-
Colonial Education
Schools were organized locally by the communities they served, and focused on reading and religious instruction. -
Jefferson's Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge
Jefferson's idea was to provide a free basic education for all (white) girls and boys of all classes, and further education for some based on merit. His bill was rejected by the state legislature several times, but served as an ideological foundation for the future. -
Noah Webster's Blue-Backed Speller
Webster's textbook of the English language for American students embodied the societal push for a system of education uniquely American and distinct from England. -
Common School Movement MOST IMPORTANT
Schoolhouse Pioneers Horace Mann Championed by Horace Mann, this movement insisted that states take charge of their education systems. Mann raised public awareness for the importance of educating all children, and insisted that the state allocate more resources to providing quality buildings, books, and teachers for the schools. This movement launched widespread social acceptance of the ideas that education should be directed by the state, supported by the people, and extended to all--the basic premises of education today. -
Secondary School Movement
While elementary education was recognized and supported as important for all after the common schoold movement, secondary education was not universally offered until this next reform push. -
Progressive Reform Movement MOST IMPORTANT
John Dewey on Progressive Education Led in part by the efforts of John Dewey, this movement advocated for a child-focused education. This was a philosophy of education based on the values of creativity, movement, student-interest-driven learning, and exploration. The reverberations from this movement are still felt in the way we teach to multiple learning styles and value activity and creativity in our classrooms today. -
WWII
During the war, many students and teachers left school to fight or work in the industries supporting the war, and funds allocated for education were diverted toward the war effort. Education was no longer top priority. -
Brown vs Board of Education
This landmark Supreme Court case ruled that the school segregation that existed under the pretense of separate but equal facilities for blacks and whites was inevitably unequal and would no longer be lawful. -
National Defense Education Act MOST IMPORTANT
Encyclopedia Britannica NDEA The fear that permeated the country during the Cold War caused people to question the value of progressive education and begin demanding a more rigorous and globally competitive education system based in English, Math, Science, and Social Studies. The NDEA enacted curriculum reforms that put the focus of education on these core subjects, and our current Common Core is based on the "spiral" concept of teaching that came with these reforms. -
Civil Rights Act MOST IMPORTANT
History Online Civil Rights Act While the Supreme Court case Brown vs Board told the schools to desegregate, this act finally held them accountable for doing so by withholding federal funding if they refused. This act strictly forbade any segregation based on race or ethnicity in any public place. It also forbade employment discrimination based on color or sex. It is thanks to this law that we have the level of equality in education and employment that we enjoy today. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
This iimportant piece of legislation was enacted under president Lyndon B. Johnson as part of his "War on Poverty." It increased funds for schools in impoverished areas, and has been continually renewed through today. -
Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act
This incredibly important law extended free quality education to students with minor to severe disabilities who had previously been excluded from or underserved by the school system. -
A Nation at Risk
This report on the state of education in America, published by a commision appointed by president Ronald Reagan, claimed that the American school system was failing and sparked a wave of educational standards-based reforms and accountability tests that continues today. -
Goals 2000: Educate America Act
Under President Bill Clinton, this act set six educational goals that Clinton hoped the United States would achieve by the new millenium, making education a federal priority. The goals encompassed school readiness (pre-k and kindergarten), graduation rates, subject mastery, professional development for teachers, global ranking in math and science, adult literacy, safe school environments, and parental involvement. -
No Child Left Behind MOST IMPORTANT
NCLB and Your Child Enacted under President George W. Bush, NCLB cracked down on schools with sweeping reforms in standards, testing, and accountability. Under NCLB, states are required to develop math and reading standards and then test their elementary and middle school students almost yearly to ensure that the standards are being met, with severe consequences for the schools if the test scores are not satisfactory. The effects of NCLB are felt by students, teachers, and parents and remain highly controversial.
