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Boston Latin School
The first Latin Grammar School (Boston Latin School) was established in 1635. The school was designed for young boys that were projected to hold leadership positions in the church, state, or courts. -
Harvard College Established
Harvard College was the first higher education institution to be founded in the United States. It was founded by the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in Newtowne, (now Cambridge), Massachusetts. -
First "English Academy"
Benjamin Franklin helped to establish the first "English Academy" in the United States with a curriculum that, included courses like history, geography, navigation, surveying, and modern as well as classical languages. Later, this academy became the University of Pennsylvania. -
Young Ladies Academy Opened
The Young Ladies Academy opened in Philadelphia in 1787, and was the first school for girls in the United States. -
First Public High School Opens
Boston English was opened in 1820. It was the first public high school in the United States. -
First Superintendent
In 1837, Louisville, Kentucky became the first place to appoint a school superintendent. -
First Blackboard
Although personal slates had been used before, as we know it, the first classroom chalkboard was introduced in 1841. -
First Compulsory Education Law
Massachusetts passed the first compulsory education law in the United States. It stated that all students must complete elementary school. -
Dewey Decimal System Patented
The Dewey Decimal System, developed by Melvil Dewey in 1873, was published and patented. The Dewey Decimal System is still the most widely-used library identification system in the world. -
Stanford University was Founded
Stanford was founded in 1885 by California senator Leland Stanford and his wife, Jane. It was one of the first universities founded in the western United States. -
Pencils and Paper
Around the year 1900, paper and pencil started to replace the standard school slate. They increased in popularity and are still widely used today. -
Last Compulsory Education Law in the US
Mississippi was the last US state to pass a compulsory education law in 1917. -
Radio
Radios became very popular during the 1920s, and they began to appear in classrooms around 1923. They were incorporated into penmanship, accounting, history, and arithmetic lessons. -
Film Projector
The film projector provided a new way for students to receive information. They were able to use film to view things in a more real format than a chalkboard drawing. -
First SAT
The first instance of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, more commonly known as the SAT, was administered on June 23rd, 1926. -
Overhead Projector
The overhead projector was first invented around 1930, although it was not widely used in classrooms until the 1970s and 80s. It was met with some concerns, as all new technology is, but it changed the way teachers are able to present information to their students. -
Television
In 1939, the first-ever television was seen in a classroom in Los Angeles, California. Televisions were a staple of many classrooms until the rapid increase in online materials in recent years. -
Ballpoint Pen
The ballpoint pen became popular in schools around the year 1940, even though it was invented in 1888. It is now one of the most common writing instruments used in school. -
Educational Testing Service is Formed
The Educational Testing Service was formed. It merged the College Entrance Examination Board, the Cooperative Test Service, the Graduate Records Office, the National Committee on Teachers Examinations and others. It was funded by many grants by both the Rockefeller and Carnegie foundations. -
Headphones
Around 1950, headphones began to gain popularity in schools' language labs. -
Videotapes
Videotapes were first introduced to the classroom in 1951. They provided a new method of instruction that had never been possible before. -
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
The Supreme Court unanimously agreed that segregated schools are "inherently unequal" and must be abolished. -
Introduction of AP Science Classes
In 1956, the College Board began to introduce college-level science classes for high school students. These first classes were AP Chemistry; AP Biology; and AP Physics B/C, which became AP Physics B and AP Physics C in 1969. -
National Defense Education Act
Congress passed the National Defense Education Act as a response to the Soviet Union launching the first satellite, Sputnik I. The act provided $887 million for science education. -
Photocopier
The introduction of the photocopier meant that teachers could provide more class materials than ever in a shorter amount of time. -
Science Training Institutes for Elementary Educators
The National Science Foundation funded its first summer training institutes for elementary teachers. -
Liquid Paper
Liquid paper began to be used in schools around 1960. It was a way to correct mistakes made with ink, which was not previously possible. -
Handheld Calculator
Texas Instruments developed the handheld calculator in 1967. The use of the handheld calculator in the classroom meant that students were able to complete basic equations faster and move on to more advanced concepts. -
Epperson v. Arkansas
The Supreme Court ruled that preventing schools from teaching the theory of evolution was unconstitutional, which struck down a law in the state of Arkansas. -
Scantrons
The Scantron machine was introduced in 1972 as a way for teachers to automatically grade multiple-choice tests. It saved teachers time and allowed them to focus on lesson plans instead of grading. -
A Nation at Risk
A Nation at Risk was a report put out by the Reagan Administration that described how the American school system was failing to educate students. -
Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching
In 1983, President Reagan created the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. The plan was to give out $10,000 prizes to the nation's top 100 math and science teachers each year. -
Students Allowed to Opt Out of Dissection
In 1985, Florida passed a law that allowed students to opt-out of dissecting animals. Ever since, fourteen states have passed similar laws, policies, or resolutions. This had led to an increase in the popularity of virtual dissection technology. -
Science Education for Public Understanding Program
The Science Education for Public Understanding Program, based at the University of California-Berkeley, started developing more hands-on curricula that focused on issues like food safety and water pollution. The program tried to make science more engaging for students. -
Laptops Introduced to Schools
Portable laptop computers were introduced around 1988. They would later become a widespread teaching tool. Most teachers work from their laptops, and some schools provide students with their own laptops to do online work. -
SMART Boards
SMART Boards were first invented in 1991. They were the world's first interactive whiteboard, and they provided a new, more interactive way for students to learn lessons. -
National Science Education Standards
The National Research Council created the National Science Education Standards in 1996. They set goals for student knowledge and assessment, as well as teaching. -
AP Environmental Science
In 1998, the College Board introduced AP Environmental Science. It focuses on environmental problems that students might encounter throughout their lives. -
No Child Left Behind Act
In 2001, President George W. Bush passed the No Child Left Behind Act that allowed the federal government play a role in education. -
Rising Above the Gathering Storm
The report "Rising Above the Gathering Storm" argued that it was necessary to strengthen science and math education in the United States in the 21st century. -
Sources
Compulsory Education Laws: Background. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2019, from https://education.findlaw.com/education options/compulsory-education-laws-background.html. Educatorstechnology. (2014, March 19). A Wonderful Visual Timeline of The History of Classroom Technology. Retrieved October 21, 2019, from https://www.educatorstechnology.com/2014/03/a-wonderful-visual-timeline-of-history.html. -
Sources (Part 2)
Haran, M. (2015, May 29). A History of Education Technology. Retrieved October 21, 2019, from http://institute-of-progressive-education-and-learning.org/a-history-of-education-technology/. Historical Timeline of Public Education in the US. (2006, April 13). Retrieved October 21, 2019, from https://www.raceforward.org/research/reports/historical-timeline-public-education-us. -
Sources (Part 3)
Kolodner, M., Marcus, J., & Parks, C. (2018, December 30). Timeline: Important dates in U.S. science education history. Retrieved October 21, 2019, from https://hechingerreport.org/timeline-important-dates-in-u-s-science-education-history/. Ryan, K., Cooper, J. M., & Bolick, C. M. (2016). Those Who Can, Teach (14th ed.). Australia: Cengage Learning. -
Sources (Part 4)
The Evolution of Technology in the Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2019, from https://online.purdue.edu/blog/evolution-technology-classroom. Timeline of Educational Technology in Schools Infographic - e-Learning Infographics. (2019, March 22). Retrieved October 21, 2019, from https://elearninginfographics.com/timeline-of-educational-technology-in-schools-infographic/.
