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Education in the Colonial Period
Lower classes and minorities were usually not educated. Instead, they usually participated in an apprenticeship. Upper-class children were educated by tutoring, or working one-on-one or in small groups with a teacher. Children who were not rich enough for a tutor, but also not poor would go to dame schools, which were like a day care. Families sent children to the house of a local woman who taught the children the basics, like the ABCs. -
Northwest Land Ordinance
The ordinance established a plan for each town to fund their public schools. Section 16 in each town was reserved for the maintenance of public schools. -
Common Schools Movement (Most Important)
1830-1865
Common schools were free, paid for by tax dollars. They gave all children an equal chance. Horace Mann wanted these schools to be free, but also be of the highest quality, to be safe, clean, and insisted the teachers be well-trained. I think that this movement impacted education forever, because Mann's philosophy that school should be a place for all and should be the responsibility of citizens is still true today.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Common_School_Movement.aspx -
Committee of Ten
A group of educators that recommended the standardization of American high school curriculum. -
Secondary School Movement
1900-1950
The concept of secondary schools was largely accepted. Secondary schools were created very rapidly during this time, -
The Progressive Reform Movement (Most Important)
The Progressive Reform Movement focused on "the whole child." The intention of this movement was to prepare students to be productive members of society. I think that in some ways we have adopted this focus as well, but in some ways we have strayed away. I think that education today still intends to incorporate these principles and give students the 'tools" they need in life.
http://www.uvm.edu/~dewey/articles/proged.html -
Impact of WW2
1939-1945
Many schools were forced to close, which meant that children were no longer attending school. -
Schools Open to Everyone
Schools were open to "everyone." In Topeka, Kansas high schools were integrated, but school activities such as prom were segregated. However, elementary schools were still segregated. -
Brown vs. Board of Education (Most Important)
Brown vs. Board of Education made everyone realize that "separate but equal" were not ever actually equal, but that they should be. It promoted desegregation and changed the ways of education forever. Without this trial, we may have never realized that our idea of "separate but equal" was absolutely incorrect.
http://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/history-brown-v-board-education-re-enactment -
Sputnik and NDEA
1957-1958
This act authorized increased funding in order to improve Science based curriculum. -
Civil Rights Act (Most Important)
The Civil Rights Act banned segregation in all federally funded programs, which included schools. This Act forced our schools to allow and treat all students equally regardless of ethnicity and/or race. If schools refused to do so, they would lose their federal funds. This event impacted education forever, if it weren't for this act we could possibly still have segregation issues in schools today.
https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=97 -
Elementary & Secondary Education Act
This act was passed to maintain head start, provide assistance to local schools with low-income students, & provide more than 1 billion dollars in federal funding to education. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Most Important)
This act proved that students with disabilities should be treated equally and be allowed the chance to learn, grow, and become the best they can be, just as the rest of the students attending school in the United States. Schools should provide highly trained teachers and high quality education programs regardless of disabilities. This act helped us create more inclusive classroom and create better futures for all students.
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/idea35/index.html -
A Nation at Risk Report
This report basically stated that our nation was at risk as far as education, and that we needed to make dramatic changes very quickly. Some of those changes included: higher graduation requirements, increased testing, longer school days and school years, and emphasis on technology, etc. -
No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act was intended to get every student in a specific grade on the same level.
