COLONIAL ERA - New England
The oldest existing school within the United States, public or private, is Boston Latin School founded in 1635. This school was originally created to educate the colonial elite of Boston, and relied heavily on the Classics and Latin in it's curriculum. The school is still an outstanding institution, ranking 62nd out of the top 100 high schools in the United States. 2012 U.S. News High School Rankings
The first school supported by tax payers was the public school in Dedham, Massachusetts. Led by Reverend Ralph wheelock this school used the traditional English system of education children. basic arithmetic and literacy was taught within the family household and schools supported such as efforts. By the middle of the 1800's the role of public schools had supplanted the role of the family in a child's education.
Dedham Massachusetts Public School
Soon other colonies in New England began to follow the Dedham model. In 1642 the Massachusetts Bay Colony made education compulsory, perhaps the first law of it's type in the New World. By the end of the 1650's just about every colonies in New England required children to attend school, however this was for males only and few facilities for women existed at the time.
By the middle of the 18th century, the forerunner to high schools, called grammarr schools were prevalent in large towns in New England. However, by the 1780's many of these grammar schools were replaced by private academies that remain prestigious up until today. These schools continue to feed into the Ivy League colleges.
COLONIAL ERA - Southern Colonies
In direct contrast to the New England colonies, colonies in the South lagged far behind their northern counterparts. Most of the schools that were in operating during the early part of the 18th century were sponsored by different sects of the Catholic Church. The planter class in the south hired tutors or sent them to these private religious schools. The better off plantation owners in the South would often send their children back to England for school. Most education overall in the south relied heavily upon private tutors and funded public projects that educated but did not create a proper school. By 1770 approximately ten grammar schools did exist in Georgia but again they were taught by clergy.
After the American Revolution some schools began to appear in Georgia and South Carolina but public institutions were still very rare. It wasn't until after the Civil War during the Reconstruction period do we see public institutions of education opening, both for African Americans and White Americans. High Schools became more prevalent in larger cities around 1900 but was available only to Whites. Rural Southerners of any race rarely went past 8th grade until after 1945.
COLONIAL ERA - Non English Colonies
Three other major European powers colonized North America; France, Spain, and the Netherlands. As previously discussed France and Spain were instrumental in the creating of the Catholic based schools in New Orleans.
By 1664 the Dutch had established elementary schools in their colonies around Manhattan Island, New York. However with the English taking control of these Dutch towns and villages the schools were converted to private academies.
A smaller group of immigrants that settles in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania were the Germans. However most of the schools they established were linked to their protestant churches.
CIVIL WAR/RECONSTRUCTION
Prior to the Civil War, the 1840 census indicated that about 3.7 million children between the age of five and fifteen lived in the United States. Fifty-five percent of these attended public or private primary schools.
During the 1800's the Monitorial System was implemented in public education. In this system children of all ages are taught in the same classroom. Think, one room school house.
One-room Schoolhouse (Monitorial System)
The quality of education varied from locality to locality under the middle of the 1800's when Horace Mann implemented reforms as the Secretary of Education in the state of Massachusetts. Mann believed that all children regardless of social economic status or location should be afford the same education. He therefore established a system to create professional standards for educators and schools based on the Prussian model of "common schools". These reforms carried favor across the northern states and from the middle class. Some key aspects were the division of students into grades based on age and the lecture form of instruction.
Horace Mann
After the Civil War private academies were still more prevalent than publicly funded schools. However by 1870 all states at free elementary schools established. By the end of the 1800's public secondary schools out numbered private academies and parochial schools.
Due to reconstruction following the Civil War, Freedmen's Bureau created thousands of schools in the southern states to educate African American children. By the end of the Civil War, ninety-five thousand former slaves were enrolled as students in public schools.
Freedman's School
During the progressive era public education exploded in size and coverage. By 1940, about fifty percent of all American's had a High School diploma.
The leading Educational developer of the era was John Dewey. Just about anyone in education has heard of Dewey and his impact in education. Dewey advocated that public schools were not just a place to live but a place to learn how to be a productive member of society and to fulfill one's true potential. Dewey like many others today believed that only through education can someone change their station in life. Although Dewey's ideals were widely known they were not as widely implemented.
Another widely used concept was the Gary Plan, so named after the town of Gary, Indiana. William Writ focused on the maximum use of buildings and spaced divided his classes into two groups. While one was studying in the classroom the other was outside studying nature or in the gymnasium. Curriculum was adapted and new courses of instruction such as night school class, wood shop, and typing were implemented for the first time. With the onset of the Great Depression the Gary Plan schools disappeared as quickly as they had arrived.
During the Progressive Era High School had evolved from College Prepatory Academies to a major aspect of common school systems. In thirty years (1890-1920)the number of students in public high schools increased by 1.8 million students! Schools were rapidly being built in industrialized areas and parents began moving from rural areas to the city to enroll their children. IT was also during the 1920's that High Schools began to become a social center and influence in the cities and towns they were located in. Sports began to be implemented and schools become more than just about education.
1960's - 1970's
As far as education is concerned in the 60's and 70's is concerned the Coleman Report was seen as a key factor in shaping education in the public sector. This controversial report stated that data supported the ideal that funding for schools had little affect on a students success. James Coleman stated that a students background and social economic status played a much more important role in determining success of a student. This report has entrenched the current public school funding system based on property taxes in a district not based on need or equality across a district, state, or country.
1980's
In 1983 the National Commission on Excellence in Education released a report tiled "A Nation at Risk". This report stated that Americans were falling behind internationally and spurned an increase in the rigor of course work in American classrooms. This report is seen as the first push toward today's currently legislation of No Child Left Behind. During the 1980's the number of school days a year and hours of school were increased and higher standard of testing were created.
Current Policies
In 2002, Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act. This act essentially tied Federal Aid to public schools with performance on standardized testing. Schools also can now be penalized for poor performance on these examinations. Although originally calling for full implementation by 2014 as of today only about half of the states have implemented this legislation.
Conclusion
Although starting slowly public education has really grown in the last half of the 20th century to present day. What once were small prep academies for the wealthy elite, today's public education system reaches every child in ever neighborhood.
I purposely did not address the evolution of public education with regards to women and other minorities as those in and of themselves should have an entire section devoted. I also refrained from publishing currently statistics because these will be compared to Catholic school numbers and performance in the next blog.
Today our education system is funded in large part by property taxes. So those children with upper middle class parents attend well funded schools while students who live in the Ghetto of East St. Louis go to schools without enough supplies and support. The best teachers flee to the suburbs where the districts can afford to pay them a high salary taking their skills to students in an already superior academic setting.
The No Child Left Behind Act is tied to federal funds for schools so schools in the ghetto had to work harder with less support and underpaid teachers and staff to take students with a lower SES and outside distraction and have them pass standardized testing. If they are not successful even more funding is cut from this school digging them into a deeper hole.
Today if you are a student in the public schools you can receive a world class education or left far behind. It all depends on where you live and what imaginary line you live behind. The rich stay rich and the poor stay poor. As someone who is fairly conservative this is one area where I am not.
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