-
Education in the Colonial Period
Education in the Colonial Period of the United States was not available to all children. Most Americans were educated only long enough to learn how to read the Bible and the newspaper and do simple financial math. -
The Impact of Jefferson, Rush, & Webster
After separating themselves from England, the American people made changes to their old British system of education. Thomas Jefferson proposed a more general diffusion of knowledge to all children, Benjamin Rush focused on the needs of education in the republic and for women, and Noah Webster (best remembered for his dictionary) helped develop a distinctly American curriculum. -
Common Schools
Schools in America gradually began to move from community-funded institutions for children of a region – with the school of every town or community varying greatly from the next in terms of conditions, teachers, and curriculum - to a free (completely tax-funded), high-quality, state government-regulated "common schools" with regulated teacher training, improved physical facilities (the school house, seats, blackboards, books) across the board, and standardized curriculum. -
The Impact of Horace Mann
In Massachusetts, Horace Mann, who believed in Whig politics (the state intervenes for the state to develop state economy, develop institutions, etc.) gladly accepted the post of Massachusetts Secretary of Education when it was offered to him...even though that office didn't really give him much authority. However, he took the role seriously and rode on horseback from school to school, pushing for reform and the creation, regulation, and standardization of the common school. -
*Population Growth and Immigration in the 19th century
KEY EVENT
Between 1890 and 1930 over 22 Million immigrants came to America from all over the world, with the aspirations of realizing the American dream. For many of their children the American dream began with getting a good education in school. A new multicultural education that focused on teaching English to English language learners and instilling them with American values and traditions was introduced to teachers and schools - a trend which continues in American education today. -
Secondary School Movement
Between 1910 and 1940 in the United States, “high schools” began dividing school subjects into individual classes, providing different teachers for specialized content areas, and focused on training students in skills that would help to prepare them for a career and life after school. Public high schools became a stepping stone to the best America had to offer in getting into college and a good career. -
The Impact of WWII
World War II had a profound impact on America and American schooling. The United States focused on developing good citizens with strong American moral values mixed with bomb drills and evacuation plans. -
*Brown vs. Board of Education, 1954
KEY EVENT
During 1950, 17 states were still racially segregated by law - forcing ethnic children to travel long distances to go to school. The segregation was legal on the grounds of having “separate but equal” facilities. After several legal battles over black children attending white schools in Topeka; Chief Justice Warren ruled no child could succeed without education…and that separate facilities were “inherently unequal” and did not provide the right to education every child deserved. -
Sputnik and NDEA, 1957-58
When Russia beat the United States in getting an artificial satellite into orbit, the United States government turned focus onto the American public schools, worried that their educational system was not producing enough scientists and engineers. The National Defense Education Act provided funding to schools as public opinion demanded government action to help America catch up in the Space Race. -
The Civil Rights Movement & The War on Poverty
Johnson’s war on poverty included federal programs like Head Start and low-cost loans for college. Education was also the focus of the Civil Rights act in 1964, which banned discrimination on the basis of race or ethnicity in federally-funded programs (including public education). -
*Elementary and Secondary Education Act, 1965
KEY EVENT
Since many local schools had defied the ruling of the Supreme Court in Brown vs. Board of Education, the Governor of Arkansas going so far as to call out the National Guard to prevent students from integrating. President Eisenhower sent federal troops to enforce the law. When Johnson became president he backed the Civil Rights act of 1964 with the ESEA which withheld federal funds from schools that wouldn’t integrate and offered additional funding to schools that conformed to the ESEA. -
*Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act, 1975
KEY EVENT
Before IDEA, children with disabilities were excluded from school and generally considered unfit for education. After the act was passed in 1975, students with disabilities were allowed into mainstream school and have done extraordinarily well. One lasting impact of ISEA is a focus on inclusion and accessibility. Not only do buildings and materials need to be physically accessible for physically disabled students but also mentally, socially, and emotionally accessible as well. -
*A Nation at Risk Report, 1983
KEY EVENT
With “A Nation at Risk”, the American government and the public cried for reform to fix their broken system. The report claimed that education was failing the country and was the reason why America was losing out to foreign countries. While educators cited evidence that more children that ever were graduating and that America was educating a wider and deeper pool of students than ever, several reforms were made. The idea of a failing American system of public schools persists today. -
Growth of Standardized Testing
With so many reforms, testing was implemented to track the progress of schools and their students. Schools that continually failed at producing results were sanctioned by government agencies and lost funding. These high-stakes standardized tests were seen as necessary by agencies that oversaw the public schools but caused undue student stress, curriculum crunches to “cover material” on the test, and other unforeseen problems. -
ESSA 2015
Johnson’s ESEA had to be reauthorized periodically with one of its most famous incarnations being No Child Left Behind. December of 2015, the US Congress and President Obama passed the Every Student Succeeds Act. This is the most recent reauthorization of ESEA since a consensus on whether or not to renew NCLB could not be reached. Students will still take federally required statewide reading and math exams but states are encouraged to limit time spent on testing.
