Download 210:352:01 Tomoe Kitajima Timeline of Curriculum in Education in

210:352:01
Tomoe Kitajima
Timeline of Curriculum in Education in the U.S.
Colonial America
 The first education in colonial America was for more religious reasons. Latin and Greek scriptures
and classic literatures were studied through the church, community, apprenticeship, and household.
 Academic schooling provided by churches and communities were mainly for rather privileged white
male children. On the other hand, there were “dame schools” of basic reading and writing taught
by female teachers, which was mainly for those boys who did not have other schooling options or
female children. There were many children whose parents taught how to read and write.
 *Assessment in colonial education: memorization and oral recitation – scares of books and papers.
 1635 – Boston Latin School, the first public high school.
 1636 – Harvard College, the first higher education.
 Law of 1642 – parents and masters of those who had been apprenticed to them were responsible
for their basic education and literacy.
 Law of 1647 – towns of fifty families must hire a schoolmaster who would teach children to read
and write. Towns of a hundred families must have a grammar schoolmaster who could prepare
children attend Harvard College.
 Around the middle colonial era, some raised interests in more practical education – e.g.,Benjamin
Franklin’s American Academy (secondary education) in 1751 – physical education, mathematics,
history, geography, science, as well as subjects for one’s vocational needs such as Latin and Greek
for ministry, modern languages for trades. However, the focus of classic education for children’s
schooling still strongly remained during the 18th century.
 By 1791, 7 out of 14 states had specific provisions for education. Still, the private and churchrelated educational institutes dominated.
19th Century
 Common School movement initiated during the mid-century – By the end of 19th century, free
public education became available for all American children. One room schoolhouse.
 More public high schools were developed as a public education alternative to private academies –
both with vocational and academic tracks.
 1852 – The first compulsory school attendance law in Massachusetts (by 1918, all states had the
same type of law).
 Mid 1800 – Acceptance of female attendance to higher education.
 1862 – The Morrill Act – the major change in U.S. higher education from classical education to
applied studies because of this law boosting each state to establish higher learning institutions for

vocational learning (e.g., agriculture, mechanical arts). Such local colleges helped youth transit
from rural village life to urban workforce.
1863 – Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation – the first attention to Black population.
20th Century and Beyond
 Significant attendance increase in secondary education -- From 1900 to 1996 the percentage of
teenagers who finished high school increased from about 6 % to 85%.
 Significant attendance increase in higher education – from 2% to 60% enrollment increase for the
young American of age 18 to 24
 By 1910, kindergartens were in most of public school programs.
 *Early 1900s – the rise of standardized testing for psychological (mental) testing
 1917 – The Smith-Hughes Act – an attempt to help create vocational programs in high schools
 1944 – GI Bill – the first federal financial support for military veterans to attend college.
 1955-1968 – Civil Right Movement
 1960s – Women’s Right Movement
 1960s – Free Speech Movement started in University of California at Barkley – the spread of
movement and the increase of college dropout became a federal concern.
 1960s – Head Start program – to prepare low-income preschoolers (age 3 to 4) to grade schools.
 Response to 1958 Sputnik – raised attention to math and science for the national defense needs.
 *1965 – Elementary and Secondary Education Acts – the first federal law requiring standardized
testing to public schools.
 Mid 1900s – States consolidated public school districts into larger units (from over 117,000 in 1940
to about 15,000 in 1990 across the nation) – more governmental manageability over decentralized
public schools.
 1975 – Education of the Handicapped Act (amended in 1986) -- to provide free and appropriate
education to all eligible students of disability.
 *1983 – Federal report “A Nation at Risk” pointed out the low academic achievement in public
schools. Since this report, the attention of and frequent use of large-scale testing to compare the
achievement between states have increased.
 *2001 – No Child Left Behind Act – supposedly to be a response to the 1997 Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act; however, the law (2002) turned out to be a tremendous controversy in
the U.S. education. As the results of difficulty to meet the achievement (test-score) progress
requirement, many schools have been experiencing narrowed curriculum to prepare students for
standardized tests.