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The Boston Latin School was founded to send boys to college and prepare them for careers in ministry. -
Harvard College was established in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Later became known as Harvard University. -
The English High School was the first public school in the United States of America. It was created as an alternative to Boston Latin to help prepare boys for careers in business and industry. -
Laws were put in place to make public schools free to all children. Towns with more than 500 families are required to have a public high school open to all surrounding families. -
This is the first women's college to be founded. Timetoast -
Horace Mann becomes the secretary of the State Board of Education. Fights for non-religious "common schools". It is a huge stepping stone for American education as a whole. -
The nation's first Historically Black College. Timetoast -
The Office of Education is established to keep records of the nation's schools and help establish school systems in all states. Later became the U.S. Department of Education. -
This was the first government-run, off-reservation boarding school. Located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the founding philosophy was "Kill the Indian, Save the Man." Closed in 1918, after forcing thousands of children to give up their Native American cultures and customs. -
The Supreme Court established legal precedent for "separate but equal" policies. This legal decision included school segregation. -
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Removes an Oregon statute stating that all children are required to attend public school. Enforces parental rights in how they raise and make educational decisions for their kids. Decided by the Supreme Court. -
Tennessee sues John Scopes for teaching Darwin's Theory of Evolution. The Tennessee Court found Scopes guilty, but the Supreme Court later overturned the ruling on a technicality. Demonstrates the tension between religion and science in the American education system. -
Established a low-cost, federally funded meal program to provide low-income students with free or reduced meals. -
The Supreme Court decided that public schools can no longer segregate, resulting in Plessy v. Ferguson being overruled. -
The first federal civil rights legislation was passed post-Reconstruction. This is the precursor to the 1964 Civil Rights Act. -
The Little Rock Nine are aided by federal troops to integrate into the Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. A very tense situation amid much local resistance. -
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Supreme Court declares that prayer in state-sponsored public schools is unconstitutional. -
Now known as the Learning Disabilities Association of America. -
Prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, or religion. Ends segregation in public spaces and lays the groundwork for desegregation in schools. -
Supreme Court Rules that the Des Moines Independent Community School District in Iowa violated students' First Amendment rights by suspending them for wearing black armbands due to their ties to the Anti-Vietnam War Protests. -
Supreme Court rules that suburbs are not responsible for school segregation based on geography. -
Requires states and localities to provide handicapped children with free and accessible education regardless of their disabilities. Reauthorized in 1990 as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). -
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Supreme Court rules that all schools are required to offer students with disabilities individualized education programs, known as IEPs. -
Intense debate sparks over school policy regarding COVID, such as: when should schools reopen, should masks be mandated, and how should schools reopen. -
The Supreme Court ruled that race-based affirmative action regarding college admissions is unconstitutional.