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The Roxbury Latin School was founded in 1635 and offered free schooling for all children. This was the 1st school in America to write books for their children. These books were just lessons written on parchments on paddles protected by horn wax and were called hornbooks. This was the first public school and mark the start of the American Education system/history.
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This marks the start of compulsory schooling. Although it was only compulsory for young males. This event is significant because it placed a heavy focus on reading and writing so that all male citizens would be able to read the law and therefore obey it.
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Horace Mann became the U.S. Secretary of Education in 1837. This has great significance because Horace Mann is often referred to as the Father of American Education. Horace Mann believed that education was a birthright and would solve crime and poverty is it was treated as such.
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May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court decided that the previously accepted idea that schools could be separate but equal would be overturned. The Supreme Court ruled that separating children by color created feelings of inferiority and that separate but equal doctrine is inherently unequal. This was the biggest step for education in terms of the inclusion of minorities.
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The No Child Left Behind was an act in Congress that was created with intention of creating a better curriculum in public schools. The bill attempted to introduce a system with accountability that relyed on annul reports, more focus on science and math, less focus on the arts and language, and introduced mandatory standardized testing. This has had a huge impact on American education and is groundbreaking legislation that still impacts teachers and students today.
