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The first "free school" in Virginia opens
In the Southern colonies, students are usually educated at home by parents or by hired tutors. Southerners believed that education was a private matter and the state had no right to concern themselves with it. However, some southerners supported a public school system and explained how "knowledge is power" and would help strengthen citizens. Yet despite this, majority agreed slaves were not allowed to learn and it was made a crime to teach them. -
John Locke publishes his "Essay Concerning Human Understanding"
These findings are incredibly important because they change the way Americans saw how human minds worked. Locke explained how the human mind is a "tabula rasa", or blank slate, at birth and that knowledge is derived through learned experiences by the human. Before, people thought knowledge was derived from inborn ideas, or ideas someone was already born with. These views concerning the mind and learning have a heavy influence on American education. -
First Academy for Girls Opens
The Young Ladies Academy opens in Philadelphia and becomes the first academy for girls in all of the first 13 colonies. As America grew, it began to become more prosperous and because of this, rich families could afford to allow women more free time because before the women had to work to make money. Because of the economical shift from hand crafted items produced by women at home to the industrialized production of goods, middle class girls also began to have more time for education. -
Howard University is established
The university is created in Washington D.C. to provide African American youth the tools necessary to become efficient in the liberal arts and sciences. The financial support to start the school up is provided by the Freedmen's Bureau. Today, Howard university notes how their goal is to eliminate inequities related to race, color, social, economic and political circumstances and many other factors. -
Mendez vs. Westminster and the California Board of Education
Sylvia Mendez and her brothers went with their aunt to register for school but were denied because of their dark skin and Mexican last names. Their cousins were allowed because of their fair complexion and were half-Mexican, so they sued. The U.S. District Court in LA ruled that educating children of Mexican descent in separate facilities is unconstitutional. This is important because it sets the precedent for other cases concerning segregation and education such as Brown vs. Board of Education. -
McCollum v. Board of Education
McCollum was an atheist and objected to the religious classes at her son's school. She sued the school board in stating that these religious classes in the public schools violated the principle of separation of church and state which is located in the first amendment. The Supreme Court ruled that schools cannot allow time during the school day for students to participate in religious education in public school. -
Little Rock 9 at Central High
Brown v. Board of Education called for the desegregation of school throughout the nation yet many people still wanted to deny access to black students. Governor Orval Faubus deployed the Arkansas National Guard to support the segregationists by blocking the black students out of the school. President Eisenhower ordered federal troops enforce integration in Little Rock, Arkansas and allow the Little Rock 9 to enroll at Central High School. -
Coral Way Elementary School
Due to the Cuban Revolution, there was a large number of Cuban immigrant couples arriving in Miami with their large families. Coral Way Elementary School was the first bilingual and bicultural public school in the United States. Unlike some earlier schools before them, the school wasn't made to completely disregard the student's native language and only teach English. Instead, it was a fully integrated curriculum using both English and Spanish in the classroom. -
Epperson et al. v. Arkansas
Susan Epperson was a biology teacher who challenged the Arkansas anti-evolution rule that forbade the teachings of human evolution. The U.S. supreme Court sided with her and stated how the law prohibiting the teaching of evolution in a public school was unconstitutional because it violated the first amendment because schools cannot require the curriculum to align with the views of any particular religion. -
Allow Transgender Students Access to Bathrooms of Their Gender Identity
The federal government demands school districts to allow transgender students to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity. Though it is not called a "law", districts that do not abide by this ruling could face lawsuits or even lose federal aid. The purpose of the groundbreaking bill is to send a message that every student deserves to be treated fairly and feel safe at school regardless of who they are.
