History of Education Timeline

  • Jamestown

    "The roots of American education began with the Jamestown colony, the first permanent English settlement in North America."
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    The Colonial Period (1607-1775)

  • The Old Deluder Satan Act

    "The law was designed to produce citizens who understood the bible and could thwart Satan's trickery, and it required every town of 50 or more households to hire a teacher of reading and writing."
  • Franklin's Academy

    "Benjamin Franklin opened the Academy of Philadelphia in 1751. Free of religious orientation and uniquely American, an academy was a secondary school that focused on the practical needs of colonial America.
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    The Early National Period (1775-1820)

  • The Land Ordinance of 1785

    Legislators removed control of education from the federal government to give to the states. Land Ordinance of 1785 had the federal government establishing a role for itself in public education.
  • The Adoption of The U.S. Constitution

    The First amendment of the Bill of Rights includes the "establishment clause," prohibiting the government from passing legislation to establish any one official religion over another. This created the principal known as the separation of church and state, which includes public schools.
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    The Common School Movement (1820-1865)

  • English Classical School

    "In 1821, Boston Established the first English classical school, a free secondary school designed to meet the needs of boys planning to attend college."
  • Massachusetts First Compulsory Law

    "Under Mann's influence, Massachusetts became the leader of education in the United States. It doubled state appropriations for education, built 50 new secondary schools, increased teacher salaries by 50%, and passed the nation's first compulsory school attendance law in 1852."
  • School enrollment reaches 50% nationally

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    The Evolution of the American High School (1865-1913)

  • Payments for elementary education is eliminated

    "New Jersey, the last state to do so, eliminated the requirement that parents pay for their children's elementary education in 1871."
  • The Committee of Ten

    Appointed by the National Education Association (NEA) to revise and create new standards, programs, and methods for high schools. Results focused on college preparation.
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    The Modern Era (WWII to present) (1930-2021)

  • The National Education Defense Act

    Congress also passed the National Education Defense Act (NDEA) in 1958
  • The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

    In 1975, Congress passed public law 94-142, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which required a free and appropriate public education for all students, including those with exceptionalities.
  • No Child Left Behind Act

    Required all states to develop a comprehensive accountability plan to ensure that all students acquire basic skills, with primary emphasis on reading and math. (Passed in 2001)

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