-
The Massachusetts General Court passes the first education law in 1642. Its purpose was to ensure that children could read and understand :the principles of religion and the laws of the Commonwealth" (schmoop.com). -
In 1779, Jefferson proposed two different tracks in education for "the laboring and the learned". Essentially it would allow the rich to continue their education, but the poor were forced to stay as laborers (schmoops.com). -
In 1821, the first public high school opened up in Boston. The school was named Boston English High School, and is still open today (schmoops.com). -
Catharine Beecher opens the Hartford Female Seminary in 1823. This was the first place in America that allowed women to learn "male" subjects and receive a higher education in a time where they were not expected to have one (schmoops.com). -
Horace Mann proposes a free, universal, and non-sectarian schooling system in the late 1830s. This system is the beginning of today's education system because it did not restrict who could attend (pbs.org) -
The first place to allow African Americans to get a higher education was the African Institute in 1837 in Pennsylvania. This was a huge step in achieving equality in a time when slavery still dominated the country. Today it exists as Cheyney University (schmoops.com) -
Mount Holyoke Female Seminary opens up as the first college for women in 1837. During this time education was almost always restricted to white men (schmoops.com). -
Normal schools were designed to provide training for future teachers. The first state-sponsored normal school was established in 1839 in Lexington, MA (pbs.org). -
Dame schools were schools for very young children oftentimes in the homes of a woman who taught them. The point of these schools proved that teaching can be done by women during a time that schoolmasters were mostly men. Horace Mann's ideas were inspired by these schools (pbs.org). -
The 1850s saw women become teachers at record rates. Society had changed its views on women teaching and greatly accepted them as teachers, so because of that, women filled the various teaching jobs the country desperately needed (pbs.org). -
After the assault on St. Helena Island in South Carolina, thousands of slaves were left by their plantation owners in 1862. Northerners wanted to incorporated these slaves into "white society" by educating them on literacy, economics, and civil rights. This education provided was called the Port Royal Experiment (pbs.org). -
The Department of Education was formed in 1867, two years after the end of the Civil War. It was created because the government realized education needed to institutionalize to ensure a quality education for everyone, including former slaves (schmoops.com). -
The chalkboard becomes mainstream and has a profound impact on teaching (pg. 184). -
By 1900 nearly 75% of teachers were women. These women, however, faced obstacles. Schools were often run-down or didn't have enough resources to teach effectively. Women were also in no position in power, so they unionized and demanded better wages, promotions, and overall better quality of schooling (pbs.org). -
The 1900s was a decade with a lot of education reform. Schools were focusing on flexibility, schools opened for different ages, and race and gender issues gained more attention. In 1909, Indianola Junior High School opened which was the first public junior high school in American history (schmoops.com). -
John Dewey was one of the most prominent leaders of the progressive education movement throughout the 1920s and 1930s. Dewey argued that democracy must prevail in the classroom, and teachers and students must be free in order to create the best form of learning for each child (pbs.org). -
New York City's Board of Education becomes the first school to send lessons through radio waves which revolutionized learning from home (gradschools.com). -
John Scopes was a biology teacher in Tennessee. In 1925 he was convicted of teaching evolution rather than creationism. To this very day this issue is still hotly debated in our government (schmoops.com). -
The Scholastic Aptitude Test was first introduced in 1926. The SAT is still used widely as a standardized test for colleges and high schools, but it is slowly being phased out in favor of a student's GPA (schmoops.com). -
This new invention allowed to teachers to write out things on reusable transparent sheets. It allowed the teacher to face the class rather than having their back towards them the entire time.
(gradschools.com) -
Considered to be one of the first copier machines, the mimeograph let teachers print copies of class materials which revolutionized education in America (gradschools.com) -
The Truman Commission Report was published in 1947 in response to World War II vets going to college. The report recommended doubling college enrollment by 1960 and establish community colleges to make a higher education much more accessible (schmoops.com). -
Racial segregation in public schools is officially outlawed by the Supreme Court in 1954. The court case was one giant step in making education equal for all (schmoops.com). -
Nine African American students enrolled at Central High School in Little Rock in 1957. A white mob and even the Arkansas National Guard attempted them from stopping them from entering the school, and the US Army had to intervene. Three of the nine graduated at Central High School. -
In 1959, the first photocopier was introduced into the education system. It printed much faster and was more convenient than a mimeograph, which it quickly replaced (gradschools.com). -
The Association for Children with Learning Disabilities was introduced in 1964. Its purpose was to make public education free for special-needs students and develop special education programs. Today it is known as The Learning Disabilities Association of America (schmoops.com). -
The hand held calculator was introduced to education in 1970. Many math teachers believed that it would ruin children's basic math skills, but it soon gained traction and revolutionized how math was taught in schools (gradschools.com) -
The Swanns, a black family living in Charlotte, North Carolina, were told their children would not be allowed to attend the public school. They took the board of education to court, and the Supreme Court doubled down on its decision in Brown v. Board of Education which ruled that it was illegal for the school district too refuse students solely based on race (pbs.org). -
In an attempt to ban discrimination, Congress passes Title IX of the Education Amendments in 1972. This amendment made it illegal to discriminate based on sex in all aspects of education (schmoops.com). -
The Apple II was a computer that made learning geography and math much easier for the students. It is one of the steps that led to the creation of modern computers (gradschools.com). -
The personal computer was invented in 1980, and it quickly became mainstream in education. The Apple II helped launch the PC's success, and today's online learning environment stems from this vital piece of technology (gradschools.com). -
A 1983 report "A Nation at Risk" was published which highlighted teachers that were underqualified, underpaid, working in poor conditions, and getting poor results. This report laid the ground for education reform and professionalism for teachers (pbs.org). -
the CD ROM Drive was a form of storage on a computer. It was capable of holding a much higher amount of memory compared to a floppy disk which is why it quickly outplaced them. CD ROM Drives can also be seen being used today (gradschools.com). -
The follow-report to "A Nation at Risk" published in 1986. It proposed improving teacher education, restructuring the teaching workforce and giving teachers more power to ensure student achievement (pbs.org). -
The University of Phoenix becomes the first school to launch fully online courses for bachelors and masters degrees. Online learning was something that completely changed education in America (gradschools.com). -
The world wide web was released to the public in 1993. Its ability to provide info and connect people from all over the world made it extremely popular. Not only did it make a huge impact on education, but society as a whole (gradschools.com) -
Jones International University becomes the world's first university to only offer online courses in 1993. It closed down for good after the class of 2015 graduated (schmoops.com). -
Bill Clinton signs the Improving America's Schools Act in 1994. The act was designed to reform elementary and secondary education and boost funding for immigrants' education to lower drop out rates (schmoops.com). -
The first social media website was launched in 1997 as sixdegrees.com. Social media was not at first educational at all, but over the course of a few years social media has been used for educational and professional purposes. The best known websites for these purposes is YouTube and LinkedIn (gradschools.com). -
Interactive whiteboards were introduced into the classroom in 1999. These machines use touch sensitive screens, projectors, and computers to display an image. They make the teacher's work much easier and allows for students to work together (gradschools.com). -
On July 21, 1999, Steve Jobs unveiled a portable laptop that could connect to the internet wirelessly. This laptop helped pave the way for modern education as we know it, and society as a whole (gradschools.com). -
One of the most controversial education reforms in history, the No Child Left Behind Act is signed by George W. Bush in 2001. It implemented student testing and penalized schools that didn't reach achievement quotas (schmoops.com). -
In 2002 Martin Dougiamas launched the e-learning website Moodle. Moodle's basic function was to allow educators to create their own e-learning websites. It is credited as being one of the building blocks for modern-day e-learning (gradschools.com). -
In 2009 Barack Obama announced Race To The Top. It was a grant to reform K-12 education and improve teaching and learning patterns in US schools. -
Tablets were launched just a few years after the first smartphone in 2010. Teachers around the world praise their use as a learning tool. Tablets can include educational apps to motivate or engage learners and teachers are able to track their students' progress (gradschools.com) -
Google launches Google Classroom in August of 2014 as a one stop shop to save teachers time so they can focus on teaching. It was estimated that nearly ten million students and teachers were using it by October of 2015 (gradschools.com). -
Minnesota State High School League votes to allow transgender students to participate on female sports teams. In 2014 it became the 33rd state to have a formal transgender student policy (schmoops.com). -
Hurix Digital launches the KITABOO AR in 2018. KITABOO AR is an augmented reality platform that turns paper books into an interactive world. Children can see, hear, and take part in the content of a book with this technology (gradschools.com). -
While apps have been around for a long time, their purpose is slowly being redefined by educators. Many apps help aid teachers in their lesson plans and helps keep their children engaged in the lesson for the day. Apps are helping both teach concepts, but also reinforce them through tutoring (gradschools.com). -
As technology rapidly improves, so does their function. VR and AR were in there infancy just a few years ago, but now they allow people to meet anyone, be anywhere in the world, and learn. AI helps schools with virtual mentors and assistants. It is predicted these three items will play a much more important role in the future.