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Education in the Colonial Period
When the settlers came over to North America they brought with them a strong religious conviction. For the immigrants in places such as Massachusetts religion was life and education was a way to preserve and encourage it. Strong emphasis was placed on education and started the early foundations of our modern school system. -
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The Impact of Jefferson, Rush, & Webster
Each of these three men had an important impact or goal when it came to education in America. Jefferson believed we needed education in order to build a strong county. He fought for many years and against seemingly insurmountable odds to see an educational system implemented. Webster believed that this educational system needed to be very clearly American and not retain traces of English traits. Rushes vision for American education was that it should also be offered to women and blacks. -
The Impact of Horace Mann *MOST IMPORTANT*
Horace MannMann started out as a lawyer and a politician. When the nation’s first board of education was created in 1837 he served as its first secretary. He turned out to be a devoted and persistent speaker for the education system. He was personally involved in pushing improvements in public education. In fact, he visited over 1000 schools in 6 years in order to put together a report on inequality that he noticed in education. He suggested things such as chairs with backs, chalk boards, and text books. -
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The Progressive Reform Movement
The progressive reform movement was of great importance in establishing much of the requirements and freedoms available to children in today’s modern school system. Before the movement children either went to school or worked. The movement led to today’s child labor laws, compulsory attendance, and a reformation in how classes and education were structured. -
The Impact of John Dewey:
John Dewey was responsible for a period in public education that took a very broad and all-encompassing view of the experience we call childhood. He focused on the importance of crafting the education around the child rather than the other way around. Education was much more hospitable and included things like exercise, experimentation, and field trips. -
The Measurement Movement *Most Important*
Measurement Movement Terman was a big part of the IQ tests adoption here in the U.S. in the World War I era. He pushed for its uses in schools and it was also favored by the military. With so large a number of new recruits during World War I the government felt it needed a way to determine who would be best suited to what position. These intelligence tests were incorporated into the public school system. There is still much debate about what constitutes intelligence and how we should measure it. -
The Impact of World War II
World War II left a strong mark on the county and education. During the war high school enrollment dropped and ½ of teachers left teaching to serve in the forces. Even after the war many teachers never returned to their old careers. However the G.I. Bill and education within the forces resulted in increased enrollment among higher education. The baby boom also took effect many years later when the public education system had a large influx of enrollments. -
Brown vs. The Board of Education *Most Important*
Brown vs. BoardIn 1951 13 parents, on behalf of their 20 children, filed a class action suit against the Topeka Board of Education. They wanted the district to reverse its policy on racial segregation in the schools. The decision reached by the Supreme Court was unanimous in condemning the segregation of citizens within public schools. Although real progress would not be made for another decade in desegregating schools the case helped get the wheels rolling as well as starting the Civil Rights Movement. -
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Sputnik and NDEA
As the tension of the Cold War with Russia continued to mount there was greater worry in the states that its citizens and government would not be able to compete technologically. The public education system was seen as the best vehicle to remedy this situation and plans were put into place to increase student’s literacy in STEM based studies. One of these plans is called NDEA. NDEA stands for National Defense Education Act and encouraged the emphasis on STEM within the schools. -
The Civil Rights Movement & the War on Poverty *Most Important*
War on PovertyThe civil rights movement and the war on poverty that was started by L.B.J allowed a greater portion of the population access to fair education in the public system. A decade after Brown vs. the Board of Education, the Civil Rights Act was finally passed enabling the full desegregation of public schools. The War on Poverty also put greater emphasis on education and many programs were started to help people of all ages to gain an education. One of the most successful was Johnsons Head start. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
When the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed it served to finally see that desegregation took place within schools. It placed heavy penalties on schools that did not immediately cooperate in desegregation but rewarded those that did with ESEA. ESEA provided funds, roughly 1 billion, to schools and became very far reaching. It served as the carrot that helped drive desegregation. -
Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act *Most Important*
IDEAIDEA consists of 4 sections covering general provisions to infants and toddlers. There are six pillars within IDEA such as IEP’s (Individualized Education Plans), LRE (Least Restrictive Environment), and free appropriate public education among others. It became known by its current name, IDEA, in 1990 and has since been added to and expounded upon. It has opened school up to a larger portion of the population. -
A Nation at Risk Report
The report from 1983 was described as both a bomb-shell and a call-to-arms when it came to America’s education system. The report decried the system as failing its purpose and its county. The writer even went so far as to claim that if that education system had been put upon our country by a foreign entity it would have been considered an act of war. Many people were shocked and motivated by the report and an increasing pressure and eye was put upon the system. -
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Growth of Standardized Testing
The worries and policies of previous decades had switched the focus of school reform from the process to the results. More and more testing was required in order to properly judge a schools, or systems, effectiveness in attaining their goals. Stress on students and schools to do well on these exams shaped much of what our schools are today. -
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No Child Left Behind
NCLB took the growth of standardized testing and put it on a pedestal. Schools were now required to set and meet specific standards and then report on those standards in an AYP report. Higher teacher qualifications were required and schools were punished for not meeting set standards. This increase in teacher qualification and student testing also meant that more money was needed. However, government supplied less than half of the money needed to enact NCLB’s new requirements.
