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Education in the Colonial Period
Back when the United States was still forming, only the rich and privileged colonists were educated. The poor and working class were uneducated and had no potential to ever be educated. -
Noah Webster and the Textbook
Noah Webster published the first reader, speller and grammar book and it was being used to teach students how to read. This lead him to create the first dictionary.
This is the first MOST IMPORTANT event because textbooks are still being used today. These textbooks improved and morphed into teaching more than spelling, grammar and reading books. We now use textbooks in every subject, and dictionaries are still important in schools, too.
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Common Schools and Horace Mann
Horace Mann was the first Secretary of Education and prompted the Common School. In this school setting, students were taught to read, write, arithmetic, history, geography and math. -
Progressive Reform Movement in Education
This movement changed education in a variety of ways. Previously, it was thought that if a child could recite what the teacher said, the student had learned. However, this movement said a child is learning when they are doing hands-on projects and work. -
The Committee of Ten
This committee formed the American high school curriculum. This committee was made up of educators, including: Charles William Eliot, William T. Harris, and James B. Angell. -
John Dewey and Social Reform
John Dewey believed that students should be able to interact with their education and be in charge of their own learning. He believed that schools were a place where students could learn how to live and to gain knowledge. -
The Gary Plan
This plan was initiated by William Wirt who was a superintendent of a Gary, Indiana school district. In his plan, he implemented a work-study-play education that engaged students in their learning, and prepared them for life outside of school and in the community. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
This Supreme Court Case decision said that segregated schools were unconstitutional. This decision overturned Plessy vs. Ferguson of 1896, which allowed separate but equal schools, which created segregation. This was a MOST IMPORTANT landmark because it opened the doors to create equal standards and rights for all students.
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NDEA
Thanks to Russia's Sputnik and the start of the Space Race, President Eisenhower pushed for schools to raise science and math curriculum to be able to compete with Russia and win the Space Race. -
War on Poverty
During the Presidential State of the Union address, President Johnson addressed the growing rate of poverty in the United States. This lead for Congress to act and pass laws to help reduce this problem. This was one of the foundation stones to reaching a free and accessible education for all students. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law this act that was to improve education opportunities to all American children. This act opened the way for financial aid, library resources, and educational resources and training. -
IDEA
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was signed into law in 1975, and it guarantees individuals with disabilities to have a free education that is tailored to their needs. This is one of the MOST IMPORTANT landmark acts because it provided students with what they needed to succeed, no matter where they started or what they were challenged with.
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The Standards Movement
This movement originated from the Education Reform that started back in the 1980's. This was a move to incorporate standard-based learning into our schools as a way to make sure all students were learning the same thing,s at the same level, at all times. -
NCLB
The No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush as an attempt to close the gap between poor students in education, and rich students in education. This is one of the MOST IMPORTANT landmarks in education because this is something that students and teachers are still effected by today. This enforced the need for standardized testing, and started the debate over if teachers' salaries should be determined based on test scores. -
ESSA
The Every Student Succeeds Act was signed into law by President Obama as an attempt to modify the NCLB Act. This is another MOST IMPORTANT landmark, because this is the newest law that has been signed regarding education. This law limits the federal government's involvement in elementary and secondary education, but kept the standardized testing aspect of NCLB.
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I Start Teaching
I graduate in May 2017, and will go into the teaching field the following fall. I plan to change the world of education by promoting that All Student Lives Matter, and ending all forms of bullying. This may take my entire teaching career, but I will not retire until I have made student lives better, and decreased the student-suicide rates in American Schools. This is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing that will ever happen in education!!
