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Massachusetts Act of 1642
While this act did not mandate education, it required that education become the responsibility of the state. Up to this point, education was reserved for individual teaching if the family was wealthy enough to afford it. However, with this act, the church and state took responsibility of education, as it is today. This act was also a forerunner to the act that did mandate education. -
Massachusetts Act of 1647 (Old Deluder)
This act officially mandated education in the state of Massachusetts. Towns with a certain amount of families were required to have a formal school and required to have every child who could not read and write attend school. Interestingly enough, this act was created primarily out of fear of the devil. Their philosophy was that Satan could not control people who were literate, therefore the citizens needed to be educated. People who refused to comply were fined. -
Thomas Jefferson
While Jefferson is primarily known for writing the Declaration of Independence, he was also very influential in educational philosophy. He proposed that a society's freedom was linked to its quality public education. In 1779 he proposed the Bill for More General Diffusion of Knowledge. This was a very progressive bill that included free schooling for everyone, especially poor students. Although this Bill was not passed, it planted the seed for further laws in favor of all-inclusive education. -
Land Ordinance of 1785
Even though this ordinance was primarily geared towards homesteaders moving west, the importance of the Ordinance in public education is that it required a certain amount of land to be set aside for public education and required these schools to be maintained properly. Again, this law is another step towards keeping education a priority and keeping it in the hands of the state. -
Horace Mann
Horace Mann was very influential in the formation of the contemporary school. He created more concrete grade levels within the school, improved the quality of education, and proposed higher education for teachers so they would be better prepared to teach. His philosophy was that education would be what he considered the "great equalizer," meaning that with education, societal problems like poverty and crime rates would decrease and society would be more "equalized." -
Reverend W. H. McGuffey
McGuffey created one of the most popular learning textbooks of his time. His schoolbooks, titled "McGuffey's Readers," became the primary tool children in the 1800's used for learning to read and write. These readers were the highest quality of learning material created up to that point. Today we still use textbooks and reading materials as a form of learning. -
John Dewey
John Dewey also advanced education philosophy. Not only did he form a laboratory school, but he wrote numerous philosophical books on effective teaching. One of his primary philosophies was that in order for effective teaching, teachers have to start by teaching in a way that a small child would understand, and slowly progress to more complicated concepts. He also wanted to gear education towards a children's interests so that they would be more engaged in learning. -
Brown v. Board of Education
This was a Supreme Court Case that rejected the idea of segregated schools. This case stated that schools could not discriminate based on race, color, or ethnicity. This completely changed the education world, because tension was still high after the Civil War, and for the world at that time, they had to put aside many differences to be able to allow everyone to have the same education. -
National Defense of Education Act
This was passed by President Eisenhower to promote education in science, mathematics, and technology in the age where America was competing to be the best in the nation. Because of this act, educators put stress on math and science, which have now resulted in some of the highest paying jobs due to the importance of innovation in today's world. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
This act was passed by President Johnson that provided more government funding to public schools. This act also stressed providing education to children in poorer areas. It was designed to "close the achievement gap" meaning that every child could have the opportunity for an education. -
Education for all Handicapped Children
This act allowed handicapped children the same educational opportunities as children without disabilities. This was very important because it continues closing the achievement gap to provide as many children as possible with the ability to have an education. In 1990 it was renamed IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Act) and was amended to include a wider range of possible children disabilities. -
No Child Left Behind Act
This act, authorized by President Bush, amended the ESEA and mandated testing in reading and math for all students and required a certain proficiency before they could move on to another grade. This was taken away in 2015 when President Obama issued the ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act). This provided more government funding and created more flexibility in how a student reaches achievement. The primary target for funding geared to lower-income schools and lower-income families. -
Common Core State Standards Initiative
While these are not mandated in every state, these initiatives completely changed the standards for the states that adopted them. They raised the expectations on how many requirements children had to pass to be college and career ready. Only five states have not implemented this, but the schools that have had to completely change the education requirements. Overall, this act provided a much more rigorous education.
