Important Moments in the History of American Education ( TOP 5: Horace Mann, Brown vs. Board, ESEA, IDEA, & Standards Movement)
By kaitybug654
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First public school
The first public secondary school in Boston, Massachusetts becomes available to all, not just the wealthy. While the focus of schools in the colonial period was to teach religion and values, education was beginning to be seen as beneficial for poor folks as well as the wealthy. http://www.bls.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=206116&type=d -
Thomas Jefferson's impact on Education
Thomas Jefferson believed that citizens could not be ignorant and free at the same time. He was a huge advocate for free public education. It was during his time that schools reformed to focus more on reading, writing, and arithmetic. http://dailysignal.com/2013/04/14/18th-century-advice-thomas-jefferson-on-education-reform/ -
The impact of Horace Mann on American Education
Horace Mann helped create many of the standard physical attributes of American schools that we see today, such as desks and chairs. Horace noticed that many schools were not equal in appearance or what they could offer to the students attending them. His goal was to create nationwide standards as to what public schools should look like and offer. Link text -
Population Growth and Immigration in the 19th century
During this time of immigration, there were many schools of varying languages and a big push for separation of religion and education. -
Impact of WW2 on American Education
With many of the U.S. resources going toward the war, schools received little funding. With many men and youth enlisting in the army, dropout rates increased and women began working. Many women became educators. Link text -
Brown vs. Board of Education
The U.S. Supreme Court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional. African American students began to be integrated into "white" schools. The southern states began to resent the court decision. Link text -
Education during The Civil Rights Movement
Racial tension was high during the Civil Rights Movement and many southern states refused to desegregate. -
Sputnik and NDEA
With the Russians beating the U.S. to space, there was a huge push for schools to focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. -
LBJ and ESEA
Lyndon B. Johnson began to distribute government funds to schools in low-income areas. The act was intended to close the gap in reading, writing, and arithmetic between the poor and the wealthy. This act still has a large impact on public schools today. Link text -
IDEA
The Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act of 1975 made it possible for students with disabilities to attend public schools. While this law provided many benefits for students, it was burdensome to the schools. The government promised much more money to the schools than they ever actually provided. Link text -
A Nation at Risk Report
As a response to Russia beating the U.S. to space, President Reagan released a report issuing the education system to reform. With the threat of war, he also believed that the U.S. needed to become more educated in the sciences in order to survive. Link text -
The Standards Movement
The Standards Movement was created in response to the "A Nation at Risk" Report. It was an effort for the states to come to an agreement as to what students should be taught in each grade. It also clarified what the proficiency standard was, and when students were considered above grade level. Link Text -
Growth of Standardized Testing
Beginning in the 1960's, schools were searching for a way to evaluate schools and instructional methods. Standardized tests were put into place shortly after to test students knowledge of the standards. The idea was that if students were meeting the goals set during the Standards Movement, then the teachers of that class were effective. Link text -
No Child Left Behind
The No Child Left Behind law was put in place to hold schools accountable. If schools did not pass the standardized tests put into place, they were not given federal funding. Link text -
ESSA
The Every Student Succeeds Act is the most recent major education law. Its purpose it to give some of the power back to the states regarding education. States are expected to make their own educational goals and make plans to help schools that are in the bottom 5% for academic performance. Link text
