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Grammar schools
Standard schools only taught basic reading and writing. Secondary grammar schools were the norm for education, they were only avaliable to the wealty and included Greek and Latin in preperation to attend university -
Massachusetts law of 1647
Massachusetts Educaton Act*Very important. Compulsory education is established in the sate of Massachusetts, the state was responsible for ensuring that students were recieving an acceptable education. Townships were required to hire a teacher if they had a population over 50, and establish a grammar school if their population was over 100. This act is still important today because it laid the groundwork for moden public education system with compulsory education and state regulation. -
Noah Webster
Webster*Very Important. Webster was a proponent of public education and thought that patriotism was necessary to make good citizens. He developed a dictonary that indroduced a unique system of spelling in America to differentiate it from Great Britain. The elementary spelling book was widely purchased and used across the US. The spelling introduced in the blue book of spelling is still used in the US today, Webster's ideas about patriotism and morality taught in classes are also still in practice today -
Northwest Land Ordinance
Northwest Ordinance *Very Important. This was the firs time the federal government became involved in education. The importance of education was touted and it became a requirement that the parcel of land closest to the center of town would be set aside for a school. This land could be sold, but all of the proceeds from the land had to be used toward education. This is still important today because it was the gateway for the federal government to become involved in the funding of public education. -
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Horace Mann
Mann*Very important. Horace Mann is considered by many to be the father of American education. He devoted his life to promote the advancement of public education, he was able to gain public support and vastly improve schools. Thanks to his influence, teacher's salaries were raised, new schools were built, and teachers began formal training. This is important because his ideals are still used in modern education, schools could not exist in their current form without Mann's work. -
Compulsory attendance
Schools began to enforce mandatory school attendance. Several months of schooling were required every year for children, Parents could be held responsible if their children did not attend. -
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Immigration
Massive numbers of immigrants, primarily from Europe, flood the United States looking for a better life. Education systems were ill equiped to deal with the number of new pupils and the chalenges that came with various languages, religions, and cultures. Schools had to adapt their textbooks and teaching styles to accomodate these new students. This is still an issue today. Immigrants who have different languages and cultures still have the right to education. -
Sputnik
After the Soviet launch of the artifical satellite Sputnik and several subsequent successes in outerspace, the American populace and government became concerned they were falling behind. The idea of losing the advantage against the USSR ,whether real or percieved, launched the US into a frenzy of school reforms. These reforms focused on improving science and practical skills in American students. -
Brown vs Board of Education
In this US Supreme Court ruling, it was established that seperate was not equal. Desegregation was enacted to ensure that all students, regardless of race, were recieving an equal education. Some schools had to be integrated by force, and others were lured by the promise of additional funding. -
ESEA
The Elementary Secondary Education Act was an attempt to improve America's schools. It was spearheaded by President Kennedy to properly fund schools and bring standards up. The federal government doubled it's spending on education, but even this did not have enough power to improve schools in the most impoverished areas. -
IDEA
IDEA*Very important The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was a very important because of the impact it had on children with dissabilities. This act mandated that everyone was entitled to a free and appropraite education. Schools had to be modified for accessability and special classes made for those with mental disabilities. -
No Child Left Behind
The No Child Left Behind Act was an attempt to improve standards in all public schools in the US. Standardized testing would be utilized to gauge the knowlege of students in schools to determine if they were being run effectively. Funding could be distributed or withheld based on the outcome of these tests.
