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Education in the Colonial Period
In the early colonial period of America, there were "Dame Schools," where the schooling was kind of similar to a daycare center, and it was a kind of private school. -
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson believed that the survival of democracy depended upon the education of the "common people," or (in other words) he believed that educating the masses was the only way to ensure that the people as a whole could elect competent leaders and governing bodies. His suggestions of educating the public were considered outlandish at the time. Jefferson was one of the most influential people in the history of American education. -
Horace Mann
Horace Mann reformed the education system around the year 1837, and created the first Common Schools, where elementary education was free for the people. He created standards for public schooling. His efforts helped to reform schools that were under-funded, and inadequate for students. His efforts were hugely influential in American education. -
Population Growth and Immigration in the 19th Century
The immigration of the Irish to America brought more Catholic students, which caused some problems with the mainly protestant and rather racist school curriculums of the time. -
The Impact of John Dewey in Education
John Dewey emphasized the need of learning by doing, and believed in a hands-on approach to education. His approach was more child-centered. His work was done around 1890, and it was revolutionary for the education philosophy of the time. His work is still very much influential today. -
Committee of Ten
A group of educators in 1892, who recommended the standardization of the American high school curriculum. -
Secondary School Movement
The era in which people began to establish more secondary schools throughout the US. There was still racism going on. -
Brown vs Board of Education
The U.S. Supreme Court had several cases, all of which challenged the constitutionality of racial segregation in schools. The hard work of the people on this case and others finally ended segregation, which had huge effects in the American education system, as well as America as a whole. -
The Civil Rights Movement and the War on Poverty
In his State of the Union address, in the middle of the civil rights movement, President Johnson stated that he had declared “unconditional war on poverty in America.” With the Brown case and desegregation, as well as these new efforts to fight poverty, many african americans found hope for success. -
IDEA
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was enacted by Congress to make sure that children with disabilities have the opportunity to receive a free appropriate public education, just like other kids. This was a very important step for American education. -
A Nation At Risk
A report on the National Commission on Excellence in Education, commissioned by Ronald Reagan. The report fed the ever-growing fear that American schools were failing, and it began a lot of local, state, and federal reforms. This began a lot of global competition and comparison. -
The Standards Movement
American education was improved by requiring more educator accountability, and by applying standards in the curriculums for different subjects. There were national educational goals set, such as by 2000, America will rank first in science and mathematics, etc. In 1988, the first National Education Summit was called together by Bush, where goals were set... these eventually became more focused on standards -
High Stakes Testing
Along with the push for standards in the 90s, there was also a push for high stakes testing that would determine passing or failing. There ended up being some problems with test construction and high numbers of students failing. Low income and minority students struggled especially. -
School Choice
Many parents, around 1994, were becoming dissatisfied with public schools, especially in math, and wanted to send kids to schools of their own choice, at public expense. There were religious reasons for this, and social reasons; some parents just wanted a better environment for their kids than the schools provided. This is where charter, magnet, and private schools developed. -
No Child Left Behind
This act that was put into place by president George W Bush required standards and accountability from the teachers and schools, and required that nearly all of the students should be tested annually. This put a mark on schools that did not meet up to the standards. -
Colonial Education
In the Colonial days (1600s- Revolutionary War)
