History and Development of

U.S Education Timeline

Presented by Giovanni Morabito
Seventeenth Century (1600’s-1700’s)
● The earliest forms of education come from this era
● Types of education were either informal or formal but
closed off
● Dame Schools were more similar to daycares and teachers
were more like babysitters, teaching inside homes for a
fee
○ Mostly taught by women
○ Since classes were very small, it allows for teachers to have
personal connections with their students
● Tutors travelled and taught in small towns or wealthy
cities
○ Different from tutors today as tutors back then were essentially
teachers
Seventeenth Century (1600’s-1700’s) cont.
● Latin Grammar Schools were designed for wealthy men
preparing for college. Its focus was on Latin, Greek, and
basic reading, writing, and arithmetic
○ Set the stage for how education was for the upper class the coming
years
■ Following roman tradition
● Local Schools taught basic skills and religions and was
open to those who could afford it
○ Shows how religion was heavily emphasized during this time
Eighteenth Century (1700’s-1800’s)
● More people start to take interest in education as the
states take responsibility for education
● Itinerant Schools are a combination of Dame Schools and
Tutors where the teachers taught inside the homes as well
as lived inside them
○ While also being able to form a personal connection more easily than
other forms of teaching, living with the family gave teachers a sense
of kinship.
● Private Schools contained their own special studies
alongside basic studies that came with a fee
○ Could be seen as an early form of a academy
Eighteenth Century (1700’s-1800’s) cont.
● English Grammar Schools were a form of private schooling
that pushed more practical studies.
○ Rather than preparing its students for college, it prepared them for
business careers
○ Started to accept white females, a starting point for accepting women
into other schools
● Academies combined the ideals of Latin and English
Grammar Schools, teaching English and unique core studies
alongside history, reading, writing, and arithmetic
○ Some focused on college preparation, others for business preparation
○ Most resembles today’s charter schools, private schools, and/or
technical academies
Nineteenth Century (1800’s-1900’s)
● More emphasise on the roles of secondary schools
● Increased education for women and minorities but still
segregated
○ Brown v Ferguson's “Separate but Equal”
● Common Schools are free schools that are open to all
social classes; a departure from earlier forms
○ Developed by Horace Mann in order to bring democracy to the classroom
○ Ideals of common schools would influence other schools to come
● High Schools are governed by the public rather than
private boards; free and open to all social classes
○ Provided pre-college and career education
○ The Common School Movement on a Secondary Education level
○ Relevant to this day
Twentieth Century (1900’s-2000’s)
● Junior High Schools and Middle Schools sectored students
of certain ages into grades 7-9 and 5-8 respectively
○ Designed to prepare students for high school and meet the unique
needs of younger adolescents
○ Defines today’s grade system of grade 1-12
● Charter schools are free from regulations of public
schools; have unique instructional strategies
○ Most charter schools are tax-supported and open to the public
○ Allows for risks to be taken and ideas to be explored when it comes
to educating
Summary
● Seventeenth Century: School was mostly for those who
could afford it
● Eighteenth Century: States manage education and improve
on it
● Nineteenth Century: More diversity of students and
schools more open to the public
● Twentieth Century: Building on and improving of Common
and Secondary Schools