American Education System History

Colonial Era (before 1776)

Colonists tried at first to educate by the traditional English methods of family, church and community

Literacy rates were much higher in New England because much of the population had been deeply involved in the Protestant Reformation and learned to read in order to read the Scriptures.

Literacy was much lower in the South, where the Anglican Church was the established church.

First school in America founded

April 23 1635

Boston Latin School

University of Pennsylvania Founding

1751

Benjamin Franklin helps to establish the first "English Academy" in Philadelphia with a curriculum that is both classical and modern, including such courses as history, geography, navigation, surveying, and modern as well as classical languages.

The academy ultimately becomes the University of Pennsylvania.

Before 20th century

Initially, public schools focused more on religion, family and morality and didn't find the nature of academic instruction terribly important. Also, education for girls was limited. Girls learned how to read but not to write.

Academics didn't become a popular concept in the public school system until the 1850s. At that point, concepts such as mathematics and reading were introduced to promote literacy.

In the 1850s, public school attendance was at 59%. Horace Mann of Massachusetts and Henry Barnard of Connecticut began calling for free, compulsory school for every child in the nation.

The Young Ladies Academy opens in Philadelphia

1787

First academy for girls in the original 13 colonies/states

Boston English High School opens

1821

First public schools in U.S.

First compulsory school laws passed

1852

Massachusetts passed such laws, followed by New York the next year.

Creation of the Department for Education

1867

Created in order to help states establish effective school systems

20th century

At the turn of the century, schools in the south and many in the north were segregated. The 1896 Supreme Court ruling, Plessy v. Ferguson upheld the legality of segregation.

By 1900, 31 states had compulsory school attendance for students from ages 8-14.

By 1918, every state required students to complete elementary school.

From the 1920s, more education subjects were introduced. Schools focused on maths, English and social studies.

Finally, in 1954, the Supreme Court overturned its ruling with the landmark case, Brown v. Board of Education, and public schools became open to people of all races.

In the 1950s, public school attendance rose to 75%.

Creation of junior high schools

1909

In order to improve high school graduation rates, the Columbus Ohio School Board authorizes the creation of junior high schools.

Indianola Junior High School opens that fall and becomes the first junior high school in the U.S.

Smith-Towner Bill passed

1921

A bill that would eventually establish the National Education Association and provide federal funds to public schools.

Eventually, it became the movement to mandate public schooling and dissolve parochial and other private schools.

21st Century

The Great Recession from 2008-2009 caused a sharp decline in tax revenues in all cities and states. The response was to cut education budgets. Obama's $800 billion stimulus package included $100 billion for public schools, which every state used to protect its education budget.

In the 2010s, student loan debt became recognised as a social issue and more was done to address this issue.

Race to the Top was a $4.35 billion United States Department of Education competitive grant created to spur and reward innovation and reforms in state and local district K-12 education, announced by President Barack Obama on July 24 2009.

Today, public school attendance is at 94%.

No Child Left Behind Act

2002

The controversial No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) mandates high-stakes student testing, holding schools accountable for student achievement levels, and provides penalties for schools that do not make adequate yearly progress toward meeting the goals of NCLB.

March for Our Lives

2018

Following the horrific school shootings that had occurred over the years, with the last two decades having a huge number of shootings and deaths, hundreds of thousands of students walked out of their classrooms and subsequently joined the March for Our Lives protest in Washington, DC, demanding changes in gun laws to lessen the amount of school shootings.