A Timeline Reviewing the Movement of Education in
the Colonies and the United States
1635:
Boston Latin School
As the first established grammar school for Latin, the Boston Latin School is created as a means to educate male children bound for leadership roles in church, state, or the courts (Sass).
1642: Massachusetts Bay Colony
The first brand of formalized, compulsory education began in 1642 when new waves of immigration brought varied cultural backgrounds and religious beliefs to North America, causing colony members to fear their established social values were being challenged. In an aim to protect their beliefs and to maintain social order, legislators of the Massachusetts Bay Colony passed a law “requiring parents and guardians of children to ‘make certain that their charges could read and understand the principles of religion and the laws of the commonwealth’” (“A Brief History”). Furthermore, a general lack of trust in the competency of parents provided a surge of urgency in the passing of such legislation.
A grand example of this fear and mistrust can be found in WM.D Swans writing The Massachusetts Teacher, published in 1851. According to Swan, to purify the ill effect of non-conforming immigrants, children were to be “gathered and forced into school” (“Immigration”). Swan even deemed the elderly to be useless in properly raising the colony’s youth. He wrote:
The rising generation must be taught as our own grown children are taught. We say must be, because in many cases this can only be accomplished by coercion. In too many instances the parents are unfit guardians of their own children. If left to their direction the young will be brought up in idle, dissolute, vagrant habits, which will make them worse members of society than their parents are; instead of filling our public schools, they will find their way into our prisons, houses of correction and almshouses*. (“Immigration”)
1751: The Academy of Pennsylvania
In the years leading up to Benjamin Franklin’s presidency, the primary goal of education was to instill “sectarian” beliefs in its pupils and to train new clergymen (“Franklin’s Vision”). In 1749, he announced his plans for the Academy and College of Pennsylvania, a school geared toward preparing the student population for roles in business and government. A year later, he drew up the “Paper on the Academy,” where he outlined visions for the new college. His goals included giving the Pennsylvanian youth “an Opportunity to receive a good Education at home” rather than having to travel abroad; that a number of natives would be “qualified to bear Magistracies;” and “that a Number of the poorer Sort [would become] qualified to act as Schoolmasters”* (Franklin). The Academy was opened in 1751.
1779: Thomas Jefferson’s “Three-Track Educational System”
Within his bill titled, “Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge,” Thomas Jefferson outlined his vision of a three-tiered school. His goal was to offer three years of early education to all students, boys and girls, followed by advanced schooling for high ranking male students, and finally an opportunity for “one boy from each district every two years” to attend the College of William and Mary (“Thomas Jefferson). His vision, however, was never fully recognized.
1821: Boston English High School
Prior to 1820, the children of Boston attended either a grammar school until the age of ten, or the Latin School where they prepared for higher education in Divinity at Harvard. By 1820, The Committee established a public secondary school where students, primarily boys, focused on the study of the English language (“History”). Today the school is still operating and is located at 144 McBride St. Boston, MA 02130.
1827: Massachusetts High School Law of 1827
By the end of 1827, Massachusetts successfully “passes a law making all grades of public school open to all pupils free of charge” (“Historical Timeline”). The legislation read:
Be it enacted, That each town or district within this Commonwealth, containing fifty families, or householders, shall be provided with a teacher or teachers of good morals to instruct children in orthography, reading, writing, English grammar, geography, arithmetic, and good behavior, for such term of time as shall be equivalent to six months for one school in each year; and every town or district containing one hundred families or householders shall be provided with such teacher or teachers, for such term of time as shall be equivalent to eighteen months, for one school in each year […]. (Barnard)
In addition, the legislation required towns or districts containing more than 500 families to open high schools available, publicly, to male and female students.
1839: Teacher-Preparation Schools
Known then as “Normal Schools,” the first formally established teacher-preparation schools are opened in Lexington, Massachusetts. Only after passing subject knowledge tests were women allowed admission into these schools. Here they learned to support social constructs built around preserving religious morals and politics (Sass).
1901: Joliet Junior College
Joliet Junior College was founded by J. Stanley Brown and William Rainey Harper in an effort to provide students the opportunity to obtain a college education without having to leave their hometown. It was designed as an experimental model and was, at the time, considered to be a postgraduate high school program (“History of Joliet”). Joliet Junior College remains open and in full operation, and is located at 1215 Houbolt Rd. Joliet, IL 60431.
1909: Indianola Junior High School
Indianola Junior High School is established by the Columbus Ohio School Board in an effort to increase graduation rates in high schools. It is the first Junior High model to be created in the United States (Pagano).
1926: Scholastic Aptitude Test
The SAT, an extension and reformation of the Army Alpha test, is administered for the first time (Sass).
1954: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
1965: Elementary and Secondary Education Act is passed
1965: Higher Education Act is passed
1974: Equal Educational Opportunities Act is passed
1989: University of Phoenix Offers First Online Degree
1994: Bill Clinton’s “Improving America’s Schools Act”
2001: George Bush passes “No Child Left Behind Act”
2009: Common Core State Standards Initiative
As the first established grammar school for Latin, the Boston Latin School is created as a means to educate male children bound for leadership roles in church, state, or the courts (Sass).
1642: Massachusetts Bay Colony
The first brand of formalized, compulsory education began in 1642 when new waves of immigration brought varied cultural backgrounds and religious beliefs to North America, causing colony members to fear their established social values were being challenged. In an aim to protect their beliefs and to maintain social order, legislators of the Massachusetts Bay Colony passed a law “requiring parents and guardians of children to ‘make certain that their charges could read and understand the principles of religion and the laws of the commonwealth’” (“A Brief History”). Furthermore, a general lack of trust in the competency of parents provided a surge of urgency in the passing of such legislation.
A grand example of this fear and mistrust can be found in WM.D Swans writing The Massachusetts Teacher, published in 1851. According to Swan, to purify the ill effect of non-conforming immigrants, children were to be “gathered and forced into school” (“Immigration”). Swan even deemed the elderly to be useless in properly raising the colony’s youth. He wrote:
The rising generation must be taught as our own grown children are taught. We say must be, because in many cases this can only be accomplished by coercion. In too many instances the parents are unfit guardians of their own children. If left to their direction the young will be brought up in idle, dissolute, vagrant habits, which will make them worse members of society than their parents are; instead of filling our public schools, they will find their way into our prisons, houses of correction and almshouses*. (“Immigration”)
1751: The Academy of Pennsylvania
In the years leading up to Benjamin Franklin’s presidency, the primary goal of education was to instill “sectarian” beliefs in its pupils and to train new clergymen (“Franklin’s Vision”). In 1749, he announced his plans for the Academy and College of Pennsylvania, a school geared toward preparing the student population for roles in business and government. A year later, he drew up the “Paper on the Academy,” where he outlined visions for the new college. His goals included giving the Pennsylvanian youth “an Opportunity to receive a good Education at home” rather than having to travel abroad; that a number of natives would be “qualified to bear Magistracies;” and “that a Number of the poorer Sort [would become] qualified to act as Schoolmasters”* (Franklin). The Academy was opened in 1751.
1779: Thomas Jefferson’s “Three-Track Educational System”
Within his bill titled, “Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge,” Thomas Jefferson outlined his vision of a three-tiered school. His goal was to offer three years of early education to all students, boys and girls, followed by advanced schooling for high ranking male students, and finally an opportunity for “one boy from each district every two years” to attend the College of William and Mary (“Thomas Jefferson). His vision, however, was never fully recognized.
1821: Boston English High School
Prior to 1820, the children of Boston attended either a grammar school until the age of ten, or the Latin School where they prepared for higher education in Divinity at Harvard. By 1820, The Committee established a public secondary school where students, primarily boys, focused on the study of the English language (“History”). Today the school is still operating and is located at 144 McBride St. Boston, MA 02130.
1827: Massachusetts High School Law of 1827
By the end of 1827, Massachusetts successfully “passes a law making all grades of public school open to all pupils free of charge” (“Historical Timeline”). The legislation read:
Be it enacted, That each town or district within this Commonwealth, containing fifty families, or householders, shall be provided with a teacher or teachers of good morals to instruct children in orthography, reading, writing, English grammar, geography, arithmetic, and good behavior, for such term of time as shall be equivalent to six months for one school in each year; and every town or district containing one hundred families or householders shall be provided with such teacher or teachers, for such term of time as shall be equivalent to eighteen months, for one school in each year […]. (Barnard)
In addition, the legislation required towns or districts containing more than 500 families to open high schools available, publicly, to male and female students.
1839: Teacher-Preparation Schools
Known then as “Normal Schools,” the first formally established teacher-preparation schools are opened in Lexington, Massachusetts. Only after passing subject knowledge tests were women allowed admission into these schools. Here they learned to support social constructs built around preserving religious morals and politics (Sass).
1901: Joliet Junior College
Joliet Junior College was founded by J. Stanley Brown and William Rainey Harper in an effort to provide students the opportunity to obtain a college education without having to leave their hometown. It was designed as an experimental model and was, at the time, considered to be a postgraduate high school program (“History of Joliet”). Joliet Junior College remains open and in full operation, and is located at 1215 Houbolt Rd. Joliet, IL 60431.
1909: Indianola Junior High School
Indianola Junior High School is established by the Columbus Ohio School Board in an effort to increase graduation rates in high schools. It is the first Junior High model to be created in the United States (Pagano).
1926: Scholastic Aptitude Test
The SAT, an extension and reformation of the Army Alpha test, is administered for the first time (Sass).
1954: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
1965: Elementary and Secondary Education Act is passed
1965: Higher Education Act is passed
1974: Equal Educational Opportunities Act is passed
1989: University of Phoenix Offers First Online Degree
1994: Bill Clinton’s “Improving America’s Schools Act”
2001: George Bush passes “No Child Left Behind Act”
2009: Common Core State Standards Initiative