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Boston Latin Grammar School founded
BLS was the first-ever public school in America. It's located in Massachusetts. -
Harvard University founded
Harvard was the first American college. It is now of 8 Ivy League universities in the Northeast. The motto is Veritas, which is Latin for "truth". -
Old Deluder Satan Law passed
The exact date is unknown, but the year is correct. This law mandated that towns of fifty families of 50+households must have a teacher for reading and writing, and Latin Grammar Schools must be established in towns of over 100. This law was also known as the The Massachusetts Law of 1647. -
The New England Primer is published.
Once published, the New England Primer began its reign as the most-used textbook in school. It was #1 throughout the 1700s. -
Proposals Relating to the Youth of Pennsylvania
Benjamin Franklin writes "Proposals Relating to the Youth of Pennsylvania" in 1749, proposing Latin Grammar Schools be replaced by academies, concentrating more on applicable skills than languages like Greek and Latin. -
Franklin Academy is established
Franklin Academy didn't concentrate on religion as much as other schools. The courses were practical and both genders were accepted. The Franklin Academy is now the University of Pennsylvania -
American Spelling Book by Webster
Noah Webster publishes this book, which will dominate in schools. It is also revised and publsihed under the name "Blue-Back Speller". -
Land Ordinance Act of 1785
Under this Act, by law, land is to be reserved for public schools. -
English Classical School for boys founded
This was the first public high school ever opened in the U.S., and is now called The English High School of Boston. -
Horace Mann is made secretary of the Board of Education in Massachusetts
Since he is "father of the public school", this was a major stepping stone. These used to be known as "common schools". -
First kindergarten
This kindergarten was a German-language program. -
Morrill Land Grant College Act
This Act allowed a certain amount of land to be granted to each state, from the government, for colleges. -
Kalamazoo, Michigan case
This case made it legal to support schools with taxes. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
In this Supreme Court case, "seperate but equal" schools were approved. This meant racial segrregation, and the schools really were not equal at all. -
Progrssive Education takes hold
Progressive programs begin. These emphasize real-world need and practicality, and are part of the progressivist movement. -
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation would be outlawed. Most children remained segregated, even within their new mixed schools (i.e., 2nd -generation segregation). -
Sputnik is launched into orbit.
The Soviet shuttle made Yuri Gagarin the first man in space. To compete with other countries for such acheivements, more federal funding was allocated for education. -
NDEA Act
The National Defense Education Act allowed more money for science, math, and foreign language studies. -
EAHCA is founded.
The Education Act for All Handicapped Children (now IDEA, Individuals with Disabilties Education Act) is passed. This allows for fair treatment and inclusion. -
No Child Left Behind Act is passed.
This Act requires testing to make sure all children are learning a reasonable amount of material.
