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History of American Education
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Education in the Colonial Period (First Education Laws)
MOST IMPORTANT
This time in educational history is significant because the Massachusetts Law of 1642 ordered the selectmen of each town to ascertain whether parents and master (of apprentices) were, in fact, providing for the education of their children. The selectmen were also to determine what the child was being taught. This was the beginning of education in the U.S. and is still impacting us today.
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The Impact of Jefferson, Rush, & Webster
Jefferson: Made a system of public schools that would allow everyone to have a basic education.
Rush: He wanted to make a system of schools in Pennsylvania and later the whole nation that would cause public support for free schools.
Webster: Also supported the idea of free schools which he believed were meant to teach the necessary patriotic and moral precepts. -
Secondary School Movement
Secondary school was not a common thing until the mid 19th century. Secondary education was schooling beyond elementary school. -
The Impact of Horace Mann
MOST IMPORTANT
Mann's influence was significant because he was the "Father of American Education" who was also the spokesperson for the common school movement. He established a state board of education as well as helped organize the schools in Massachusetts into an official state system. These school boards are still in affect today.
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Common Schools
This was when the American educational system, similar to our current system, started to take form. This was when state systems were finally put into effect. -
The Progressive Reform Movement
MOST IMPORTANT
This movement is significant because it called for curricular and administrative reforms. This is significant because this movement included lower student-teacher ratios as as well as cleaner and more conductive to creative activity schools which are still in affect today.
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The Impact of John Dewey
John Dewey was "the real spokesman for intellectual America in the Progressive Era." He didn't like the old, rigid, subject centered curriculum instead he believed learning came by experiences the students had as opposed to just memorization. -
The Measurement Movement
The movement was developed by psychologists named Lewis M. Terman and Edward Thorndike. This movement was all about learning the individual mental development in students as well as measuring achievement in common subject areas. -
The Impact of WW2
Enrollment and teachers on staff dropped significantly during WW2. More than one-third of the teachers who were employed from 1940 to 1941 had left teaching. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
MOST IMPORTANT
The Supreme Court decision of the Brown vs. Board of Education court case is significant because it eventually led to the desegregation of schools in America. This is significant today because it gave students of all races equal rights to an education.
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Sputnik and NDEA
MOST IMPORTANT
This event is incredibly significant because it caused the federal government to pass the National Defense Education Act (NDEA) which increased funding to specific curricular areas like math and science as well as increased specialized revisions to the curriculum. This is impacting today's education through the emphasis we are still placing on subjects like math and science.
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War on Poverty (LBJ'S Legacy)
Education was thought of as a major factor in eliminating poverty in the U.S. It was believed that "cultural deprivation" was the result of a lack of education. -
Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act
The Education For All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) made it so all children who have disabilities have a free and appropriate EHA. Another name for this Act is "The Bill of Rights for Handicapped Children." -
A Nation at Risk Report
A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform basically called out America's education system as being mediocre. It was a call to action to reform the educational system in the U.S. -
No Child Left Behind
"...No Child Left Behind required that by the 2005-06 school year all states must have developed standards for what every child should know and learn in math and reading and that 95% of all students in grades 3-8 be tested annually and at least once in grades 10 to 12 to determine their progress in meeting the standards. NCLB sets a target of 100% of tested children meeting a state established "proficient" level on state standards by 2014."
