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Most Important: Noah Webster
Noah Webster History.It's been said that Noah Webster had the greatest influence on education in the new republic. He was a memeber of the Massachusetts legislature, and he worked for the esablishment of a state system of education. He wrote the "Elementary Spelling Book" that was published in 1783. In this book he focused on making American English distinct. It's because of Weber and his "Blue-Backed Speller" that we have our own distinct language, and it influences how we teach it. -
Catherine Beecher
Catherine Beecher founded the Hartford Female Seminary in Connecticut (1828), and the Western Institute for Women in Cincinnati (1832). She believed that women made the best teachers, and therefore educated women to become teachers. -
Most Important: Horace Mann
PBS Horace MannHorace Mann is known as the "Father of American Education." He was elected to Massachusetts legislature in 1827. He campaigned to organize the schools in Massachussets into a state system, and to establish a state board of education. He gave up his political career to be the first seretary and chief of state school officer. He would write annual reports where he would make recommendations for educational improvements. It is through the continual evaluation that we strive to improve education. -
Most Important: Friedrich Froebel
Friedrich FroebelHe was a member of the 19th century's "famous pedagogical triumvirate." He established the first kindergarten. He developed highly stylized educational materials that were mass produced and used throughout the world. He liked spontaneous activities involving movement. He acknowledged the importance of learning in early childhood. -
Immigration
The United States had massive population growth during the nineteenth centruy due to immigration. The public schools that had been specifically shped for Protestant children now needed to also accommodate Catholic and Jewish immigrants. There were many issues because the children were being indocturinated with negative thoughts on their religions and cultural backgrounds. Bishop Hughes demanded funds for Catholic schools because of this, but met great resistance. -
The Bible Riots
There were riots over the fact that the Bible was being taught in schools. This was so controvercial because of all of the different teachings from different denominations. The Irish Catholics were upset because they were very negatively portrayed in the teachings. Catholic schools began to show up after the riots. There were religious lessons taught in the Catholic schools. -
Secondary School Movement and Compulsory Attendance
The Compulsory Attendance Act of 1852 was the first law to require the attendance of students. It was enacted by the state of Massachusetts. By 1918 every state required students to complete elementary school, and many required schooling into the secondary school years. This act kept children in school, as opposed to entering the workforce. -
Most Important: Committee of Ten
In 1892 The Committee of Ten was established by the National Education Association. It recommended an early introduction to the basic subjects and uniform subject matter and instruction for both college-bound and terminal students. They believed that vocational training should come after high school. It was mostly composed of educators. This inspires us to teach students to the best of their ability because of this. -
Most Important: John Dewey
PBS John DeweyJohn Dewey was an American philospher, psychologist, and educational reformer. He helped establish progressive education as a theory for education. He believed schools should incoorporate interaction and create environments for learning because children needed to be invested in their learning. He believed in educating all people. -
The Gary Plan
Gary, Indiana had very lofty ambitions, and this was shown in their opening of the first 'Progressive Education' school. They wanted the curriculum to keep students in motion, so the students would go from class to class, and offered many innovative classes such as animal husbandry. It was thought of as work/study/play learning. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
In this historic case the Supreme Court ruled that there is no place for segragation in public schools. However, it was met with massive national resistance. This was the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. It would lead to advancing the rights of women, racial/ethnic groups, the aged, and the disabled. -
Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights Act is what dramatically increased the rate of desegragation. It did this by withholding funds from schools that violated the law, and providing federal financial assistance to school districts attempting to desegragate. It also prohibited the discrimination of people based on race in all publicly funded programs. -
Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA)
IDEA ensures that children with disabilities are educated to the best of their ability, and that they have individualized education plans written so their education can fit their needs. Because of this Act children with disabilities are now educated in local schools along with their non-disabled peers. Not only is there a marked improvement in the disabled students, but the non-disabled students show increased levels of empathy. -
Most Important: 'A Nation at Risk'
ASCD A Nation at Risk"A Nation at Risk" was a report given by President Reagan that is a landmark in American educational history. It stated that American education was severly lacking, and that lack put the nation at risk. When compared to other nations it showed America as falling behind. This claim was used to state that we had fallen behind because of our low standards. "A Nation at Risk" was what lead to the major reforms of the 20th century. -
Most Important: No Child Left Behind
Great Schools: No Child Left BehindNCLB has the goal to reform education by standards-based education. It is the belief that setting high standards and establishing measurable goals can improve the individual outcomes. There are both positive and negative aspects. For example, it's positive to have standards of what children should be learning. However, a negative aspect is providing sufficient funding for NCLB.
