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First Education Laws: Massachusetts
The First Education Laws were created in 1642 to determine whether parents were teaching their children and what was being taught. The Education Law of 1647 ordered every township of 50 education laws or policies households to provide a teacher to teach reading and writing, and all townships of 100 that are directed at or more households to establish a grammar school. -
Common Schools
Town schools (public) and Dame schools (held at the dame’s house) were the common forms of elementary education. Secondary grammar schools existed for the further education of male children of the well-to-do. -
The Impact of Horace Mann **Very Important**
Horace Mann Bio In 1837, Horace Mann (May 4, 1796 – August 2, 1859) was made the first Secretary of the Board of Education. He rode on horseback to each of the districts to physically inspect each school. He considered education to the be right of every child. Mann was also the first to propose standardizing materials and buildings. His beliefs would propel education into the state that it is in today. -
Sarah Roberts and Segregation
Sarah Roberts tried to enroll in three different schools and was rejected from each because of her skin. Her father sued the city of Boston on her behalf. In 1855 Massachusetts banned segregated schools. -
The Impact of John Dewey **Very Important**
The John Dewey Society John Dewey (October 20, 1859 – June 1, 1952) believed that a child should be treated as a whole organism. Education is the most effective when it considers not only the intellectual but also the social, emotional, and physical needs of the child. This would transform education from just memorizing facts to helping the child become the best human being they could be. Education to this day remains foucs on the whole child. -
Growth of Education After the Civil War
After the war, Congress required all states to provide free education to all children. On the frontier, families were scattered so getting to school was quite challenging. -
The Progressive Reform Movement
Progressive reformers lobbied to ban child labor and make school attendance compulsory. They also called for making the schools, particularly those in the cities, more sanitary, more open to air and sunlight, and more conducive to creative activity. -
Secondary School Movement:
By 1860 there were 300 high schools in the nation. The decision of the Michigan Supreme Court in the Kalamazoo case in 1874 increased secondary education by ruling that the legislature could tax for the support of both elementary and secondary schools. This increased the number of secondary shcools dramatically. -
The Measurement Movement
Lewis Terman developed the intelligence quotient (IQ), a number indicating the level of an individual's mental development. Thorndike and his students at Columbia developed scales for measuring achievement in arithmetic, spelling, reading, language, and other areas. This starts a new kind of testing with the school system. -
The Gary Plan
William A. Wert developed a curriculum that had students moving to different classes during the day. Classes were designed to keep the students interested. Students also helped run the school. 200 American cities would adopt this program. In the Mayoral race of 1917, John Hylan attacked the Gray Plan claiming that it was a ploy to create cheap labor not scholars.. -
Brown vs. Board of Education **Very Important**
Brown vs The Board of Education In Brown vs. Board of Education the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools have no place in public education and generate a feeling of inferiority that affects the child's motivation to learn. This marked the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. Because of this Act, children of all races may gain an education. -
Sputnik and NDEA
The National Defense Education Act (NDEA) was passed 1958 as a response to the Sputnik launch in October of 1957. This is the first time that the federal government attempted to influence the education curriculum by directing significant federal funding to specific curricular areas, particularly mathematics, science, and modern foreign languages, -
The Impact of the Civil Rights Movement
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 further involved the federal government in the activities of the schools. The act authorized the withholding of federal funds from any institution violating the law. It also authorized the U.S. attorney general to take legal action to achieve school desegregation and provided federal financial assistance to school districts attempting to desegregate. -
No Child Left Behind **Very Important**
No Child Left Behind No Child Left Behind (NCLB) required that states develop an assessment of basic skills. In order to receive federal funding, the states had to give these test to all students at specific grade levels. The law placed an emphasis on annual testing and progress reports. It also required that teachers be “highly qualified”. This increased the pressures of standardized testing. -
Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act **Very Important**
IDEAStarted as the Education for All Disabled Children Act in 1975 which saw to the needs of disabled children and created federal mandates to protect these children and their families. In 1986, amendments to the act to authorize early intervention programs for infants and toddlers. In 1990, the act was reauthorized as the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) and also added amendments also allowed federal funding of research. Further amendments increased the rights of the disabled
