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First Free School is Opened
In 1635 Virginia opened up the first free school in the Americas. This was not the first attempt (previous attempts involved schooling Indians on Christianity)– this was a struggle because the rich did not want to pay for taxes going toward a poor child's education. At this time, the Southern states were still providing education to their families via their parents at home. These schools were to be funded by parents in the communities and were referred to as "field schools." -
Old Deluder Satan Act of 1647
Puritans of the time valued education and literacy and pushed that each individual learn to read so that they could understand the Bible. For this reason, the state of Massachusetts passed a law requiring parents to teach their children to read. Later (about 5 years), this bill was expanded to mandate community schooling. Some of the principles established still apply in secondary and elementary schools seen today. -
A Step Toward Female Education
At the time it didn't seem important for women to have an education, but in 1745 an exception was made when colonial leaders opened a seminary for women called The Moravian Seminary for Girls. At this same time, in Pennsylvania, Quaker schools started opening up which allowed women an education. Both seminaries and Quaker schools focus their schooling on religious beliefs. -
An Act to Establish Public Education
In 1796, Thomas Jefferson created this act in order to ensure each child was being taught the same general information. The policy was originally created in the 1780's, but struggled to pass until 1796 because while Jefferson wanted a more public education, Americans were more in favor of continuing with a private education system. This act laid down a foundation of what curriculum would be taught and first introduced the arithmetic we see a lot of in today's schooling. -
Common Schools
Horace Mann was a strong advocate and leader for the common school movement. Commons schools were open to white children and therefore received their funding from local taxes. They were separated by districts and then assigned a leader to work on the school board. This director was elected to supervise the day to day activities that occurred in the schools. In these schools, children were expected to learn about morals via the bible and other religious teachings. -
Roberts V. City of Boston
Roberts versus The City of Boston was a court case establishing the principle of "separate but equal." This case affirmed that schools could be segregated into white public schools and black public schools. This case set the precedent for a later case, Plessy Versus Ferguson. -
The Department of Education
The Department of Education was originally established in order to help states establish effective school systems. The Department of Education is responsible for creating policies, enforcing those policies, and collecting data in order to better assist the education system. The establishment of the Department of Education created a forward pull and had a lasting impact on the education system today. -
John Dewey
Dewey was a educational philosopher who believed that children should be taught practicable skills in school that they could use in the real world. He felt that students had to be invested and engaged in learning in order to truly get the most out of it. His thought process had a major affect on curriculum and started many progressive movements throughout the schools. -
The American Federation of Teachers
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) was one of the first unions created for teachers that pushed for change for educators. Some of the issues that AFT brought to light were teacher pay, teacher benefits, and better teaching conditions. The AFT believed that pushing for change and helping these teachers would improve the quality of education for the students and their community. The AFT continues to be one of the largest labor unions established and is still pushing for improvement. -
National Education Association/Smith-Towner Bill
The bill helped to create the NEA and was responsible for creating another push to further the education system and providing public funding for schools. The bill was also in favor, however, of segregation in schools and was supported by many hate groups. This bill was seen as a push for compulsory education and was later taken down by the Supreme Court in the court case Pierce v. Society of Sisters. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
The ESEA was created by President Johnson and was apart of his idea of the "War on Poverty." This act was in favor of low income students and gave funds to primary and secondary education systems emphasizing high standards and accountability. The act has been amended multiple times and goes through a process to keep it up to date every few years. It's goal was to provide programs and funds to help low income students. -
The Bilingual Education Act, Title VII
This act recognized the disadvantage of non-English speakers and implemented policies to better the education of ELL students. It allocated funding for schools, programs, and more that would help students during transitioning and to give them an equal opportunity for education. It also publicly highlighted some of the issues of the education system faced by ELL students. The act was revised a total of four times before becoming established as it made accommodations to learners over many years. -
Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA)
EHA required that schools receiving federal funding had to allow individuals with both physical and mental disabilities equal access to education. It also required that they evaluate children with disabilities and work with their parents to create a plan for accommodation. The act also states that children with disabilities be offered the maximum amount of time with those who are not disabled to allow for a less restrictive environment. It has been added to and changed over the years as well. -
No Child Left Behind Act
The NCLB was created to make education for equal for the students who were at a disadvantage – students in poverty, minorities, ELL students, and those receiving SPED services. The act came into affect after signed by President Bush. The act held schools accountable for annual testing and creating public records of progress to show improvement. This act was replaced in 2015 by a new act titled, Every Student Succeeds Act, eliminating most of the controversy that the previous act (NCLB) had. -
Common Core Standards Initiative
This initiative was established in 2009 and created the idea of what children should be able to understand and learn by each grade level and age. It expressed expectations for college and career readiness and focused mainly on mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy. After looking at data and not seeing much improvement throughout the history of the US' education, government officials decided it would be best to create these standards to show and create the improvement.
