1675-1699

• In New England there was a high emphasis placed on education– Emphasis on making sure people were literate so they

could read the bible

• There were few schools in the south. Wealthy families would teach from home or pay tutors

• Few secondary school options– Emphasis placed on apprenticeships instead of secondary

education– By 1699 there were only three colleges in the colonial

United States: Harvard, The College of William and Mary, and St. John’s College

EDUCATION 1700 - 1724•Early colonial education was based on learning to read (1642 Puritan Massachusetts law), and the few schools that existed were heavily influenced by religion – inability to read was

Satan's attempt to keep people from the Scriptures.

•1701 Oct 16, Yale University was founded as The Collegiate School of Killingworth, Connecticut by Congregationalists who

considered Harvard (1635) too liberal.

•The New England Primer was a textbook used by students in New England and in other English settlements in North

America. It was used by students into the 19th century. Over five million copies of the book were sold.

•Early education also based on apprenticeship.

•During this part of the Colonial Period, education was still based firmly on religion.

•The textbook used was called The New England Primer in which the learning of the alphabet was combined with bible readings. The book also included religious questions and answers.

•In 1731 Benjamin Franklin founded the first public library, and in 1749 he had established a plan for an English Language grammar school. The school would not open, however, for a couple of years.

•In 1747 Princeton University was opened with a surprisingly new idea that “any person of any religious denomination whatsoever” was welcome.

1725-1749

1750 - 17741750 - 1774• Literacy rates 1750 New England:

– Women: 65%– Men: 75:

• Few schools, many learned the Bible at home from parents

• Wealthy children had private tutors

• Some boys attended primary school and college

• Girls stayed at home and were taught by their mothers domestic skills, manners, social skills, etc.

• Girls did not attend school until the late 1700’s, when grammar schools become more flexible and secular

The Nathanial Hale Schoolhouse

One room school built in Connecticut in 1750

historicbuildingsct.com

1775-1779The American Revolution

-Concept of higher education expands, after institution of 9 original colleges, several more open before 1800-Drafting of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights sets standards for Education still used today: separation of church and state, free speech,

civil rights, etc- Benjamin Rush and others of Elite wanted to see

education create a foundation for “Republican education” he wanted uniform schools for boys, to

homogenize the children’s education was to homogenize citizenry, 1786

-Essentially, the elite and powerful discussed schooling as a way to maintain their own growth, all with the penumbra ideals of their new independence as the

guiding restrictions.

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U.S. snapshot:

• Growing rapidly in territory & population (mass immigration begins 1840s)

• Increasing tension between North and South (abolition movement begins)

• Nation primarily rural & agricultural, but changing fast

U.S. education system:

• Overall: Wildly differing education systems across the U.S., depending on the region, local support, religious and private institutions

• 1825 – Boston, Mass. starts 1st U.S. high school for girls

• 1827 – Mass. requires towns with 500+ families to have a public high school

• 1837 – Horace Mann, advocate of “common schools,” becomes 1st secretary of education in Mass. Under his leadership, Mass. doubled state funding for education and teacher salaries, provided funding for localities to open primarily elementary schools (with a standardized curriculum) and built 50 high schools.

• 1839 – 1st state-funded school for teacher education opens in Lexington, Mass.

• 1840 – U.S. census reports 97% literacy rate among white population

• 1849 – Conn. creates system of common schools

1825 - 1849

1875-1899

1900-1908

•2/3 of schools are rural one-room schoolhouses

•By 1900, 31 states require children to attend school from the ages of 8- to 14-years-old.

•Despite widespread disenfranchisement in the South, 30,000 African-American teachers are trained and literacy reaches 50% among African-Americans in the South.

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Education- 1910 to 1919

13 million immigrants arrived in America, greatly influencing the public school system, The focus of teaching was

suddenly, "How to become an American”.

John Dewey’s thinking included ideas such as using education to better society, “Active Learning", and

“ Progressive Education”.

Dewey’s ideas were opposed by those who believed that the focus of education was “vocational training”.

1920s 1.Dewey’s philosophy

A balance between individualism and collectivism.Promote active learningEngage in democracyNew Course work-geography, scienceVocational and College prep

2. High Schools=Community

Post WWI baby boomNew ImmigrantsSegregationSports and ClubsNeighborhood ID with High Schools

Education in the 1930’s• The 1930's were a perilous time for public education.

With cash money in short supply parents were unable to provide their children with the necessary clothes, supplies, and textbooks to attend school. Taxes, especially in rural areas, went unpaid. With the loss of revenue, school boards were forced to try numerous strategies to keep their districts operating. School terms were shortened. Teachers' salaries were cut. One new teacher was paid $40 a month for a five month school year - and was very glad for the job! When a rural county in Arkansas was forced to charge tuition one year in order to keep the schools open, some children were forced to drop out for that year.

• The famous Dick and Jane books that taught millions of children to read were first published in 1931. All who learned to read with these books still recall the "Look. See Dick. See Dick run."

American Education 1940-1949

• A time of profound change at all levels of American education

• Public schools become standardized, better organized and properly funded.

• American education was in a decade of transition, well on its way to modernization.

Education from 1950-1959

The Cold War had a major effect on Education. Preparedness for a nuclear attack was stressed with the “Duck and Cover” campaign. The Soviet launch of the Sputnik satellite inspired a new focus on Math and Science Education called the National Defense Education Act of 1958.

The issue of civil rights was also prominent in this period. The 1954 case Brown vs. Board of Education provided for the integration of public schools.

“Duck and Cover!” From http://www.loti.com/fifties_history/Duck_and_Cover.htm

1960-1969• Movement towards democratic

education, student-centered classrooms, social equity; see free school movement.

• Civil Rights Act of 1964- desegregation. Merger of NEA and the Black American Teachers Assoc.

• War on Poverty- Johnson1965- Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) - funds education resources for low-income children. Funds Head Start and Bilingual Education Act (Title VII, 1968).

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1980-1989•1981-1989 President Ronald Reagan seeks to minimize the federal role in education; federal education spending is drastically reduced

•1983 “A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform” is published

•The report’s claims of mediocrity and of the risk of losing in economic competition leads to a raise in diploma requirements

1980-1989: Nation at Risk!• Bell’s 1983 report, an open letter to the nation, warns

that America’s high school graduate are losing ground to the rest of the world

• Five recommendations:– Strengthen high school graduation requirements and require

students to obtain proficiency in the “Five New Basics”– All schools must increase admission and graduation

standards– Devote more time to learning the “Five New Basics”– Increase the professionalism of teachers– Improve leadership of educators and increase funding in

education

• 1989 summit – established 5 goals not rules to create a “Learning Society”

1990-1999Raising the Standards 1989: National Education Summit

Meeting: Convened the Nation’s Governors and developed National Education Standards. This summit meeting shifted power over educational development from the local to the federal level.

1993: Walter Annenberg donated $500 million to Urban Public Schools. Directed funding to 5 major US Cities and was the largest single gift ever made to public education.

1996: Education Summit Meeting: CEO’s from the nation’s largest businesses convened to reestablish education standards. Suggested that testing should be done Nationally but standards should be set locally.

Top down management of schools was loosing its effect. Urban Schools became overcrowded and dilapidated.

The emergence of charter schools in 26 states increased parent involvement in schools, and created a new branch of public education.

1990 – 1999The Clinton Administration's Agenda

-Direct Loan ProgramFacilitates student access to

postsecondary education while reducing the overall costs to taxpayers and students. (Borrows from the treasury)

-School–to–Work ProgramImproves occupational opportunities for all students. (Students can choose an occupational major at the end of tenth grade)

-Goals 2000 Educate America ActEncourages states to develop their own challenging standards for reform and offers more teacher support.

-IASA Improving America’s Schools Act Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Provides alignment for K-12 putting all levels of education in tune with one another.

Improving America's schools By Eric Alan Hanushek, Dale Weldeau Jorgenson

weblogs.newsday.com/.../blog/hillary_clinton/

Where We StandWhere We StandAmerican Schools in the 21American Schools in the 21stst Century Century

American students are of diverse national and ethnic origins.

The U.S. educational system doesn’t have national standards.

American students are among the most tested in the world.

The failing education system is a social problem

2000 ~ Present 2000 ~ Present • 2001 - No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) approved by Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush on January 8, 2002.

•2004 - The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA 2004), reauthorizes and modifies IDEA. The changes include modifications in the IEP (Individualized Education Program). In US, there are 6.7 million children and youth with disabilities in public schools.

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Facts about No Child Left Behind• President and congress are spending more money than ever before on the education of America’s children.

• Principals and administrators will spend less time filling out forms and more time helping your child learn.

• Schools are responsible for making sure your child is learning.

• Gives parents report cards so they can see which schools in their district are succeeding and why.

• Gives parents, community leaders, teachers, principals, and elected leaders the information they need to improve schools.

• May let you transfer your child to another public school or provide your child with free tutoring and extra help with schoolwork if the state says that your child's school is "in need of improvement.“

More Facts about NCLB

• Requires schools to develop ways to get parents more involved in their child's education and in improving the school.

• Requires states to test your child in reading and math every year in grades 3-8. Your child will also be tested at least once in high school. The tests will help you, your child, and your child's teachers know how well your child is learning and when he or she needs extra help.

• Focuses on teaching methods that have been proven by research to work. There will be no more experimenting on children with educational fads.

• Provides more than one billion dollars a year to help children learn to read and ensure all children learn to read on grade level by the third grade. Reading First provides money to states and many school districts to support high quality reading programs based on the best scientific research.

• Provides funding to help teachers learn to be better teachers.

By Jorge Ramirez