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The American Colonial Period
During this time period, Europeans stepped on to this land to seek religious freedom, better society and economic opportunity. Opportunities for education shaped differently according to the location. Though schools for elementary grades exited already, majority took place in the home. Few universities and colleges were also found, but most older children toiled on family farms or businesses. Regardless of race or religion, everyone was able to attend the Quaker schools. -
Old Deluder Satan Act
During The American Colonial Period, Massachusetts passed the Old Deluder Satan Act in 1647, laying the basis for public schools in America. This Act was one of America's first education acts, and it required that all towns of 50 or more families to provide an elementary school, where teachers were required to teach, not only reading and writing, but the bible as well. -
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The American Early National Period
This period started with the American Revolution. America was still a rural land and changes occurred more rapidly in cities. Schools facilitated in creating better society. European ideas and traditions were becoming less of an influence. And religion became less important in education. Teaching skills were more focused to help students enter fields like business, shipping, and agriculture. -
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin worked to expand educational opportunities. He started a secondary school, or academy, in Philadelphia that offered a broad range of subjects, including practical ones. The school was open to anyone who would pay the tuition and attend, regardless of their religious beliefs. -
Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson was also a main key during The American Early National Period. Like Franklin, Jefferson set the education system up for success, and greatly influenced current American Education. He also made a system of division in Virginia where districts were responsible for education. Jefferson wanted to make sure that elementary schools were at no cost, -
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The American common School Period
During the American Common School Period, labor-saving devices gave people more time for other interests. Americans became to realize the injustice of slavery and worked to end it. Their lives were greatly changed by freeing of slaves. Education went from completely private to being available to the common masses; free public education was more widely available by the end of the period. -
Horace Mann
Mann worked hard to establish free, public schools for every boy and girl in Massachusetts. He believed that everyone had the right to an educatio. The first public state-supported schools were called common schools, giving the same education to people from different levels of society. Mann tried to improve and standardize schools. One key innovation was the establishment of teacher-training schools called normal schools. -
Friedrich Frobel
The German educator Friedrich Froebel is significant for developing an Idealist philosophy of early childhood education and establishing the kindergarten, a school for four-and five-year-old children that is found worldwide. -
Morrill Act
The Morrill Act of 1862 was also known as the Land Grant College Act. It was a major boost to higher education in America. The grant was originally set up to establish institutions is each state that would educate people in agriculture, home economics, mechanical arts, and other professions that were practical at the time. The land-grant act was introduced by a congressman from Vermont named Justin Smith Morrill. -
Kindergarten
In the 1870s, public schools began to offer kindergarten programs. Prior to this time, young children did not attend school until they were about seven years of age. -
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The American Progressive Period
The American Progressive Period in education bridged the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. During tis period many children worked alongside their parents rather than attending school. Also, urban schools became overcrowded. -
John Dewey
An educational philosopher, psychologist, and writer, was a leading voice for progressive education during this time. His influence on what was taught and how it was taught was not to be underestimated. Dewey believed that classrooms were to rigid and inflexible, and did not adapt to the needs, interests, and abilities of individual students. -
Maria Montessori
Italy's first female doctor, tried to find ways to help children who had difficulty learning. The students with whom she worked had medical conditions that may have kept them from learning. She believed that young children are capable of great discovery and have motivation to explore the world. -
National Child Labor Committee formed
In 1904 progressive reformers founded the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC), which Congress chartered in 1907. To raise awareness of the abuses of child labor, the NCLC hired sociologist Lewis Hine to photograph children working in fields, factories, mines, and city streets. -
Montessori Method
Montessori is a method of education that is based on self-directed activity, hands-on learning and collaborative play. In Montessori classrooms children make creative choices in their learning, while the classroom and the highly trained teacher offer age-appropriate activities to guide the process. -
Smith-Hughes Act
Smith-Hughes Act, formally National Vocational Education Act, U.S. legislation, adopted in 1917, that provided federal aid to the states for the purpose of promoting precollegiate vocational education in agricultural and industrial trades and in home economics. -
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The 1920s and the Great Depression Era
During "The Great Depression", public schools faced a shortage of cash since many citizens were unable to pay their taxes.
Teachers payments would not be good because they were often decreased or eliminated and the course offerings cut back to just basic subjects. The kids would sometimes won't have their supplies or their text books because many of their parents lost their jobs and didn't have enough money to buy them their necessary materials for school. -
School Conditions
Society started to notice the changes during the years of 1930 and 1931, when conditions were at their worst. Many students did not have the right clothing, supplies, and textbooks because parents could not afford the costs. They had no jobs which meant they had little to no money which also meant that parents could no longer afford to buy their children school supplies and they clothes that they wanted and needed. -
"Dick and Jane" Readers
In spite of the Great Depression, in the early 1930s, a new set of reading texting for beginning readers began publication. Often known as the "Dick and Jane" books, these books taught basic reading skills with simple stories about a family.
