Literacy in America

By meganschroeder
  • Jan 1, 1440

    Printing Press

    Allowed for rapid spread of information accurately and helped create a wider literate reading public.

  • Harvard College Established

    The first institution of higher education in the English colonies.

  • First Lending Libraries

    Provided reading materials to all people.

  • Braill's Code was created

    A code of dots that represented the alphabet which allowed for people who are blind to read.

  • Webster's Dictionary

    Provided a guide to pronunciation and spelling of words, has expanded over the years.

  • Department of Education

    Created to collect information on schools and teaching that would help states establish effective school systems.

  • Creations of Dewey Decimal System

    System of organizing materials in the library.

  • The Progressive Education Movement

    A belief that children should be involved in schools and they should mimic society.

  • First Digital Computer

    The first large-scale electronic general purpose digital computer, and its development was the birth of large computing systems that dominated the industry for years to come.

  • Brown v. Board of Education

    Ruled the “separate but equal” law was inaccurate and unlawful.

  • Dr. Seuss released "The Cat in the Hat"

    A book depicting natural children’s actions, suitable for 1st grade students with great pictures and appropriate vocabulary.

  • First ACT test administered

    Test for college placements and indicator of academic preparation testing English, math, natural sciences, and social studies.

  • Title 1 of Elementary and Secondary Education Act

    Program which provided funding to schools with a high percentage of students from low-income families

  • Head Start Program

    Program increases vocabulary and oral comprehension and improvement of IQ scores for all cultures and types of students which attend, primarily toddlers and infants as young as newborns.

  • Title IX

    Protects individuals from being discriminated against based on their sex.

  • Children's Literature Association Conference

    focuses on encouraging high standards of criticism, scholarship, research, and teaching in children’s literature.

  • American Language Program

    Program designed for foreign students to be immersed in the home of an American teacher and culture while learning English.

  • No Child Left Behind

    Sets high standards that every student should be able to achieve before moving onto the next grade

  • The Amazon Kindle

    Reading books electronically wherever you want without having to check a book from a library.

  • Race to the Top

    Schools who are leading the way in reform in the classrooms compete for grants to support reform and innovation in the classroom.