Ashley Huston

Prof. Christensen
EDU 202-1001
28 February 2019
U.S. Education Timeline
1600s: The Colonial Period
 Schools revolved around providing a religious education. They were locally controlled
and supported by taxes.
 Dame Schools – reading, writing, and math were taught in homes by well-respected
women (or ‘dames’)
 Apprenticeship programs – boys were sent to learn a trade from a ‘master’ while girls
learned skills relevant to homemaking from their mothers
 Latin Grammar Schools – established by the Puritans, these acted as a sort of ‘prep’
school for boys from wealthy families. These schools were similar in style to those in
Europe and charged a tuition. They prepared wealthy men for college.
 1636 – Harvard University is established by the Puritans as the first college in America. It
is designed to train ministers.
 Massachusetts Law of 1647 (Old Deluder Satan Law) – required towns of at least 50
households have a teacher for reading and writing, and towns of at least 100 households
have a Latin (grammar) school.
 Hornbook – used an alphabet sheet covered by transparent tracing paper. These were
hung on a paddle around a student’s neck.
1700s
 Thomas Jefferson proposes education should be widely available to white children, no
matter their economic or social status. There was a large growth in secondary education
during this time.
 1749 – Thomas Jefferson wrote Proposals Relating to the Youth of Pennsylvania. He
suggests the secondary school ‘academy’ replace the traditional Latin grammar school.
 1751 – Franklin Academy is established. The school was nonreligious and taught more
practical subjects like math, astronomy, athletics, and bookkeeping. The academy
allowed students to choose some of their classes, which led to modern day electives. The
school also accepted both boys and girls – so long as they could pay the tuition.
 1785 and 1787 – The Land Ordinance Act and Northwest Ordinance are passed. These
require a section of land be set aside in new territories for educational purposes. This
furthered the development of public schools available to more people.
 English Grammar Schools – While still private schools, these differed from Latin
grammar schools in that they focused on practical studies and emphasized careers rather
than college.
  Itinerant schools – Because rural areas could not afford to support a school, itinerant
teachers would travel between small towns and teach in exchange for a small fee and
room and board.
 New England Primer – published in 1690, this was the first real textbook used in
American schools. It contained 50 to 100 pages of alphabet, words, and verses. It
reflected the religious style of colonial schools.
1800s
 While there were more opportunities for education for women and minorities, these were
almost always segregated.
 Common School movement – advocated for by Horace Mann, encouraged the
establishment of public elementary schools.
 1821 – The first free secondary (high) school is established in Boston, Massachusetts to
bridge the gap between elementary school and college. English Classical School enrolled
all boys, but over half dropped out soon after opening.
 1824 – Bureau of Indian Affairs is established and begins moving Native Americans to
reservations. By placing mostly white men in positions over education – like
superintendent, teachers, missionaries, etc. – Native Americans are pushed to abandon
their culture/language and assimilate to a European style.
 1837 – Horace Mann became the secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of
Education, which he had helped create. Mann made an effort to reform schools, which he
believed should be equally accessible and helpful to all.
 1852 – A free secondary school for girls is established, thirty years after ‘Boy’s High
School.’
 1874 – Kalamazoo, Michigan case where the courts decided taxes can be used to support
secondary schools
 1862 and 1890 – Morrill Land Grant College Acts establish 69 higher education
institutions on public land.
 1892 – The National Education Association established the Committee of Ten. This
committee developed a national policy for high schools. They helped to standardize high
schools across the country using Carnegie Units.
 1896 – Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court case resulted in the landmark decision that
legally sanctioned segregation, “separate but equal.” Because schools were not truly
equal, this resulted in continued lack of education for African Americans.
 As the U.S. transitioned to a more industrial, urbanized society, more families begin to
see a secondary school as important to gaining better employment. Public high schools
took on this role and continue today.
 Normal schools – schools established to prepare teachers in “pedagogy.” These schools
opposed corporal punishment and encouraged positive reinforcement. The first private
normal school opened in Vermont in 1823 and the first public normal school opened in
Lexington in 1839.
  American Spelling Book – written by Noah Webster, this elementary textbook contained
the alphabet, syllables, consonants, readings, and stories. A majority of this book was
comprised of lists of words, not unlike Webster’s more famous work the American
Dictionary.
 McGuffey Readers – used between 1836 and 1920, these readers were influential in that
they were geared towards different grade levels. They emphasized work ethic, patriotism,
heroism, and morality.
1900-1950
 1917 – Smith Hughes Act provided money for training teachers and programs about
vocational development.
 1918 – The NEA created another committee that reported the Cardinal Principles of
Secondary Education. This time, they emphasized aspects of improving every citizen’s
life rather than only preparing for college.
 1930s- The Great Depression garners heightened federal involvement in education. The
federal government began to fund the building of more schools, providing free lunch for
poor students, and creating work-study programs to help support high school and college
students. Because the Great Depression created such feelings of despair, states were
welcoming to more federal involvement.
 1944 – Servicemen’s Readjustment Act paid for a veterans tuition and living expenses.
To a community that had just experienced financial devastation, this created a very
attractive reason to join the military.
 Progressivism broadens school’s curriculum scopes to include health, family, community,
and vocation. It also encouraged the application of psychology and social sciences
research. It pushed for a more student-centric focus that followed their interests.
1950-1999
 McCarthyism began to critique progressive schools for their exploration of nontraditional
topics. Many viewed this as atheist and un-American.
 1954 – Brown v. Board of Education Topeka, Kansas reversed the 1896 ruling of
‘separate but equal.” This stated that schools must desegregate, but most school districts
remained separate until the Civil Rights Act.
 1957 – The launch of Sputnik pushed American schools to focus on math and science in
hopes of reaching the moon before Russia.
 1958 – Congress passed the National Defense Education Act, which supported the
improvement of instruction and curriculum, funded teacher training, and even provided
loans to students with major thought to be important to national defense.
 1964 – The Civil Rights Act allowed the federal government to force desegregation of
school districts by withholding funding or pursuing lawsuits.
 1964-1965 – Project Head Start provided medical, social, nutritional, and educational
services to children aged 3-6 from low income families.
  1968 – The Bilingual Education Act authorized funds for providing an appropriate
education to non-English speakers, primarily Spanish speaking students.
 1972 – Title IX of the Education Amendments prohibited discrimination based on sex.
While most commonly thought of in relation to sports, this is also the same amendment
that protects victims of harassment and sexual assault.
 1975/1991/1997 – Individuals with Disabilities Act allocated funds to schools so that
they could provide free and appropriate education to children aged 3 to 21 with
disabilities.
 1979 – The Department of Education is added federally and added to the cabinet. This
shows a clear involvement of the federal government in mostly state run education
programs.
2000s
 There has been an increased focus on testing, standards, and accountability of teachers in
their students scoring.
 2001 – No Child Left Behind Act revised the ESEA and called for more standardized
testing. This caused a larger focus to be put on teaching to the test rather than mastery of
the subject material.
 Charter Schools – Although started in 1991, these have become much more popular in
the 21st century. Charter schools are able to operate outside of many rules that public
schools have to follow.