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World War I-Standardized Testing
In 1917, Army psychologists developed standardized testing in response to the military’s need to classify recruits based on their intelligence levels. This standardized testing paved the way for the standardized testing we still see today. Today, standardized tests are used to evaluate students’ academic understanding and placement. -
Brown v. Board of Education
In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that “separate but equal” was “inherently unequal,” and so segregation had no place in education. This was an incredible landmark achievement in education. Although integration did not happen without much resistance, it had a tremendous positive impact on students’ education and morality. -
A Nation at Risk
In 1983, President Ronald Reagan issued a report of the National Commission on Excellence in Education, which criticized public school performance in the United States compared to other industrialized nations. A Nation at Risk inspired policies to increase public school accountability for student success and put education into top priority for the nation. -
No Child Left Behind Act
In 2002, George W. Bush reauthorized the ESEA as the No Child Left Behind Act. The NCLB was a system developed to hold public schools accountable for all students’ success, especially looking at economically disadvantaged, minority groups, English language learners, and students with disabilities. The National Assessment of Educational Progress was a common metric for measuring states progress after NCLB. States with the most progress were those who implemented the highest standards for NCLB. -
Race to the Top
Race to the Top is a 4.35 billion dollar competitive grant program supported by Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This provided monumental educational reforms as states compete for federal grants. Results from this program include improved student achievement, narrowed achievement gaps, and increased graduation and college enrollment rates.
