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Common Schools in the 1830's
Common schools were funded by local property taxes, charged no tuition, and were open to all white children. Beginning in the 1820s, Horace Mann, the "Great Equalizer", convinced a nation to create a system of common schools - good schools were good business and the future of the economy and the democracy depended upon providing a "common" education to all children, no matter where they were born or the whom. The Common School is the precursor to today's public school. -
1862 Homestead Act
President Abraham Lincoln signed into law the Homestead Act, a program designed to grant public land to small farmers at a low cost. The act gave 160 acres of land to the head of a household who was 21 years or older. They had to live there for five years. -
1896 Plessy Vs. Ferguson
The Supreme Court's ruling in Plessy effectively established the rule that "separate" facilities for blacks and whites were constitutional as long as they were "equal". -
The Feminization of Teaching
The Suffrage Movement established equality between men and women and allowed women to take up the position of teaching. -
Civil Rights Movement
The Civil Rights Movement enlisted the federal government in an effort to equalize educational opportunities for children of color. Brown vs. Board of Education led to segregation in schools, which was later accompanied by protests. -
1954 Brown v. Board of Education
The decision reverses Plessy v. Ferguson, ruling that separate is not equal, and outlaws segregation. The decision held that the racial segregation of children in public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. -
1957 Sputnik
The Soviets make history by being the first to launch a satellite into orbit, Sputnik. More than $1 billion was poured into public schools for new science and math curriculums. -
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act
President Johnson's war on poverty, the ESEA started Head Start, gave free lunches to those and need, and gave greater attention to special education. This allowed the continued opportunity for education. -
Title 9
Title 9 stated that no person can be excluded from a school program on the basis of their sex. This gave rise to more women athletics and other opportunities which previously were not granted -
No Child Left Behind Act
New government test standards that students must reach or the school district may face federal assistance money. This program was set in to help disadvantaged students reach the same goals as advanced students.