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3200 BCE
The Invention of Writing
This is a pretty obscure event, but I think it played a really important role at the beginning of education. Before writing, knowledge had to be passed verbally through stories and songs. As writing began to grow, knowledge could be preserved in books and became much easier to transport and spread.
The date is for the first known written language from Mesopotamia.
https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/history-of-education/ -
1517
The Reformation
During the time of the Reformation, power was held by those who held the knowledge. By changing the Catholic Church and making the Bible more available to the public, so too did the idea of public education spread. This is important because it allowed the common people to become educated in more than just their individual trade, making them smarter and more capable citizens.
https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/history-of-education/ -
New England Education
Education in the New World was an important stepping stone for education. They believed that illiteracy was the work of the Devil so that people would not be able to read the Bible. Because of this, they made it a law that all towns must have a structured and education system that taught children how to read and write. This was the first example of a widespread curriculum being taught in schools.
https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/history-of-education/ -
Plessy v. Ferguson
This court case dealt with racial segregation and decided that it was alright as long as they were equal. The black section could not be worse or better than the white section. Although not originally directed at education, it did start the ball rolling in the right direction.
https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/plessy-v-ferguson -
Brown v. Board of Education
This landmark court case made it unlawful to segregate schools. Although many schools continued to fight back and dealt with many issues during the first couple of years of this taking effect, this law was the biggest improvement for blacks in the way of education.
https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/brown-v-board-of-education-of-topeka -
The Cold War (Space Race)
The Cold War was a non-warring conflict between the United States and the USSR. When the USSR launched Sputnik, the first satellite, into space, it became clear to us that we needed to change something in our education system if we wanted to win. We decided to start emphasizing math and science more in the classroom than we had been before. This improved diversity in the classroom and let students specialize in specific fields.
https://www.worldwars.com/cold-war-affected-education-united-states/ -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
This act was created by President Lyndon B. Johnson and was a cornerstone of his "War on Poverty". It distributed a lot of much-needed funding to public schools, especially ones with a high percentage of low-income students. This act took big steps toward leveling the playing field for children of varying incomes. It especially helped fund the libraries and the ability to get new textbooks.
https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/programs/education/elementary-and-secondary-education-act-of-1965/ -
Title IX
This law made it unlawful to discriminate in schools based on sex. This meant that all activities, clubs, and opportunities in the school must be available to both men and women or have an equal equivalent for each. For example, if there is a boy's basketball, there must also be a women's basketball or another sport that has an equal number of players. This was a big step for gender equality in both schools and the nation.
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/tix_dis.html -
Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Before this act, students with special needs were often neglected and had few opportunities in schools. They were not given the care they needed and could not be expected to achieve anything. Through this act, schools were required to offer education programs for children with special needs and were given funding to do so. This act really started the movement for equality for people with special needs in education and the workplace. It gave all students a chance.
dredf.org/legal-advocacy/laws -
No Child Left Behind Act
The purpose of this act was to keep schools accountable and focus on what they needed to do to help their students succeed. One way they did this was by creating statewide tests in math and reading that had to be done by all students every year. These tests were designed to help states find what schools were doing well and which ones were not. It was controversial.
www.understood.org/en/school-learning/your-childs-rights/basics-about-childs-rights/no-child-left-behind-nclb-what-you-need-to-know
