-
Jamestown founded
First permanent English settlement in North America -
First Public School was established
Boston Latin School in Massachusetts -
Harvard University was Established
First higher education institution in the United States -
Printing Press
Set up by Harvard College in order to mass produce books for knowledge and leisure. -
Massachusetts Bay School Law
The Massachusetts Bay School Law required that parents assure their children know the principles of religion and the capital laws of the commonwealth. -
Old Deluder Satan Act
The Old Deluder Satan Act decreed that every town of at least 50 families hire a schoolmaster who would teach the town's children to read and write and that all towns of at least 100 families should have a Latin grammar school master who would prepare students to attend Harvard College. -
New England Primer
The New England Primer was the first reading primer designed for the American Colonies. It became the most successful educational textbook published in 18th century America and it became the foundation of most schooling before the 1790s. -
John Locke publishes his Essay Concerning Human Understanding.
Conveys his belief that the human mind is a tabula rasa, or blank slate, at birth and knowledge is derived through experience, rather than innate ideas as was believed by many at that time. Locke's views concerning the mind and learning greatly influence American education. -
John Locke publishes Some Thoughts Concerning Education
John Locke's, "Some Thoughts Concerning Education," was published, describing his views on educating upper class boys to be moral, rationally-thinking, and reflective "young gentlemen." -
Hornbook
Wooden paddles with printed lessons were popular in the colonial era. On the paper usually contained the alphabet and a religious verse which the children would copy to help them learn how to write. -
Benjamin Franklin
Forms the American Philosophical Society, which helps bring ideas of the European Enlightenment, including those of John Locke, to colonial America. Emphasizing secularism, science, and human reason, these ideas clash with the religious dogma of the day, but greatly influence the thinking of prominent colonists, including Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. -
First "English Academy" was established in Philadelphia
Established by Benjamin Franklin. Courses included history, geography, navigation, surverying, and modern as well as classical languages. Eventually became the University of Pennsylvania -
Jean-Jacques Rousseau'
Jean-Jacques Rousseau' published Emile, which describes his views on education. Rousseau's ideas on the importance of early childhood education were in sharp contrast with the prevailing views of his time and influence not only contemporary philosophers, but also 20th-Century American philosopher and educational reformer John Dewey. -
Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson proposed a two-track educational system, with different tracks for "the laboring and the learned." -
American Spelling Book
Because of his dissatisfaction with English textbooks of the day, Noah Webster wrote a Grammatical Institute of the English Language, consisting of three volumes: a spelling book, a grammar book, and a reader. They became very widely used throughout the United States. -
Blackboard
James Pillans invented the blackboard in 1801. Still very popular today, the chalkboard is one of the best inventions in education -
The Connecticut Asylum at Hartford for the Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons opened
It is the first permanent school for the deaf in the U.S. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc are the school's co-founders. In 1864, Thomas Gallaudet's son, Edward Miner Gallaudet, helps to start Gallaudet University, the first college specifically for deaf students. -
Hartford Female Seminary was founded
A private school for girls created by Catherine Beecher in Hartford, Connecticut. -
Horace Mann
Father of the Common School. Promoting an agenda of public education and "normal schools" to train teachers. -
African Institute
In 1837 the first opportunity for African Americans to to receive a higher education opened under the name of the African Institute. This was one of the first steps along a very long road for African Americans seeking an education. -
Elizabeth Blackwell
In 1849 Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to graduate from medical school. As such she set the precedent for women participating in the medical field. -
Mandatory Attendance Law
Students must start school at the age of 6 and remain in school until they are at least 16 -
13th Amendment
Passed, thus abolishing slavery. -
Department of Education
Created in order to help states establish effective school systems. -
Christopher Sholes
Christopher Sholes invented the "modern" typewriter. Known as the Sholes Glidden, it was first manufactured by E. Remington & Sons in 1873. -
14th Amendment
Passed by Congress as one of the reconstruction amendments. If ratified by three-fourths of the states, it would give all persons born or naturalized in the United States citizenship and equal protection under the law. -
Horace Mann School For The Deaf
The Horace Mann school for the deaf was the first public school provided to children that were deaf. With the help of the city of Boston, but also the state of Massachusetts the school provides a quality education to deaf children. This school still exists today. -
Dewey Decimal System
DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM
The Dewey Decimal System, developed by Melvil Dewey in 1873, was published and patented. The DDC is the worlds most widely-used library organizational / classification system still used today. That's almost 200 years organizational power. -
Booker T. Washington
He believed that hard work, practical training, and economic cooperation with whites were key to success. First principal of the newly-opened normal school in Tuskegee, Alabama, now Tuskegee University. -
W.E.B Dubois
Opposed Booker T. Washington --- activated social activism. First African American to receive a PhD. -
U.S. began building boarding schools
A school in which students reside to during the semester -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Supreme Court ruling in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson makes "separate but equal" policies legal. It becomes a legal precedent used to justify many other segregation laws, including "separate but equal" education. -
National Parent-Teacher Assocation
Alice Birney and Phoebe Hearst started The National Congress of Mothers in 1897. They did so in order to bridge the gap between a federally structured public school system and the parents of students. This congress will later become the National Parent Teacher Association. -
Democracy and Education. An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education
John Dewey's views help advance the ideas of the "progressive education movement." An outgrowth of the progressive political movement, progressive education seeks to make schools more effective agents of democracy. -
First Radio Education Program
WHA began broadcasting music education programs on the radio. This was one of the first uses of audio for education. This laid the foundation for many teaching technologies that are used today. -
Progressive Education Association
The Progressive Education Association is founded with the goal of reforming American education. -
19th Amendment is ratified
Gave women the right to vote. -
The Monkey Trial
Evolution vs. Creationism. John Scopes, a high school biology teacher, is charged with the heinous crime of teaching evolution. The trial ends in Scopes' conviction. -
SAT Testing
The SAT test is first administered. -
The Great Depression
Deepest and longest-lasting economic downturn in American history. -
Alvarez vs. the Board of Trustees of the Lemon Grove (California) School District
-
New Deal
FDR is elected as President and spurs the New Deal in order to recover from the Great Depression. -
Deviation IQ
The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale is developed by David Wechsler. Deviation IQ calculates IQ scores based on how far subjects' scores differ (or deviate) from the average (mean) score of others who are the same age. -
National Schools Buses
Frank W. Cyr, a professor at Columbia University's Teachers College, organized a national conference on student transportation. The conference resulted in the adoption of standards for the nation's school buses, including the shade of yellow. -
First computer
The computer age began as the Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer (ENIAC), the first vacuum-tube computer, was built for the U.S. military by Presper Eckert and John Mauchly. This single invention marks one of the greatest inventions of all time. -
National School Lunch Act
Recognizing "the need for a permanent legislative basis for a school lunch program." -
Everson v. Board of Education
The U.S. Supreme Court rules by a 5-4 vote that a New Jersey law which allowed reimbursements of transportation costs to parents of children who rode public transportation to school, even if their children attended Catholic schools, did NOT violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. -
McCollum v. Board of Education
Supreme Court rules that schools cannot allow "released time" during the school day which allows students to participate in religious education in their public school classrooms. -
Brown v. Board. of Education of Topeka
"Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal," thus overturning its previous ruling in the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson. -
Ruby Bridges attends school
Ruby Bridges, an African American woman, attended William Franz Elementary School in Louisiana. Ruby Bridges was the first student to desegregate this school, and is known as an activist for this action. -
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks, a Montgomery, Alabama seamstress, refuses to give up her seat on the bus to a Caucasian passenger and is subsequently arrested and fined. The Montgomery bus boycott follows, giving impetus to the Civil Rights Movement. A year later, in the case of Browder v. Gale, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that segregated seating on buses is unconstitutional. -
Little Rock Nine
Federal troops enforce integration in Little Rock, Arkansas as the Little Rock 9 enroll at Central High School. -
National Defense Education Act
First effort of federal government in gifted education -
Governor George Wallace
"Segregation now. Segregation tomorrow. Segregation forever."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eluXKOqxM28 -
Martin Luther King Jr.
I Have A Dream speech. -
Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights Act becomes law. It prohibits discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion or national origin. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Main purpose is “to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high quality education”, mainly about the gap between low-income students and regular students. Was a part of LBJ's administration's War on Poverty campaign -
Bilingual Education Act
Gave funding to schools to provide Bilingual Education Programs to students -
The Marland Report
Provided a basis for schools to establish a program for gifted and talented students. -
Title IX
Prohibits the discrimination of sexes in the classroom and extra curricular activities (Nixon) -
Equal Educational Opportunities Act
Prohibits discrimination against faculty, staff, and students, including racial segregation of students, and requires school districts to take action to overcome barriers to students' equal participation. -
Education of all Handicapped Children Act
All children with a disability can still be educated -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
Originally passed in 1975 but amended in 1990. Federal law that supports special education and related service programming for children and youth with disabilities. -
Massachusetts Education Reform Act
The passing of the Massachusetts Education Reform Act required a common curriculum and statewide tests for the first time. Over time other states follow their example and standardized testing becomes the norm. -
No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act was passed by George Bush. This act put an emphasis on the accountability of school systems for the way students perform on standardized tests. The way the student's performed on these tests reflected the salaries of the teachers. -
Getting connected
All American schools have access to the Internet, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. -
Wisconsin Act 346
Comparable classes and schools must be available to all students. -
Race to the Top
President Barack Obama’s Race to the Top program ushers in a wave of education reforms as states compete for federal grants in the midst of a recession. -
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
On December 9, the U.S. Senate approved the Every Student Succeeds Act. This law replaces the No Child Left Behind Act and allows more state control in judging school quality.
