was published by printer Benjamin Harris of Boston. As more schools popped up around the region, many turned to this text. Baugess, James S. “Education in the Colonial and Revolutionary Era.” Education in the Colonial and Revolutionary Era, Facts On File, 2016. American History. -
Some Thoughts Concerning Education by John Locke
In this work, John Locke laid out his philosophy of the student as a natural learner. Two ideas that were central to his philosophy were imprintability and contaminability. He argued that education should respond to and encourage the natural curiosity of the learner and protect him from the poisonous influence of society and family. Locke was 1 of the most prominent Enlightenment thinkers.
Z. Gregoriou & M. Papastephanou, "The Utopianism of John Locke's Natural Learning" -
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel
The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts was an outreach arm of the Anglican Church that was established primarily to reach Native Americans, enslaved African Americans, and children of European immigrants to the British Colonies. The majority of "teachers" were ministers who ended up focusing most of their efforts on reaching European children in wealthy, growing towns. “Society for the Propagation of the Gospel.” Encyclopedia of Revolutionary America, Facts On File, 2010 -
Emile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Rousseau published his famous work Emile in 1762, which laid out his beliefs about education in the form of a story about a boy and his teacher. In it, he argued that children learn best when they are allowed to pursue their interests with little interference from so-called teachers. He also claimed that women were made to please men. Thus, schools that followed his “Enlightened” ideas were often closed to females. Link text -
1st Colonial Medical Departments--Penn (1765) & Columbia (1767)
Colonial universities established law and divinity departments in the 1600s, but it wasn't until after the 7 Year's War ended that the College of Philadelphia and Kings College established departments of medicine. The absence of formal medical training in the colonies shows the heavy emphasis on religious and legal training. The introduction of these departments coincides with the rising role of science in education. J.S. Baugess, “Education in the Colonial and Revolutionary Era.” -
Founding of the Methodist Book Concern
This was the first church publishing house in America. According to Candy Gunther Brown this was one of the most significant events in the establishment of what she calls "Evangelical Print Culture." Evangelicals in the late 18th and early 19th centuries established their own informal literary canon which grew with the Sunday School movement. The Word in the World : Evangelical Writing, Publishing, and Reading in America, 1789-1880 http://www.umc.org/who-we-are/the-churches-grow-1817-1843 -
Letter to the Rev. Jedediah Morse, Author of "American Universal Geography"
Thomas Nicolson wrote a "letter" to the author of American Universal Geography by J. Morse. Morse was mentioned in our textbook. Nicolson criticizes the work and accuses it of whitewashing the history of the American government's actions. Nicolson also criticized Morse for claiming that his book was both "universal" and "American," because he believed that the terms are mutually exclusive. .
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Jefferson's Letter to the Danbury Baptists
Jefferson wrote a letter to the Danbury Baptists of CT expressing his agreement with them about religion's importance. However, he emphasizes, because religion is so personal, that the government and the church should have clear lines of separation. This is related to education, because it suggests that public education should be about civic rather than religious duty. D. Scott, The Ohio Constitution of 1803, Jefferson’s Danbury Letter, and Religion in Education, -
Dartmouth College v. Woodward
Dartmouth College was established as a private institution by a 1769 charter from the British government. The New Hampshire legislature, following the Revolution, sought to make changes to the school's curriculum and to modify its charter. This was essentially an attempt to turn the school into a public institution governed, at least in part, by the State. The court sided with the trustees who held the original charter. "Dartmouth College v. Woodward" ABC-CLIO -
John McDonogh donates his fortune to New Orleans Public Schools
John McDonogh endowed the public school systems of Baltimore and New Orleans. I attended McDonogh #35 Senior High School in New Orleans. It was one of the schools established and funded by his will. His family members protested the will all the way to the Supreme Court. The New Orleans school system owes its existence to McDonogh. Link text -
What Knowledge is of Most Worth?
Herbert Spencer took Darwin’s theory of natural selection and applied it to politics, economics, and other social issues. Spencer believed that education should move society forward and should prepare students to make practical contributions to their communities. Spencer originally described his educational priorities in his essay “What knowledge is of most worth?” in 1855. Link text -
1st Kindergarten in the United States
Margarethe Meyer Schurz founded the first kindergarten in the U.S. in 1856 to serve young German-speaking children in Watertown, Wisconsin. She trained under the famous Friedrich Froebel. According to the Watertown Historical Society, her sister founded the first kindergarten in London. Froebel’s pupils spread his kindergarten concept so widely that it is now a part of the public school system all over the country. Link text -
National Education Association Founded
A small group of educators joined together to advocate for public education. They called on other educators, would-be educators, and supporters of public education to join their ranks. They worked with teachers, districts, and teachers' unions to promote the societal and individual benefits of public education. They have more than 3 million members today and pride themselves on being at the forefront of the fight for equal access to education. http://www.nea.org/home/11608.htm -
Origin of Species
Darwin published his famous On the Origin of Species. He was not the first person to write about natural selection or evolution, but his was the most thoroughly researched and developed thesis on the subject. It challenged traditional answers to scientific and some religious questions. It was also the inspiration for Herbert Spencer’s theory of “Social Darwinism” in human populations. Link text -
Congress Passes 2nd Freedmen's Bureau Act
Congress voted to override President Johnson's Veto. This granted the Freedmen's Bureau the power to protect the civil rights of freed African Americans and to establish schools and other social service institutions in the South. These services were also available to poor white southerners. The public schools that the bureau established were some of the 1st available to poor & middle class southern families in the South. http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/harp/0725.html -
Girard v. Philadelphia
Stephen Girard donated the vast majority of his estate to build a school to educate poor white males in Philadelphia. His relatives challenged the will in hopes of claiming the property for themselves. One argument presented in the case was that the school was unconstitutional and unchristian because Girard specifically prohibited Christian ministers and missionaries from all school leadership. The Court sided with the school's trustees. James McBride, JSTOR, "A Tale of Capital..." -
The Committee of Ten
10 educational leaders were appointed by the NEA to consider curriculum questions for American secondary schools.Their focus was primarily on preparation for college. Thomas Briggs argues that the committee proposed a college prep curriculum, rather than offering vocational paths, in an attempt to provide equal opportunities to all students and avoid a tiered system that limited college access for some. Link text -
Dewey Opens the Chicago Laboratory School
The Chicago Laboratory School opened in 1896 under the leadership of John Dewey and his wife. They used qualitative and quantitative methods to study their approaches, had many visitors, and inspired other educators to attempt novel instructional techniques. Link text -
The Kinkaid School Founded
Margaret Kinkaid started a small school in her home in 1904. She took a year off when her son was born and reopened the school in 1906. Because it was the year of her son's birth, she insisted that the school was started in 1906. To this day, the school celebrates 1906 as the year of its founding. It is the oldest non-parochial independent school in the Houston area. I have worked at Kinkaid since 2011. From Kinkaid and Houston: 75 years by S.H. Santangelo -
1st Montessori School in the United States
According to the American Montessori Society, the first Montessori school in the United States opened in 1911 in Scarborough, NY. Gutek claims that the first one opened two years later in Tarrytown, NY. Either way, it was within the first decade or so of the 20th century. The discrepancies and chronological proximity of the dates confirms the rapid pace at which the movement spread. Link text -
Cardinal Principles Report of the CRSE
Clarence Kingsley led the NEA's A. Commission on the Reorganization of Secondary Education (CRSE). The commission's "Cardinal Principles" report recommended that secondary schools become more comprehensive and offer a broader range of courses in order to prepare students for both the workforce, the community, and college. Much of the structure and curricular content of today's comprehensive high schools come from the CRSE's report. Link text -
Progressive Education Association
The PEA was formed by a group of people in 1919 who believed that schools were failing in their attempts to create life-long lovers of learning who were morally and intellectually equipped to pursue their own happiness. The organization’s purpose was to spread the most cutting edge educational practices to a wide audience around the country so that students could benefit from advances in the field. Link text -
Council for Exceptional Children
The International Council for the Education of Exceptional Children was organized in 1922. According to the CEC’s website, it exists to advocate for the success of students with exceptionalities. CEC offers scholarships, teaching awards, and academic publications. Link text -
Xavier University of Louisiana Founded
Katherine Drexel who was born into a wealthy Catholic family. She chose to become a member of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and to use her wealth to create schools for African Americans and Native Americans. In 1915 she established Xavier Preparatory High School and in 1925 Xavier University, the only Catholic Historically Black University. It's also where I earned my B.A. in History. http://www.xula.edu/catholic/index.html -
Dare the School to Build a New Social Order by George Counts
George Counts wrote a pamphlet, Dare the School Build a New Social Order?, in 1932. In it, he challenged progressive educators to be more intentional and bold in their attempts to spread progressive ideas to their students. He argued against student-centered teaching because he believed that the progressive cause could not afford to put the education of future leaders into the hands of the students. Link text -
Prior to the Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Prior to the Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania U.S. District Court case, students with disabilities could be denied access to public education. The Court ruled that districts had to provide services to students regardless of their mental disabilities. Link text -
Kinkaid School v. McCarthy
In 1992, the McCarthy family sued The Kinkaid School in order to stop them from building the middle school building where I currently work. The residents complained that the building would be a nuisance. The residents won the trial case, but lost to the school in the Texas State Court of Appeals.
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Kinkaid Middle School Building Wins Houston Chronicle's Interior Design Award
After getting sued by local residents and a neighborhood association in 1992 the Kinkaid Middle School’s new building received 1st prize from a Houston newspaper for the best interior design in and institutional building. The high school won a similar award the previous year for one of its redesigned classrooms.
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The Origins of the American High School by William Reese
According to the introduction to this book, Reese wrote this book in order to give a history of the rise and development of the American high school. The book claims that the high schools shaped much of the social history of the 20th century United States. Reese argued that high schools developed in response to middle school demands for institutions that would serve more than just upper class families. You can access an electronic copy through the TAMU library. -
The Kinkaid Controversy
Hugh E. “Skip” McGee III wrote an email to Kinkaid that drew national attention. It is not known how the letter became public, but it was written to complain about how liberal, communist, and leftist the school’s faculty, administration, and policies had become. The event that sparked the controversy was a canceled pep rally where football players planned to dress up as female cheerleaders.
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Kinkaid Hires 1st African American Principal
In 2013, The Kinkaid School hired its first black principal (division head). Kinkaid was founded in 1906 (technically 1904) and did not begin admitting African Americans until the 1960s and 70s. Ms. Chelsea Collins was the middle school dean before this promotion and also served in the admissions office and as a science teacher.
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2016 Columbiana Award for Excellence in Teaching
Kinkaid gives out one of these awards each year. I was the first African American to receive the award that the school has been giving out since the 1980s.
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Howard West Campus Opened at Google Headquarters
Google has admitted that African Americans are underrepresented in its workforce. Only 1% of its technical engineering staff is black. To try to reverse this trend, Google has partnered with Washington DC’s Howard University. Google has built a West Campus for Howard University on Google’s main campus in CA. About 20-30 Howard students will be able to attend Howard West each year. Link text -
Betsy DeVos confirmed as Secretary of Education
Millionaire and famous school choice advocate was confirmed as the Secretary of Education in the first and only confirmation process that ended in a 51-50 vote. Mike Pence was the first VP to break a tie in the Senate during a confirmation vote. This shows just how controversial this pick was.
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Betsy Devos calls HBCUs “Pioneers of School Choice”
Sec. DeVos spoke about how HBCUs are pioneers of school choice. Her comments faced sharp criticism because they seemed to gloss over the fact that these schools were a response to Jim Crow segregation. They might be more accurately described as Pioneers in combatting educational inequity in response to systematic racism. Link text -
18 states and DC are suing Betsy DeVos
18 State Attorneys general and DC are suing Sec. Betsy Devos because of her attempt to reset the “borrower defense” program introduced under Pres. Obama. This initiative protected students from repaying loans to institutions that were guilty of fraud or misled students in some other way. These for-profit schools took advantage of schools,
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DeVos announces the initiation of the President’s Education Award Program
The President’s Education Award Program was introduced this summer by DeVos. The program allows school principals to select students on their campuses that meet certain criteria. They will receive a certificate that is signed by the President, Education Secretary, and the principal. There is no limit on the number of students who receive the award. Link text
