Milestones in the History of Education

The following list indicates major events in education in New York State. 

• 1784 The Regents of The University of the State of New York were established by law. The Regents were to govern the former Kings College (renamed Columbia College), to establish and govern other schools and colleges, and to award degrees. 
• 1787 The powers of the Regents were changed. Henceforth, they would charter schools and colleges, each of which would be ' governed by its own Board of Trustees. The first academy charter was granted. 
• 1795 First general State aid was provided to common schools (continued until 1800). 
• 1805 The permanent Common School Fund was created from proceeds of sales of State lands. 
• 1812 The Common School Act divided towns of the State into school districts and, as amended in 1814, provided for administration and financing of schools, including State aid, local taxes, and tuition fees ("rate bills"). 
• 1813 The Literature Fund was created for aid to academies. 
• 1834 Program of aid to academies with teacher training departments was adopted. 
• 1844 The first State normal school for training teachers was established at Albany. 
• 1849 The Free School Act provided for elimination of rate bills. 
• 1851 The Free School Act was repealed, but a massive new State aid program provided major funding for localities. 
• 1853 The Union Free School Act encouraged consolidation of school districts, elimination of tuition fees, and creation of "academic" or secondary-level programs. 
• 1854 The Department of Public Instruction was established to supervise the school system. 
• 1865 The Regents Examination system was started. 
• 1867 Rate bills (tuition) ended statewide. 
• 1873 State Civil Rights Act sought to eliminate racial segregation by providing for equal access to public schools. 
• 1874 Compulsory attendance in school was required for children ages 8-14. The study of reading, spelling, writing, English grammar, and arithmetic was required. 
• 1894 The Revised State Constitution made explicit provision for a "system of free common schools, wherein all the children of this state may be educated." 
• 1903 The age for compulsory attendance was raised to 16. 
• 1904 The State Education Department and the office of Commissioner of Education were established under the Board of Regents. 
• 1913 The Central Rural School Act encouraged rural school districts to consolidate and form more efficient units of education. 
• 1917 Legislation was passed to require the establishment of classes for physically handicapped children. 
• 1925 The "equalization" formula for State school aid was introduced, targeting aid to districts with the least local resources.
• 1938 Normal schools were changed to teachers colleges and the course of study was extended from three to four years. 
• 1948 A broadened civil rights law was passed, requiring all educational institutions to admit students without regard for race, color, religion or national origin. 
• 1948 The Boards of Cooperative Educational Services were established. 
• 1954 Separate schools for Indian children were abolished. 
• 1974 Legislation was passed to prohibit discrimination against the disabled in education. 
• 1976 Programs for the gifted and talented were expanded. 
• 1983 The Regents developed an action plan to improve the quality of education in New York. 
• 1984 The statewide celebration of the Bicentennial of the Board of Regents provided an opportunity to assess past accomplishments and chart future directions for education in New York State.