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Massachusetts enacts the first law regarding education in America. It's notable in that prior to this, education was generally a religious function. This law brought it into the government sector.
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This set apart land in each town dedicated to education. Many of these lots had schools built on them while others were sold and the proceeds used for education in that town
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The population of the US continued to grow, bringing in people that were unfamiliar with the language and society of the land. Schools on the coast became overcrowded.
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While his attempts at educational laws were unsuccessful, Thomas Jefferson was a great educational proponent outside of politics. Much of early American Education was shaped on his philosophy, and he founded the University of Virginia in 1819.
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Horace Mann, as Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education, travels to each school house and finds the need for major reform. He advocated a common education for all schools in the state.
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A committee of educators convened to address the standardization of education across the country. It was an effort to ensure that education wasn't determined by geography.
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The "Gary Plan" laid out a plan for a school that would teach the students a number of subjects in addition to reading, writing, and math. Other needs were taken care of like nutrition and hygiene. In response, schools in New York refocused on the core subjects and the "Americanization" of the influx of immigrants. Thus began Essentialism and Progressivism, both in use today.
Encyclopedia Britannica -
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A legal team from the NAACP and some parents and students brought a case before the Supreme Court challenging the "separate but equal" rule. As a result, all schools were required to integrate their black and white students. It did require some encouragement, especially in the southern states. Without it, we wouldn't see the diversity and equality in schools today.
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When the Soviet Union was the first to launch a satellite into space, America's leaders questioned why. They determined the fault must lie with the education system and enacted the National Defense Education Act, which ensured the nation wouldn't fall behind its competitors, at least in math and science. It could be seen as the beginning of standardized testing.
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Beginning with ESEA and NDEA, the federal government wanted to have a way to track the nations educational progress. This has led to the many standardized tests students take today. Concerns as to how they have affected teaching have arisen.
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Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson signed this act as part of the "War on Poverty". It aimed to lessen the achievement gap due to economical standing. Title I-VI were introduced. It began an era of public schools being expected to take care of more than just learning in the strictest sense.
Wikipedia Article -
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The federal government commissioned a report concerning the education of children in America. This report asserted that American schools were failing to meet the needs of the country. It was influenced by the Cold War, even containing military terms in the context of education. It ushered in an era of belief that education in America is severely lacking.
NEA Today Article -
This act brought people with disabilities into the public classroom with everyone else. Before this, they would attend a separate institution, if they received any schooling at all.
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An act that was arguably driven more by politics than a desire for education reform, NCLB introduced the idea of "failing schools" based on test scores. It proposed that all students would be testing at grade level at a designated time. It also introduced more stringent standards for teacher preparation.
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The latest re-authorization of ESEA, this act pulls back from the intensity of NCLB. More control in education was shifted back to the state level.
