History of Education: A Brief Timeline

Taylor Meineke
The 1600’s
1635 - The first "free school" in Virginia opens
1638 - Hartford Public High School opens in
Hartford Connecticut.
These two establish when schools began opening.
Education really couldn't be possible without
schools and school buildings, as they have enabled
the gatherings of students and teachers to learn
new material everyday.
1690 - The first New England Primer is printed in
Boston. It becomes the most widely-used
schoolbook in New England.
1698 - The first publicly supported library in the
U.S. is established in Charles Town, South Carolina.
Books and libraries play a large role in education.
Books are often required to teach and learn, and
lots of students of all ages spend lots of time in the
library.
The 1700’s
1754 - The French and Indian War begins in
colonial America as the French and their Indian
allies fight the English for territorial control.
1775 - The Revolutionary War begins.
Both of these wars remind us that school days back
in the 1700’s also had to deal with the wars going
on. Many young boys could not attend school
because they had to fight in the wars, which
affected their educations greatly.
1727 - The Ursuline Academy of New Orleans is
founded. A Catholic school for girls sponsored by
Sisters of the Order of Saint Ursula.
1787 - The Young Ladies Academy opens in
Philadelphia and becomes the first academy for
girls in the original 13 colonies/states.
Schools were starting to open for young ladies to
attend. It wasn't common for girls to attend school,
but with the opening of these academies, it made
getting an education easier for women.
The 1800’s
1801 - James Pillans invents the modern
blackboard.
1884 -The first practical fountain pen is patented
by Lewis Waterman.
Two inventions we wouldn’t even think twice about
today. Nowadays, we use whiteboards and
smartboards with the use of technology. There are
also so many different types of pens and other
writing utensils.
1837 - Oberlin College admits its first group of
women. It is the first college in the United States to
become coeducational.
1855 - The University of Iowa is then first state
university "to admit men and women on an equal
basis."
Equality in education is something we all take for
granted today. Back in the 1800’s, women were just
starting to get equality in their education.
The 1900’s
1926 - The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is first
administered. It is based on the Army Alpha test.
1959 - The ACT Test is first administered.
Two huge tests that are still used today, with the
ACT being the most common. Education for higher
age students would definitely look a lot different
today without these exams. These enable us to look
at college readiness and how intelligent the student
is when working at a fast pace while timed.
1956 - Twelve African American students, known
as the "Clinton 12," successfully integrate Clinton
High School in Clinton, Tennessee.
1964 - The Civil Rights Act becomes law. It
prohibits discrimination based on race, color, sex,
religion or national origin.
There were many issues with segregation and
racism during the early and mid 1900’s. Even though
Lincoln had abolished slavery with the 13th
amendment, many blacks still struggled to find
equality until the Civil Rights Act.
The 2000’s to present day
2007 - Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old student, kills two students in a dorm
and then 30 others in a classroom building at Virginia Tech University.
Fifteen others are wounded. His suicide brings the death toll to 33,
making it the deadliest school shooting incident in U.S. history.
2013 - In yet another school shooting tragedy, high school senior Karl
Pierson enters Arapahoe High School (Centennial, Colorado) on
December 13 armed with a shotgun, machete, and Molotov Cocktails. His
goal apparently was to take revenge on the school librarian and debate
coach who had disciplined him earlier in the school year. Instead, before
taking his own life, he critically wounds a female classmate. She dies
eight days later.
Both incidents prove the ongoing issues of school
shootings, and the rates continue to rise.
2020 - As COVID-19 cases still surge in many parts of the
country, states begin to implement their plans for reopening
K-12 schools. Though many major universities will offer
primarily online classes for the fall semester, others still
plan to provide "in-person" instruction.
The COVID-19 pandemic had caused many trials
with education. Not only did students lose some of
their education for the spring due to quarantine, but
many students K-12 and college level have had to
adapt to online learning. Schools now require
masks, and social distancing protocols. No one
knows when it will be over, and education won’t be
the same.