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Massachusetts Act of 1647
The Massachusetts Law of 1647, also known as the Old Deluder Satan Law, required towns with more than fifty families to hire a teacher. Towns with more than one hundred families were required to have a grammar school. Name of the law came from the Puritan's belief that the devil tells you do not need to be educated. They were educated to read the bible. Massachusetts' schools are responsible for our public-school system. Without a teacher in every town, we would not be paid. -
First Correspondence Course
Correspondence courses ideology paved the way for current online learning and showed that distance learning is possible. During this pandemic, distance learning is more important than ever. Caleb Phillips was the first to instruct correspondence courses and advertised his course in the Boston Gazette newspaper. Caleb corresponded with his students through mail. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
K-12 students of color were segregated prior to the ruling of Brown Vs. Board of Education. States post-Civil War had passed laws that legalized segregation. The constitutionality of segregated schools in five cases were put into one case to the Supreme Court. It was unanimously decided that segregated schools are not separate and equal ruled by Chief Justice Earl Warren. Students now have free access to education regardless of race. Everyone student gets a chance at an equal education. -
The EAHCA of 1975
The EAHCA of 1975, signed by President Gerald Ford, required schools to provide services for students with a disability at the public expense. Students with a disability are also given an IEP and included in general education classes. Students with a disability prior to the act were often excluded from school. The act is currently called Individuals with a Disability Education Act after amendments have been added to it. -
No Child Left Behind Act
Former President George W. Bush signed the act into law. This was due to the underperformance of public schools at the time. The national government monitored the students’ progress reports through standardized tests. Schools that did not pass were punished and schools began to teach more to the tests. This bill is one of the most important events in recent school history because there is more standardization. The no child left behind act influenced present day school of choice.
