History of Education

  • First Compulsory Education Law

    Massachusetts passes the first compulsory education law, making school attendance mandatory by law for all children in Massachusetts. This was huge for the development of education because this was the first time that education was given specific importance, and the first time that state legislature stepped in on behalf of schools.
  • School's Factory Set Up

    Schools are run like factories due to the high demand for workers, this makes the transition from school to factory life easier. The factory set up in schools is one that has remained throughout the years. we still see it being implemented with a bell ring to release students from class, among other things.
  • Brown vs. the Board of Education

    The Supreme Court rules to end segregation on the grounds that separate but equal, is not in fact equal; it is unconstitutional. Obviously, this was a monumental event in history, not just the history of education. While Brown vs. the Board of Education did not end prejudice, it was a step in the right direction.
  • President Lyndon Johnson Declares War on Poverty

    President Johnson's War on Poverty-also known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)-lead to schools with high poverty rates receiving federal money. This was the first time schools received substantial funding from the federal government. President Johnson's War on Poverty lead to programs such as Title 1 and Head Start, which are programs that have been continually renewed and are still in place today.
  • Public Law 94-142

    Public Law 94-142: Education for all Handicapped Children. This law was also known as I.D.E.A- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. this law led to other acts such as F.A.P.E- Free Appropriate Public Education and L.R.E- Least Restrictive Environment This was a crucial development in education's history. Up until this point handicapped children had little to no access to the education system.
  • Columbine School Shooting

    Two students of Columbine High School go on a shooting spree of the school grounds, leaving 15 dead and 23 wounded. Columbine was really the first school shooting that America saw. It was a devastation that rocked the nation and would influence education's culture and history forever.
  • No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)

    Signed into law be President G.W. Bush, the law requires intense student testing, requires schools to be accountable for their student's level of achievement, and penalizes schools who do not adequately meet yearly progress levels of NCLB. NCLB was an updated version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and has since been updated to Every Student Succeeds Act.
  • Demographic Milestone

    The first fall of school openings that finds classrooms outnumbered, with more minority students enrolled K-12 than caucasians. This was the result of growing numbers of immigrants, and national diversity levels, in the public school systems. These numbers will continue to grow through the years, as well.
  • Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

    ESSA is signed into law by President Obama, as the most recent version of ESEA, and replaces NCLB. This version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act sought to remove, or at least lessen the footprint of the federal government in the school systems and give power back to the states.
  • Student Walk Out

    Students walk out of classes in protest, demanding change in fire arms laws. We see this protest from students nation-wide, in response to the soaring number of school shootings in the past few years, but specifically this year (2018).