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Jefferson, Rush, and Webster determined that people should have at least three years schooling (no more than three years for women, and no schooling for slaves). Men could pursue more schooling if they were deemed "geniuses."
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The Northwest Land Ordinance of 1785 determined the selling and settling of American land. It eventually led to the passing of the Homestead Act in 1862.
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During the 19th century, nearly 30 million immigrants left their homes and came to the United States and pursuit of a better life and the American Dream. This great influx of people was very taxing on the American education system.
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Horace Mann is known as the "father of the common school" for his dedication to reforming public education. He worked tirelessly to instill his burning desire for education into the American people.
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John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. He had a very positive outlook on education and desired it for all people.
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Our nation faced many social and economic problems due the rapid industrialization of America. The Progressive Reform Movement was in response to these problems and included reform of our educational system.
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The Committee of Ten was a group of educators that called for the standardization of American High School curriculum.
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MOST IMPORTANT Like everything else in our nation during World War II, our education system was disrupted by the event of the war. Most of our nations time, energy, and resources were given to our war efforts. But since the end of the war, the government has made great efforts to bolster up the American Education system. Link for more info: http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/ae8.html
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MOST IMPORTANT
One of the most famous and influential court cases in the history of the United States was Brown v. Board of Education on 17 May 1954. In this case, the rulings of the Plessy vs. Ferguson case of 1896, which legalized segregation, was overturned. "Separate but equal" was no longer the way in school, just equal. Link for more info: http://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/history-brown-v-board-education-re-enactment -
MOST IMPORTANT
After WWII came the space race between the Soviets and USA. The Soviets launched "Sputnik" on October 4, 1957. Our repeated attempts all failed but this taught us a lesson- we needed to improve our study of the sciences and needed to bolster our national defense. So the National Defense Education Act (NDEA) was passed. This ramped up our studies of the sciences. Link: http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Sputnik_Spurs_Passage_of_National_Defense_Education_Act.htm -
MOST IMPORTANT After Plessy vs Ferguson and the notion of "separate but equal" was overturned by Brown vs. Board of Education, African Americans still had a long way to go before the were given equal rights. This is still a hot topic today. But the Civil Rights Movement was the uniting of blacks to civilly disobey in protest of equal rights being granted. Eventually they gained strength, traction, and victory. Link to more info: https://newseumed.org/collection/making-a-change-edcollection/
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This act, passed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, has been the more influential act concerning education ever passed by Congress. It was an initiative of President Johnson's war on poverty.
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MOST IMPORTANT The IDEA of 1975 was passed to ensure that all children- no matter their handicaps- were assured equal rights to a free and public education in the least restrictive environment possible. This act is in full force today. Link for more info: http://www.washington.edu/doit/what-individuals-disabilities-education-act
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President Ronald Reagan called for the reformation of modern American education. His report increased requirements, expectations, standards, and excellence in our educational system.
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This act was signed into by President George W. Bush reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. However, it placed greater emphasis on the disadvantaged students.
