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Common School (Horace Mann)
Horace Mann developed the proposition of common school to elevate the educational level of all Americans. This led to the development of the public schools we know today and helped eliminate inequality. -
Freedman's Bureau/Reconstruction Era
Schools were built for freed people in the South, helping the region transition from slavery to freedom, and promoting equality. Represents the birth of the Reconstruction Era after the war. -
Compulsory School Attendance
Laws were put in place to make school attendance mandated, with a minimum and maximum age of participation, and listed the actions taken in the event of noncompliance. It led to universal education and is very important. -
Educational Testing Service
The Educational Testing Service is formed, uniting smaller like-minded groups with the same goal of measuring academic achievement. It paved the way for standardized testing seen in the modern-day system. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
This case deemed segregation in schools and the "separate but equal" philosophy to be inherently unequal in nature and outlawed it from happening. The elimination of segregation was a major stepping stone on the path to racial equality. -
No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
NCLB was enacted with the goal of empowering the impoverished and the minorities to get a good education. It had unforeseen negative consequences that led to its end that were talked about often in the 2008 election.
