Over the last century, there have been numerous changes in the way students learn.

Everything has changed, from the way we construct classes to the teaching methods we employ to the people with whom we share our classroom.

Even the coronavirus pandemic was not a problem since internet education stepped Looking back at the last century demonstrates how far we’ve come and inspires us to hope for even more exciting changes in the future!

A History of Learning

1852 – Mandatory Education

It’s hard to picture a time when children under the age of 18 weren’t compelled to attend school every day, but before 1852, parents had the last say on whether or not to send their children to school.

This began to change when Massachusetts became the first state to establish an obligatory educational law, recognising the importance of education. This regulation mandated that every municipality provide a primary school and imposed fines on parents who refused to send their children to school.

1875 – Learning for Free

The United States Congress passed a constitutional amendment in 1875 that required public schools to be free.
Previously, parents were frequently expected to pay for tuition and books in order to send their children to school. As a result, there was a severe class split, with only children from affluent households able to obtain an education.

1917 – Full Circle

Mississippi completed what Massachusetts began in 1852 when it became the last state to approve a compulsory education law in 1917. This meant that every kid in the United States was expected to attend school, and that every city and town in the country was responsible for providing this education to its citizens.

1925 – The Darwin Debates

The Tennessee v. John Scopes trial, which took place in 1925, was one of the most well-known legal issues involving education in history.

Teacher John Scopes was charged with breaking a Tennessee law prohibiting the teaching of evolution in public schools in favour of a creationist viewpoint. Scopes was convicted, but the decision was eventually overturned.

1930s – Take Me to School

The Great Depression struck the United States in the 1930s, resulting in the closure of several public bus lines. It was difficult for youngsters to get to school as a result of this. Poorer pupils whose parents did not have access to private transportation were disproportionately affected.

The absence of public transit prompted a new educational innovation: bus transportation designed particularly for pupils. Students were able to get to school more easily with the help of these dedicated buses.

1946 – No Kid Hungry

Even after the Great Depression ended, its ramifications persisted. Many families were still struggling to feed their children, and many youngsters arrived at school famished.

The National School Lunch Act was created by the federal government in response to the fact that learning is difficult on an empty stomach. This law established free and low-cost lunch programmes for low-income kids, guaranteeing that they received at least one meal every day.

1954 – Say No to Segregation

It’s hard to believe, but most schools were separated less than a century ago. Towns would have separate schools for white and black kids, with the black schools frequently falling far short of the white schools’ standards.

School segregation on the basis of race was declared unconstitutional in 1954. This was one of the most significant educational reforms in the history of the United States.

1958 – Sputnik and Schools

Many people were anxious that the Russians were ahead of them in science, technology, engineering, and math when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first satellite to orbit the Earth.

In 1958, legislators established the National Defense Education Act in order to avoid losing the Space Race. This bill increased financing to schools at all levels in order to raise educational standards in the United States, notably in STEM subjects.

1972 – Girl Power

Title IX of the Higher Education Act was passed by the United States Congress in 1972. This law outlaws sex-based discrimination against students in federally funded schools. This meant that female kids could not be barred from attending any publicly financed school, resource, or activity. This law went a long way toward ensuring that females have equal opportunities in education.

2001 – No Child Left Behind

The No Child Left Behind Act intended to complete the work begun by the Nation at Risk criteria. For each academic area, this act established a set of federal grade-appropriate standards. Teachers must tailor their lessons to these criteria and use standardised testing to demonstrate that their pupils have mastered the concepts. This is one of the most divisive educational changes in American history.

2009 – Common Core

Common Core was designed to address some of the issues that No Child Left Behind had caused in classrooms. Instead of conforming to federal standards, states can set their own requirements for the abilities kids should achieve with Common Core.

2015 – Race to the Top

While creating educational standards is a vital first step, many schools fail to put them into practise due to a lack of resources. The 2015 Race to the Top project aimed to address this barrier by providing grant money to schools to assist them in adopting standards, providing professional development for teachers, and obtaining the resources they needed to boost their kids’ learning.

2020 – Covid-19

The Covid-19 epidemic wreaked havoc on the earth in 2020. To stop the spread of the disease, schools quickly closed their doors.

Schools were faced with the difficulty of finding ways to educate kids from the safety of their own homes as the pandemic lasted far longer than anyone expected.

The Future

The past few years have prompted us to consider the future of our education, and some experts have identified three key factors that will have an impact on the educational system in the coming years.

Initially, when technology became an increasingly significant component of human communication, we, as educators, needed to be sceptical of how to use technology effectively.