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Founding of Harvard College
Founded on religious motives to ensure there would be an educated ministry for the colonies. This was the first upper division of education, a second step in the education system. Other universities and colleges were founded and an increased interest for those who could afford to pay for a higher education. -
Massachusetts Law of 1642
Selectmen would ascertain whether parents were providing for the education of their children. Established the principle of compulsory education. There was a need to ensure the education of children to read and understand the principles of religion and captial laws. -
Education Law of 1647
Also known as the. Showed the importance of education for the Puritan colonists. Every city of 50 households must provide a teacher, and every township of 100 housholds or more must establish a grammar school. Puritain's advocated good reading education. This was the beginnings of a strong support for established education. -
New England Primer
Standardizing text for education of children. Taught the lord's prayer, apostle's creed, ten commandments and a shortened version of the Puritan catechism. The primer also contained a listing of books in the bible, as well as the alphabet, and numbers one through one-hundred. -
Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pennsylvania
Benjamin Franklin outlined a plan for a school in which English, rather than Latin, was to be the medium of instruction. This proposed that the English vernacular could be the language of the educated person. Also proposed that students be taught "those things that are likely to be most useful and most ornamental. Regard being had to the several Professions which they are intended." -
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American Revolutionary War
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Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson believed that the survival of democracy depended on the education of all Americans. Because the people would be responsible for voting to elect their leaders, they must be educated enough to make informed decisions. Jefferson tried, and failed, 3 times to pass a bill for the more general diffusion of knowledge. He advocated for 3 years of schooling for all male and female, and continuing education for those who show they are bright enough to make good use of higher education. -
Noah Webster
Webster believed the first step in educating American children after the Revolutionary war would be to remove the British textbooks from the classroom. He wanted to create a unifying culture, a national history for America. To acheive this he created the Blue-backed speller, which was designed to teach students about America and it's inhabitants. Within, Webster promoted new national language that would be spelled and pronounced differently than British English. -
*Important*- Common Schools
Horace Mann was key in establishing a system of Common Schools in America. He advocated for a system of free tax supported education for all children in the Colonies. Mann believed that education could be a great equalizer, where students could come and be taught the same common body of knowledge. This is the basic system we have in place today, a system of tax supported education. -
Coeducational High Schools
1831- Lowell Massachusetts opens first American comprehensive coed high school. 1838- Philadelphia opened a coed high school with 3 tracks; 4-year classical curriculum, 4-year modern language curriculum, and 2-year English curriculum -
Catharine Beecher
Catharine advocated the teaching profession to be a woman's vocation. She focused attention on the need for a corps of female teachers to staff the common schools. This promoted schooling in on the frontier and gave women a reputable profession. -
*Important*- Massachusetts Board for Education
As first Secretary of the Board of Education, Horace Mann established state boards of education throughout the colonies. This established the basic infrastructure for leadership in education. In modern times, we have added many other facets in the infrastructure of our education, but the basis of state mandated education is still in place. -
Frederick Douglass
A former slave, Douglass promoted African American rights in education. He fought for African American children to be permited to attend the best and closest school houses in their own neighborhoods, not be restricted to only those schools that allowed African American children. -
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American Civil War
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Committee of Ten
Chair of university representatives who recommended the standardized curriculum of American schools. They saw colleges and universities as vocational specific schools, while elementary and secondary schools should be based in subjects that would be used profitably by both college-bound and terminal students. Courses for college preparation trained the powers of observation, memory, expression, and reasoning. -
*Important*- John Dewey
Considered the Father of Progressive education, Dewey sought to shift the focus of education to be child facing. If focus was on the whole child, their social, emotional and intellecual well-being, then teaching and learning would be different. Progressive education in the sense of child focused education is prevalent today. The idea that a child will learn best and enjoy learning while being wholly engaged is an important facet of modern education. -
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World War I
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The Measurement Movement
Thorndike and Terman developed Alpha and Beta testing for the army to help quickly determine the intelligence of would be soldiers. Terman promoted the 'Stanford-Binet' test as an aid for the classification of developmentally disabled children. A measure for general intelligence. This intelligence quotient (or IQ) measurement was used to determine the levels of many children, not only those suspected to be develipmentally disabled. -
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World War II
Unified schools under one dominant purpose- complete intelligent, and enthusiastic cooperation in the war effort. Teachers left the classroom for the battlefield. Enrollment dropped, and funds were reduced. G.I. bills provided benefits to veterans to help them further their education after the war effort. -
*Important*- Brown vs. Board of Education
Supreme court ruled that segregation was unconstitutional. This was the beginning of the civil rights movement in America, not only for African Americans, but for other minority groups as well. Start of change in perception of equal rights for all children in education, this is still impacting the basis of education today as we refine curriculum to fit the needs of all children regardles of background. -
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Vietnam War
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Sputnik and NDEA
Russia became the first country to launch a satelite into space. This jumpstated the education system in America as educators vouched for more financial contribution to education so they would not fall behind the soviet country. In response, Congress approved $1 billion for the National Defense Education Act, which focused learning on mathematics, science, and modern foreign languages. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Officially ended segregation of pulic facilities. Attacked discrimination in employment, required nondiscriminatory practices in programs and institutions recieving federal funds. This federal funding would be revoked for public institutions that did not comply. -
*Important*- President Lyndon B. Johnson
Johnson advocated education in the war on poverty. Several legislations were passed to increase funding and teach literacy. Most notably the Elementary and Secondary Education Act provided $1 billion in federal funds to education. Emphasized equal access to education, and aimed to shorten the achievement gaps between students. This act has been reauthorized every 5 years since 1965. -
Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act
Students with disabilities were now being educated with their peers, not isolated in disabled houses. This not only gave them better educational opportunities but opportunities to socialize with peers and truly become members of society. There ave been many individuals who have gone on to college, showing that even though they are disabled, they are still capable humans. -
*Important*- A Nation at Risk Report
President Regan issued a report on the state of American education. The report stated that American education was in decline. This started a movement of schools to raise the bar, competing to bring test scores back up to higher standards. This is an innitiative that is still growing today. The refinement of education moves to continually raise this bar of academic excellence. Moving to improve, not plateau. -
No Child Left Behind
Renewed ESEA, George W. Bush required that schools develop standards of education for what every child should know. These students would be tested regularly to ensure that they are meeting these set standards. Schools were to document progress, and ensure that students were making adequate yearly progress toward meeting the established proficiency standards. The effects of this are still in place today, schools follow Common Core standards to check student progress.
