History of Education

  • First American High School

    First public school in America was established in Boston Massachusetts.
  • Harvard University

    Harvard was the first American college, while University of Pennsylvania claims to be the first American university.
  • Chalkboard

    Chalkboard is introduced and seen as the big technological advancement that will change schools forever
  • First school for the deaf

    First school for the deaf established in Hartford, Connecticut.
  • First public high school

    First public high school was developed in Boston
  • Massachusetts Reform School

    The beginning of modern day "reform schools"
  • Motion picture invented

    Edison and Dickson invent motion picture, which Edison believed would take over and change education.
  • Plessy v. Ferguson

    "seperate but equal", made segregations in public schools legal
  • First school fire drill

    The first school fire drill was preformed to safely guide students out of the building in case of an emergency, it is still used today.
  • Thomas Edison believes books will be obsolete

    "Books will soon be obsolete in the schools. Scholars will soon be instructed through the eye. It is possible to teach every branch of human knowledge with the motion picture. Our school systems will be completely changed in ten years."
  • Elementary school completion required

    Every state required students to complete at least elementary school education.
  • High school curriculum reform

    "Cardinal Principles" reform secondary/high school curriculum
  • The SAT is developed

    Adapted from Army Alpha, eventually became the modern SAT.
  • G.I. Bill

    G.I. Bill of Rights gives college scholarships to working class men for first time.
  • First eye-tracking software invented

    This technology was mounted and the head and over time has developed and is now used to assist students with special needs.
  • Brown v. Board of Education

    Ruled over Plessy v. Ferguson, was the beginning of desegregation in schools, this also benefitted special ed students as they were also integrated into the system.
  • First desegregated high school

    Little Rock central high school became the first desegregate school in the United States during the civil rights movement.
  • The ACT is developed

    The American College Testing Program is developed to help with the college entry process
  • Overhead Projector

    Used well into the 20th century, also believed it would end the world of education, but was more accurate.
  • School District of Abington Township v. Schempp

    Enforced bible reading and prayer in public schools is declared
    unconstitutional by Supreme Court
  • GIS invented

    GIS is invented and used in classrooms to connect to database to store and access information about the environment.
  • Title IX

    Title IX bans sex discrimination in schools that receive federal funding
  • Microcomputers become affordable for schools

    They are used to drill students on their skills, was again predicted to end education as we know it.
  • Hendrick Hudson Central v. Rowley

    Supreme Court rules IEP must be reasonably calculated for a student to receive special education but schools do not have to provide all services necessary.
  • A Nation at Risk

    Ronald Reagan calls for primary and secondary education reform
  • Powerpoints created

    Power points have still been in heavy use since its creation about 33 years ago, many different programs and websites have created their own "power points" program.
  • Ubiquitous computing introduced

    Instead of using computer labs, students have their own transportable computers or other devices to use at home and at school.
  • First ASL Course

    First ASL course was taught at Alberta School for the Deaf in Canada by the first ASL school teacher Sue Bailey.
  • Florence County v. Shannon Carter

    Supreme court rules that parents may seek reimbursement for students with special needs to attend a school that will meet their needs.
  • WebQuest is created

    WebQuest provides you with an objective and the information needed so students will spend less time searching and more time focusing on material.
  • First virtual school

    CyberSchool Project in Eugene, Oregon was the first established virtual school, originally started by teachers.
  • Cool Math Games created

    A website called cool math games created games students over many years designed to help kids learn how to do basic math and have fun with it.
  • Columbine shooting

    The columbine shooting pushed schools to start using I.D.'s and practice school lockdown drills
  • No Child Left Behind Act

    Act aimed to improve primary and secondary public education.
  • Period: to

    Social media booms in teens and adults

    Social media use goes up 26% for teens and 55% for adults in just six years.
  • Period: to

    Emails sent increase by the billions

    Emails sent goes from 12 billion to 247 billion in just 10 years, with other forms of communication using technology follows the trend.
  • NTEP published

    National Education Technology Plan calls for adding technology to revolutionize education.
  • Kahoot created

    Kahoot was created and used in the school systems as a way test students on their speed and knowledge of information.
  • Majority of adults use cell phones

    90% of American adults use a cell phone, 78% of kid/teens ages 12-17.
  • Schools shut down and go virtual for COVID-19

    Schools across the US shut down and go completely virtual for the first time in history.