American Education Timeline

1647

Massachusetts mandated the teaching of reading in all towns with a population over 50.

1781 - 1825s

The academies flourished. They later died out, replaced by comprehensive high schools.

1776

The American Revolution was aided by the literacy of the population.

1785

A Massachusetts land ordinance specified that Section 16, near the center of the township, was to be reserved for public schools.

1800s

The Nineteenth Century was a time of much change and immigration.

1821

Troy Seminary established, the first college for women.

The first high school established in Boston.

1839

Horace Mann established the first Normal School.

1850 -- 1870

The country was split over the issue of slavery.

1880 -- 1920s

Industrialization tended to concentrate power and wealth. The emergence of several social ills coincided with this development.

1890s

The passage of child labor laws coincided with the adoption of compulsory attendance laws for children.

1893

The Committee of Ten Report published.

1895

The Committee of Fifteen Report published.

1899

The Supreme Court explicitly approved school segregation ("separate, but equal").

1905

The concept of adolescence emerged; first IQ tests published.

1918

Mississippi was the last state to pass a compulsory education law.

1920s, 30s, and 40s

The Progressive Reformers pushed a distinctly American approach to education and social programs. This movement was based on the writings of John Dewey the most famous American educational philosopher.

1954

The U. S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Topeka Board of Education reversed "separate but equal" doctrine by claiming "separate is inherently unequal."

1960s

Urban school districts experienced teacher strikes.

The civil rights movement gave rise to the anti- war and free speech movements on campuses.

1973

The Kent State shootings brought an end to the college protest movement.

1980s

The following school reform reports and school criticisms were published: "A Nation at Risk," "The Paideia Proposal," "A Place Called School," "High School Achievement: Public, Catholic and Private Schools Compared," "Horace's Compromise."