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"The Schoolmaster's Assistant" is published
Thomas Dilworth publishes the first textbook -
Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge
Thomas Jefferson passes the Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge. The bill proposed that a 3 year public education be tax funded "for all the free children, male and female". This was the first bill that proposed that public education be tax funded. -
New York Elects First Superintendent
New York was the first state to form a school board and elect a Superintendent. -
Boston Opens English Classical School
This event starts the high school movement. -
Period: to
Educational Journals Come into Existence
More than 60 educational journals are founded during this time. -
MOST IMPORTANT Horace Mann Elected to Massachusetts Legislature
Horace Mann was the spokesperson for Common Schools which is the founding idea for public education.
http://www.pbs.org/onlyateacher/horace.html -
The First Comprehensive High School Opens
The first comprehensive high school opens in Lowell, Massachusetts. -
Period: to
Dramatic Increase in Number of High Schools
High schools began opening across the country -
Committee of Ten Formed
The Committee of Ten was formed to write curriculum that would get students into college. -
MOST IMPORTANT "The School and Society" is published
John Dewey wrote this book that said education should be child centered. He is considered to be the father of progressive education.
https://www.iep.utm.edu/dewey/ -
Period: to
Immigrant Wave
During this time more than 6 million immigrants came to the US. This put a major strain on schools. Schools became dark, depressing places where disease and hunger were rampant. -
School Bells
This was the first time that school bells were used to indicate to students that it was time to transition to another subject. -
First Multiple Choice Test is Created
Frederick Kelly created the first multiple choice test to be used in education. -
Stock Market Crash
The crash led to nationwide unemployment and also led to children not attending school -
George Counts
George Counts urged educators to take the lead in society saying, "Dare progressive education be progressive" -
MOST IMPORTANT Brown vs. Board of Education
The Supreme Court ruled that "separate but equal" unconstitutional. This led to the integration of schools and was a major catalyst for the Civil Rights movement.
http://landmarkcases.org/en/landmark/cases/brown_v_board_of_education -
Sputnick Launched
The US feels the need for accelerated math and science programs because Russia successfully launched Sputnick. This lead to the death of progressive education and started the movement to standardized testing. -
MOST IMPORTANT IDEA Laws Passed
The laws contained in IDEA specified that citizens of the US with disabilities and special needs had the right to be educated. This created Special Education programs in public schools.
https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/your-childs-rights/basics-about-childs-rights/individuals-with-disabilities-education-act-idea-what-you-need-to-know -
MOST IMPORTANT No Child Left Behind
As a result of this bill teacher performance was now tied to standardized testing. This completely changed curricula and how students' progress is measured. Funding was now based on school performance on tests. This is the era of "teaching to the test"
https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/policy-explainers/early-ed-prek-12/federal-education-legislation/essa/nclb/
