-
First U.S. school
The Boston Latin School located in Boston, Massachusetts was an all white male school strictly for college preparation. Philemon Pormont, a Puritan Settler, ran the school. The school focused on teaching humanities, Greek and Latin. It was shaped around the same principles as Boston, England's Free Grammar School. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/thisday/apr23/first-public-school-america/ -
Thomas Jefferson's The Laboring and the Learned
TJ said in a letter, “The mass of our citizens may be divided into two classes — the laboring and the learned. The laboring will need the first grade of education to qualify them for their pursuits and duties; the learned will need it as a foundation for further acquirements.” Today, its the white and blue collar classes. https://katherinemosborne.wordpress.com/2014/10/10/how-has-history-shaped-education-today-what-social-cultural-and-political-ideaspoliciesactions-affect-education-today/ -
Creation of the Department of Education
Formed to help establish an effective school system, the Department of Education, helped gather information for the best instruction in classrooms. This department is still running today. https://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/fed/role.html -
Plessy V. Ferguson (Separate but Equal)
A U.S. Supreme Court case that ruled as long as facilities and services were equal for both black people and white people, it was okay for them to be segregated. This was used in future cases until it was eventually overturned by the Brown V. Board of Education Supreme court case. https://www.britannica.com/event/Plessy-v-Ferguson-1896 -
Required Elementary Schooling
By 1918, every state in the U.S. required kids to complete elementary education. While this did not mean that the education everyone was receiving was equal, it was the first time that all students were required to complete some type of education. http://www.ushistory.org/us/39a.asp -
Brown V. Board of Education
A name given to five different court cases regarding segregation in Public Schools that were all heard by the supreme court as just one case. The supreme court eventually ruled in favor of Brown. This Supreme Court case overturned the rulings of Plessy V. Ferguson and banned segregation. http://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/history-brown-v-board-education-re-enactment -
Sputnik
Sputnik was a successful launch of the world's first artificial satellite about the size of a beach ball by the Soviet Union. It took only about 98 minutes to orbit the earth on its elliptical path and weighed in at only 183.9 pounds. Immediately after, Congress dumped a billion dollars into the national defense education act to try to get the education system up and running and compete with the Soviet Union in the space race. https://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/ -
Title IX
Federal law passed that requires gender equity for boys and girls in every education program that receives federal funding. The law applies to: sports, higher education access, career education, education for pregnant and parenting students, employment, learning environment, math and science, sexual harassment, standardized testing and technology. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/tix_dis.html -
A Nation at Risk
A report by the National Commission that focused on Excellence in primarily in Education. Announced by Ronald Reagan, it was created out of fear that we were losing the competitive edge in marketing in the world economy, and based on an eighteen month study. It suggested five new basics for education in America. This included; half a year of computers science, four years of english and three years or science, social studies and math. https://www3.nd.edu/~rbarger/www7/nationrs.html -
No Child Left Behind
An act signed by George W. Bush constructed to, "close the achievement gap with accountability, flexibility, and choice so that no child is left behind". It authorized state education programs and required testing in reading and math for grades 3 and up. High schoolers were only required to test once. Each state became accountable for making a test and setting standards. http://www.k12.wa.us/esea/NCLB.aspx
