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First Grammar School
The first Latin Grammar School is established. Latin Grammar Schools are designed for sons of certain social classes who are destined for leadership positions in the church, state, or the courts.
This was a big deal when opened giving only men at this time the opportunity to get a better education. -
Harvard College
Harvard College, the first higher education institution is established in Newtowne (now Cambridge), Massachusetts. -
The Massachusetts Law of 1647
A law passed in Massachusetts required towns with fifty or more families to hire a teacher to them to read and write, and towns with a hundred or more families to build a grammar school to prepare them for higher education.
This was important because towns that were not as big had problems with being able to attend school. Along with the idea that those who wanted a higher education would not be able to get it solely because they did not have enough people in their town. -
Christian Wolff
She described the human mind as consisting of powers. This doctrine holds that the mind can best be developed through "mental discipline" or tedious drill and repetition of basic skills and the eventual study of abstract subjects such as classical philosophy, literature, and languages.
This viewpoint greatly influenced American education because it is still used in life today. She learned so early on that people can learn by using repetition. -
An Act to Establish Public Education
The bill developed the guidelines for public education, which James Madison revised and became the advocate for the bill’s creation. Initially, education was for the affluent, which was a small select group. Thomas Jefferson and Madison saw and wanted to ensure that the financially disadvantaged population would be able to receive an education in a public format. This was presented in 1778/779 and was revised and submitted later. -
Thomas Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc
The Connecticut Asylum at Hartford for the Instruction of Deaf and those with learning disabilities opens. It is the first permanent school for the deaf in the U.S. Thomas Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc are co-founders of this institution. This changed the world of education allowing those who have learning deficiencies. -
Horace Mann
Horace Mann was Secretary of the newly formed Massachusetts State Board of Education. A visionary educator and proponent of public (or "free") schools, Mann worked for increased funding of public schools and better training for teachers. He was a big advocate for the teachers. He believed that because of free education it could help produce better citizens. Furthermore, he argued that this education should be provided through tax funds and by trained and professional teachers. -
Margaret Bancroft/ Special Education
Bancroft was a pioneer of special education in American society. She believed that there were fundamental differences between children who suffer from developmental abnormalities and those who do not. So they realized that children with developmental delay problems need a different approach to education. This was important to allow those students to get the proper education they need. -
Department of Education
The department of education was created and originally was to help the states set up school systems by gathering information about teaching, schools, and teachers. This was to make sure schools have an effective system in place. -
Mandatory Attendence
The Carnegie Foundation was founded in 1905. It is charted by an act of Congress in 1906, the same year the Foundation encouraged the adoption of a standard system for equating "seat time" (the amount of time spent in a class) to high school credits. Still in use today, this system came to be called the "Carnegie Unit."
Eventually, this leads to mandatory school attendance laws are placed in every state. -
Lunch Reform
Recognized the need for a permanent legislative basis for a school lunch program, the 79th Congress approves the National School Lunch Act. This is still in place at many schools, making sure students are getting lunch even if they can not afford it. -
Brown v. Board of Education
the U.S. Supreme Court announces its decision in the case of Brown v. Board. of Education of Topeka, ruling that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal, thus overturning its previous ruling in the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson.
This allowed people of color can attend school anywhere and with anyone. Segregation in schools was eliminated. -
The Bilingual Education Act
Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; Establishes a federal policy for bilingual education for economically disadvantaged language minority students, administered funds for innovative programs and recognizes the unique educational disadvantages faced by non-English speaking students. -
No Child Left Behind Act
This replaced the Bilingual Education Act of 1968, mandates high-stakes student testing, holds schools accountable for student achievement levels and provides penalties for schools that do not make adequate yearly progress toward meeting the goals of NCLB.
This was a very controversial bill when passed because it penalized schools that didn't show improvement. -
Transgender Bathrooms
The federal government tells school districts "to allow transgender students to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity." Though the directive, that meaning it is not a law, districts that do not comply could face lawsuits or lose federal aid.
This was a big deal, allowing those who identify with a different gender use the bathroom of what they identify as. This was a big controversy and honestly changed the lives of many young adults, trying to find themselves. -
Work Cited 1
Jennings, T. (2010, October 29). 20 Influential Figures in Education. Retrieved December 12, 2019, from http://degreecentral.com/blog/2010/10/29/20-influential-figures-in-education/. Sass, E. (2019, November 5). American Educational History
Timeline. Retrieved December 12, 2019, from http://www.eds-resources.com/educationhistorytimeline.html. -
Work Cited 2
Lopez, R. (2015, December 1). A Chronology of Federal Law and Policy Impacting Language Minority Students. Retrieved December 12, 2019, from https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/chronology-federal-law-and-policy-impacting-language-minority-students.
