Education History 1600s to 2000s

  • First Latin Grammar School

    The first Latin Grammar School was established. They were originally designed for sons of certain social classes.
  • First Publicly Supported Library

    First Publicly supported library established in Charles Town, SC. An influential leader in the making of the library was service Judge Charles A. Woods. It was founded 28 years after the first permeant settlement.
  • Two-Track Education System

    Thomas Jefferson proposes a two-track education system with one for the laboring and one for the learned. Scholarship would allow a very few of the laboring class to advance, Jefferson says, by "raking a few geniuses from the rubbish."
  • First Academy for Girls

    First academy for girls (Young Ladies Academy) opens in Philadelphia. John Poor established the academy. The academy was the only school in Philadelphia officially recognized by the state. It educated young women from throughout the new republic’s eastern states.
  • Free Public Education for Poor

    Pennsylvania state constitution calls for free public education but only for the poor children. It is expected that rich people will pay for their children’s schooling. Just 6 years later New York followed suit in 1805.
  • First Public High School

    First public high school opens in Boston Massachusetts. First called The English Classical School, then renamed to The English High School. It first was an all-boys school, but then later became boys and girls.
  • Columbia Institution for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind

    Columbia Institution for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind authorized to grant college degrees. It was the first college for people with disabilities in the world. Hon. Amous Kendall secured the passage of an Act of Congress granting an allowance of $150.00 for maintenance and tuition of each child.
  • Department of Education Created

    Department of Education was originally created based on legislation signed into law by then President Andrew Johnson. It helped establish effective school systems.
  • First Public Kindergarten School

    Susan Blow opened the first public school kindergarten in the U.S. founded in St. Louis, MO. Blow made the classrooms bright colored and cheerful.
  • Council for Exception of Children Formed

    Council for Exception Children (CEC) formed to inform parents, teachers, and administration about education of individuals with disabilities. It is the “largest international recognized professional organization devoted to improving the educational experience of students with gifts and talents or disabilities.”
  • Brown vs. Board of Education

    US Supreme Court in Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka ruled separate is not equal. Racial segregation in public schools violated the fourteenth amendment. It is considered to be on of the most important rulings in history.
  • ESL Program

    The first major government effort to establish ESL programs as part of the public education system occurred in Dade County, FL.
  • Title IX and Mills vs. Board of Education

    Title IX is passed prohibiting discrimination under any education program receiving deferral financial assistance. Mills vs. Board of Education ruled that disabled children could not be excluded from public schools.
  • No Child Left Behind Act

    No Child Left Behind Act signed into law by George W. Bush. States are required to test students in reading and math. Four pillars within the bill: accountability, flexibility, research-based education, and parent options.
  • The Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act

    The Individuals with Disabilities Improvement ACT. It is a law that mandates equity, accountability and excellence in education for children with disabilities.