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Massachusetts law of Education
MOST IMPORTANT- This is the first law made in America regarding education. It formalized the importance of education to Americans by stating that the state had the authority to make sure children were being taught well. This idea has continued to today where we see that the state ensures that all people are taught well regardless of sex, race, or mental ability. America was founded with education being important. Link text -
Benjamin Franklin creates non-latin school
Edison pens his 1747 "Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pennsylvania" which encourages the establishment of schools that instruct in English rather than Latin. This sets the stage for -
Free education, women included!
Jefferson's Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge introduced the concept of public schools funded by taxes which would provide free schooling. Although the bill was defeated it was a first step in equity in American education. -
Northwest Land Ordinace 1785
MOST IMPORTANT- The Northwest Land Ordinance was the first time that a tax was levied (since a portion of the purchased land had to set aside for a school) in order to support public education. The ordinance in effect guaranteed that the new lands sold would include a source of education for the expanding population. This was the foundation of the public schools and it's legacy extends to now. Link text -
Infant Schools
Robert Owen's experimental Infant school set the precedent for schooling children at an early age. It was later that young children started to become educated on a consistent basis but it may not have happened had it not been for these first infant schools. -
Opening of Boston English High School
The opening of the Boston area secondary school is a representation of the start of the secondary movement. School had often ended at the elementary stage for students who had no means and this was a crucial step in providing social mobility to poor students. -
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Urbanization, growth, and Immigration
The population in the US nearly tripled during this time and a large number of immigrants came into the US. This influx of largely Catholic people was the impetus for reform in school textbooks to not be favoring one religion over another. -
Father of American Education
MOST IMPORTANT - Horace Mann was the first secretary on the Massachusetts State Board of education. He was influential in propelling the concept that free education was the right of all children. This idea can still be seen today in such wording as "Free and Appropriate Education" that is common today. Link text -
Catherine Beecher
Mrs. Beecher was well ahead of her time. We know now that teacher preparation and training are critical to good education. Beecher saw this before her peers did and was the founder of several schools devoted to training new teachers. -
Committee of Ten
The Committee was established to provide a standardization of curriculum, primarily for college level education. It established the first concept of what we now call "Credits" but were called "Carnegie Units" back then. This was a way for schools across the nation to measure coursework that students had completed. -
Brown Vs. Topeka Board of Education
MOST IMPORTANT - Brown Vs. Topeka gave great impetus to the civil rights movement and was important in starting our schools and our country on the path to educational and civil equality. The case ended segregation in schools, if the schools wanted Federal aid and established that all people should have access to the same education, not just "equal" education but the same. We see this continue on as schools strive to meet the educational needs of disabled and foreign speaking students. -
Vocational Education Act
Part of the war on Poverty was the realization that not all education involves going to college. Trades are a vital part of a nation and require skill and training. The VEA was designed to help take students and give them valuable skills that would provide a living income for them. -
Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act
IDEA was the continuation of education equality, extending what the civil rights movement had won for minorities to those individuals who had physical or learning disabilities. Prior to IDEA these individuals often had no chance at a good education, now they do. -
War on Poverty
Education was one of the prime tools that lawmakers saw as a means to fight against poverty. They understood that education provides opportunity, and that mos people will succeed when given a proper chance at learning. This was the federal government's backing of education as a means of upward social advancement. -
No Child Left Behind
MOST IMPORTANT - NCLB is the current legislation that schools have to meet in order to get federal funding. NCLB was intended to increase student scores on the international standardized tests. However there have been many unintended consequences to NCLB and those score increases have not yet materialized. NCLB shapes every aspect of our jobs as teachers. Link text
