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The Massachusetts Law of 1647
The law of 1647 required that towns with a population of more than 50 families hire a schoolmaster who would teach children how to read and write. While the main goal of this law was to give children the ability to read the bible, it laid the foundation for modern education. With this law, the responsibility of education was placed on the public.
Matzat, A. L. (n.d.). Massachusetts education laws of 1642 and 1647. Retrieved August 20, 2015 from https://www3.nd.edu/~rbarger/www7/masslaws.html -
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The Foundation of the Public School System
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The Establishment of Publicly Supported Libraries
In November of 1698 Jonathan Amory was placed in charge of overseeing and ordering books for what would be the first publicly supported library in Charles Town, South Carolina. Libraries were established to make religious materials available to the masses. School libraries would contain materials that supported the school's curriculum.
Retrieved August 20, 2015 from http://www.libsci.sc.edu/histories/vts/epw01.html
Retrieved August 20, 2015 from http://eduscapes.com/history/modern/1650.htm -
The American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS) came from a group of intellects that met under the direction of Benjamin Franklin. The group was interested in what they called "useful" sciences that would provide ways to improve farm production, animal husbandry, mapmaking, and land surveying. The APS consisted of six committees that focused on these goals which also included medicine, commerce, and architecture.
Retrieved August 20, 2015 from http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/philadelphia/aps.h -
Thomas Jefferson Proposes Two-Track Education System
Thomas Jefferson believed that the education system should have two different tracks, one for those who would enter the laboring profession, and one for those that would enter the academic profession. He also believed that scholarships would help the laboring class advance.
Historical Timeline of Public Education in the US. (2006, April 13). Retrieved August 30, 2015 from https://www.raceforward.org/research/reports/historical-timeline-public-education-us -
First Mandatory Attendance Law Enacted
Originally enacted in Massachusetts, required that students between the ages of eight and fourteen attend school for at least three months each year and that atleast six of those weeks be consecutive. However, this law was not applied to students who had previously learned the material, lived in poverty, or had a disability.
Compulsory Education. Retrieved August 30, 2015 from http://www3.nd.edu/~rbarger/www7/compulso.html -
The Department of Education is Founded
The Department of Education was originally founded to collect information on schools and the way they taught. They would then use the information to establish effective school systems. This foundation of purpose still exists within the organization today.
United States Department of Education. (2012). The Federal Role in Education. Retrieved August 30, 2015 from http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/fed/role.html -
First SAT was Administered
Before the SAT, colleges were giving essay-only entrance exams. The SAT was multiple choice, and therefore provided more equal opportunities for all students to perform adequately. Over 8,000 students took the first SAT.
History of the Test
History of the Test. Retrieved August 30, 2015 from https://sat.collegeboard.org/about-tests/history-of-the-tests -
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act Passed
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act worked to give all students access to education, it set standards for academic performance, and demanded that schools be held accountable. The ESEA worked to help districts serving low-income students by providing them with federal grants.
United States Department of Education. (n. d.). Elementary and secondary education act. Retrieved August 30, 2015 from http://www.ed.gov/esea -
The National Association for Bilingual Education is Established
The National Association for Bilingual Education is a non-profit organization that helps language-minority students get the same opportunitites as all other students. The organization is still active today, as there are more bilingual students entering the school system every day.
National Association for Bilingual Education. (2015). Retrieved August 30, 2015 from http://www.nabe.org/ -
Georgia Offers Universal Preschool
Georgia was the first state to offer a preschool opportunity for any student that wished to enroll. They were able to make this possible by using state lottery revenue to fund the initiative. Research has shown that 90 percent of a child's brain develops in the first five years of life. With statistics like these, preschool has proven to be most important in a young persons education.
Georgia Child Care Association. (n. d.). Georgia pre-k program. Retrieved August 30, 2015 from http://www.
