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History of Education
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Education in the Colonial Period
colonial educationEducation at this time was mainly run by Protestant people. Church and state were not as separate as they are now. The foundations of education were laid down at this time. The Herbertarian Movement touted preparation, presentaion, association, generalization, and application as the five steps of education. This movement was important because it laid the foundation for constructivism. Constructivism is a valid movement in education today. -
The Impact of Jefferson, Rush, and Webster
Jefferson promoted education all across the country, mostly for boys. Rush, a Pennsylvanian doctor, advocated for the Young Ladies Academy in Philadelphia. Webster wrote the emmensely popular Blue Back Speller book, which taught millions of people how to spell and pronounce English words correctly. -
Common Schools
Originally called "Dame Schools", these were the first free public schools. Some people thought that they helped control crime by keeping children off the street. They taught practical education, mostly reading and writing. They educated with the alphabet, poems, and The New York Primer mounted on wooden boards and hung around students' neck. -
Committee of Ten
committee of tenThe head of the Committee of Ten was Charles Eliot. He and the others in this group advocated for vocational training after high school lasting one year. After that, the student received a Carnegie Unit. They also wanted college-bound students and terminal students to get the same education in high school. Some people thought that this was a waste of money for terminal students to get this education. -
The Impact of Horace Mann
Horace MannHorace Mann was a reformer and an agitator. He wanted to improve public schools with the aid of government funding. He succeeded, and in doing so created the first Common School. After that, he earned the title of "Father of American Education." He also advocated for no sectarianism in public schools. Without Horace Mann, education wouldn't have made the strides it has in the time it has. Public schools have had federal funding since the nineteenth century thanks to him. -
Population Growth and Immigration in the 19th century
The influx of immigrants at this time doubled the population. The population was largely urban. The influence on education during this time of industrialization was that students were taught more practical subjects, Schools were packed with students. -
The Impact of John Dewey
John Dewey impacted education by emphasizing that school and society come together as one. He proposed Whole Child Development, centering teaching on the interests of the child. For this, he earned the title of the "Father of Progressive Education. Progressive education is still taught in some schools. -
The Measurement Movement (IQ, Thorndike, Terman)
This movement was created by psychologists to measure intelligence. They used their own scale to determine whether a person had a high or low Intelligence quotient. This impacts education to this day because some teachers still separate students into groups based on their "IQ." -
The Impact of WW2
During the war, the American economy began to recover from the Great Depression. Teachers and students alike dropped out of school to aid the war efforts and make some money. In 1944, before the end of the war, The GI Bill of Rights was passed. This gave American war veterans government funding for higher education. -
Brown vs. Board of Education, 1954
Finally, the segregation of blacks and whites in public schools was abolished. The ruling of the Supreme Court of the United States of America was that racial segregation was a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Ammendment of the Constitution. This was a major victory for the Civil Rights Movement! Unfortunately, some people still protested the integration of African Americans in public schools. -
Sputnik and NDEA, 1957-58
The event of the Russians launching a manned rocket into space was seen as a threat to American way of life. Many people thought that the US was losing the Cold War. This prompted the need for increased science and math skills in America to be able to compete. Also, it started the Montessori Movement of early childhood education. That way, students would get a "Head Start" on education. -
The Civil Rights Movement & The War on Poverty
civil rights actThe Civil Rights Act was enacted by LBJ in honor of the late JFK. Title VI of the Act prohibits discrimination of race and ethnicity. This had profound effect on desegregation in the US. LBJ himself enforced this law in the more resistant states. The War on Poverty was the second greatest thing LBJ did for this country. Low-income housing, improved healthcare, and increased availability of welfare was available to those in need. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act, 1965
The ESEA of 1965 gave more than $1 billion in federal funding to education. This gave relief to a culturally deprived society that was lacking in middle class incomes.The Higher Education Act followed. Education had never seen that kind of federal money before. -
A Nation at Risk Report, 1983
This was used by President Ronald Reagan as a call to action for the American people. It sparked the Educational Reform Movement of the 1980's. Some teachers didn't agree that students were not improving, despite evidence that showed students were lagging behind the rest of the world. It inspired top-down action at the atate level and bottom-up action at the local level. -
School Choice Movement: Charter Schools, Vouchers
[school choice movement](http:///www.americanlegislator.org/more-states-join-the-school-choice-movement/)The School Choice Movement strengthened parental choice of the quality of their student's education. Students could be enrolled in whatever school they chose, not just the closest one. Enrollment in private schools forced the public school system to reassess their own goals. They needed to improve their curriculum to compete with these alternative schools. In Harlem, twenty schools were increased to fifty-two schools by using the same building.
