History of Education

By alliza
  • Period: to

    The Colonial Period

  • First "Free School"

    The first "free school" is opened in Virgina. However, education in the Southern colonies is more typically provided at home by parents or tutors.

  • Harvard is Established

    the first higher education institution is established in Newtowne (now Cambridge), Massachusetts.

  • Henry Dunster becomes President of Harvard

    becomes President at Harvard and teaches all the courses himself.

  • Massachusettes Act of 1647 (Old Deluder Satan Act)

    required every town of 50 or more households to hire a teacher of reading and writing.
  • Period: to

    Early National Period

  • Two-Track Educational System

    Thomas Jefferson proposes a two-track educational system, with different tracks for "the laboring and the learned."

  • The Land Ordinance of 1785

    The Land Ordinance of 1785 specifies that the western territories are to be divided into townships made up of 640-acre sections, one of which was to be set aside "for the maintenance of public schools."

  • The Young Ladies Academy

    The Young Ladies Academy opens in Philadelphia and becomes the first academy for girls in America.

  • The Modern Blackboard is Invented

    James Pillans invents the modern blackboard.
  • Period: to

    The Common School Movement

  • First Public High School

    the first public high school, Boston English High School, opens .

  • The New England Asylum for the Blind

    The New England Asylum for the Blind, now the Perkins School for the Blind, opens in Massachusetts, becoming the first school in the U.S. for children with visual disabilities.

  • First School Superintendent

    Louisville, Kentucky appoints the first school superintendent.

  • Mount Holyoke Female Seminary

    Eighty students arrive at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, the first college for women in the U.S. Its founder/president is Mary Lyon.
  • Period: to

    1865 - Present

  • The Department of Education

    The Department of Education is created in order to help states establish effective school systems.

  • Joliet Junior College

    Joliet Junior College, in Joliet, Illinois, opens. It is the first public community college in the U.S.

  • Transportation for Children to Schools

    All states have laws providing funds for transporting children to school.

  • The ACT Test

    The ACT Test is first administered.