The American School — Then

An overview of how the American School System we know today came about.

Based upon the PBS Special “School: The Story of American Public Education,” this paper takes a close look at how schools were formed. From Noah Webster wanting to change textbooks to erase much of the English teachings and make them more “American” to the advances in civil rights and the signing of Title IX, this paper gives an overview of how major changes helped to shape the mission statements of all public schools.
“Schools were considered extremely important prior to and just after the war for American independence ended. As a way of helping to meld the thirteen colonies into a united, independent nation, Noah Webster emphasized the need to remove British texts from the few schools that were currently serving the more privileged and ensure that American students would be taught American ideals.”