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Education in the Colonial Period
From 1600-1776. Primary education only for white upper-class children whose parents could afford it. The boys and girls recited their lessons until they memorized them. They most commonly used books were the Bible, a primer, and a hornbook. As children grew older their schooling prepared them for their eventual roles in plantation life. While boys studied more advanced, academic subjects, the girls learned to assume the duties of the mistress of a plantation. -
First Education Laws: Massachusetts
Law of 1642. Parents were required make sure that their children knew the principles of religion and the capital laws of the commonwealth. Students would learn these aspects in their schooling. -
The Impact of Jefferson, Rush, & Webster
MOST IMPORTANT
Jefferson: Jefferson viewed this basic education as instrumental to securing “life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness” for America
Rush: Wanted American education to be in line with American needs, and work along with the principles of democracy. He was also a proponent of women's education.
Webster: Well known upon the publication of the American Speller Book. Webster's speller taught three things: dividing words into syllables, pronouncing words properly, and spelling correctly. -
Common Schools Movement
MOST IMPORTANAT: Common-school advocates worked to establish a free elementary education accessible to everyone and financed by public funds. They recommended public schools should be accountable to local school boards and state governments. They also helped establish mandatory school attendance laws for elementary-age children. By 1918, such laws existed in all states. -
The Impact of Horace Mann
Horace Mann sought to increase opportunities for all children and create common bonds among an increasingly diverse population. He also argued education could preserve social stability and prevent crime and poverty. -
The Progressive Reform Movement
The Progressive Era (1890-1920). Progressives eagerly challenged that they received wisdom in every aspect of life. Progressivism began as a social movement and grew into a political movement. The early progressives rejected Social Darwinism. They were people who believed that the problems society faced (poverty, violence, greed, racism, class warfare) could best be addressed by providing good education, a safe environment, and an efficient workplace. -
Committee of Ten
The Committee of Ten was a working group of educators that, in 1892, recommended the standardization of American high school curriculum. One philosophy designated American high schools as institutions that would divide students into college-bound and working-trades groups from the start. These institutions sometimes further divided students based on race or ethnic background. Another philosophy attempted to provide standardized courses for all students. -
The Impact of John Dewey
MOST IMPORTANT: Dewey's approach was child-centered. The meaning of this was that there is an emphasis on learning based on the needs and interests of the child- not the teacher, and not the core. He believed that children should be allowed to explore their own environments. He also believed in connecting multiple subjects when teaching. This way students are able to pursue interests and and construct their own paths for learning. -
Secondary School Movement
The United States led all other nations in the development of universal and publicly-funded secondary school education and much of the growth occurred from 1910 to 1940. The social capital assembled locally in the early part of the century, which apparently fueled part of the high school movement, continues to contribute to human capital formation. -
World War 2
As a reward for the sacrifices made during the First World War the British government in 1918 announced that it intended to raise the school leaving age from 14 to 15. This was postponed because of WW2. Schools in rural areas often stayed open but had to share their space with evacuees. There was an introduction to the double shift system where the local kids would attend school in the mornings and the evacuees would attend school in the afternoons. -
Brown vs The Board of Education
MOST IMPORTANT: Brown vs The Board of Education began the desegregation of schools. States Supreme Court case in which the Court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Elementary and Secondary Education Act was passed as a part of United States President Lyndon B. Johnson's "War on Poverty" and has been the most far-reaching federal legislation affecting education ever passed by the United States Congress. -
A Nation At Risk Report
The National Commission on Excellence in Education – appointed by Ronald Reagan – gave the report, “A Nation at Risk.” This report was concerned with only one of the many causes and dimensions of the problem, but it is the one that undergirds American prosperity, security, and civility. -
Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act
MOST IMPORTANT: The Individuals with Disabilities Education ActThe Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to children and youth with disabilities. -
The No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is an act of the U.S. Congress that is a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which included Title I, the government's flagship aid program for disadvantaged students.
