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Literacy in the Colonial Era
Literacy in the American colonies was a constant preoccupation of European settlers. Geographical location influenced access to instruction, but in most colonies, by the 1770s, White men had achieved nearly 90 percent signing rates, and White women's signatures on deeds ranged from 50 to 85 percent. This entry looks at the development of literacy during this period, its methodology, and its missionary links.
Early Immigrants
The first English immigrants brought with them their own literacy, schoolbooks, and a printing press. In 1642, the Massachusetts colony passed a “Poor Law” decreeing that all heads of families and masters of apprentices should have the children under their roof taught to read as well as acquire a practical skill. Later, laws legislated that boys (but not girls) must also ...
- Arts, Media, and Technology
- Adaptive Technology
- Aesthetics in Education
- Arts Education Policy
- Assistive Technology
- Audiovisual Education, History of
- Channel One
- Computer-Assisted Instruction
- Computing, Ethical Issues
- Cultural Literacy
- Digital Divide
- Distance Learning
- Folklore
- Great Books of the Western World
- Images of Teachers in Popular Culture
- International Expositions
- Internet, Social Impact of
- Journalism and Education
- Media Literacy
- Multicultural Education
- Popular Culture
- Rap Music and Oral Literacy
- Technoliteracy
- Technologies in Education
- Television, Public Educational
- Video Games and Learning
- Visual Instruction Movement
- Curriculum
- Abstinence-Only Sexual Education
- Afrocentric Education
- Alternative Schools
- Antiracist Education
- Arts Education Policy
- Biography
- Catechisms
- Citizenship Education
- Classical Curriculum
- Comparative and International Education
- Comprehensive High Schools
- Confederate Textbooks
- Cooperative Learning
- Critical Geographies of Education
- Critical Literacy
- Critical Mathematics
- Critical Psychology
- Critical Thinking
- Cultural Literacy
- Cultural Pluralism
- Cultural Studies
- Culturally Responsive Teaching
- Curriculum Challenges in Schools
- Curriculum Theory
- Delinquency Education
- Democracy and Education
- Discrimination and Prejudice
- Drug Education
- Ecojustice and Social Justice
- Engineering Education, Origins and History of
- Foreign Language Instruction
- Hidden and Null Curriculum
- HIV/AIDS
- Holocaust Education
- Immigrant Education: Contemporary Issues
- Indigenous Knowledges
- Life Adjustment Movement
- Life Histories
- Mainstreaming
- Manual and Industrial Training
- Medical Education
- Migrant Education
- Miseducation
- Moral Education
- Multicultural Education
- New England Primer, The
- Normal Schools, History of
- Nursing Education, History of
- Oral History
- Peace Education
- Penmanship
- Philosophy of Education
- Phonics and Whole Language
- Physical Education in American Schools
- Place-Based Education
- Postcolonialism
- Postmodernism
- Progressive Education
- Psychoanalysis and Education
- Queer Theory
- Reading, History of
- Religion in the Public School Curriculum
- Rural Education
- Science, Impact on Twentieth-Century Education
- Science, Technology, and Education: Historical Perspectives
- Service Learning
- Social Justice, Education for
- Social Studies Education
- Spirituality and Schooling
- Sputnik
- Standards
- Technoliteracy
- Textbooks, History of
- Trivium and Quadrivium
- Values Education
- Visual Instruction Movement
- Visual Literacy
- Work-Based Learning
- Economic Issues
- Advertising in Schools
- Boards of Education
- Bureaucracy
- Busing
- Child Labor
- Class Size
- Commercialization of Schools
- Company-Sponsored Schooling
- Corporate Involvement in Education
- Economic Inequality
- Education and Economic Development
- Family, School, and Community Partnerships
- Federal and State Educational Jurisdiction
- Fundraising in Schools
- Great Depression
- Hegemony
- Homeless Children and Adolescents, Education of
- Julius Rosenwald Fund
- Lunch Programs
- Migrant Education
- Phelps Stokes Fund
- Philanthropy, Educational
- Privatization
- School Funding
- State Role in Education
- United Negro College Fund
- Vending Machines in Schools
- Equality and Social Stratification
- “Scientific” Racism
- Achievement Gap
- Affirmative Action
- Antiracist Education
- Bilingual Education, History of
- Civil Rights Movement
- Colorblindness
- Culture-Fair Testing
- Desegregation
- Digital Divide
- Disabilities and the Politics of Schooling
- Disabilities, Physical Accommodations for People With
- Discrimination and Prejudice
- Ecojustice and Social Justice
- Economic Inequality
- Educational Equity: Gender
- Educational Equity: Race/Ethnicity
- English-Only Movement
- Equal Access Act
- Gifted Education, Diversity Issues and
- Gifted Education, Policy Issues
- Global Child Advocacy
- Head Start
- Human Rights Education
- Individuals With Disabilities Education Act
- Learning Disabilities and English Language Learners
- Learning Disabilities and Higher Education Access
- Least Restrictive Environment
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Students and Teachers: Rights of
- Marxism
- Mexican Americans and Access to Equal Educational Opportunities
- Migrant Education
- Minority Disproportionality in Special Education
- Minority Student Access to Higher Education
- Native American Education, History of
- Postcolonialism
- Privilege
- School Choice
- School Funding
- Slave Codes and Literacy
- Social Justice, Education for
- Special Education, Contemporary Issues
- Special Education, History of
- Tracking and Detracking
- Vulnerability
- White Privilege
- Evaluation, Testing, and Research Methods
- Accountability
- Achievement Gap
- Achievement Tests
- Authentic Assessment
- Culture-Fair Testing
- Educational Indicators
- Educational Reform
- Gallup Polls
- Hawthorne Effect
- High-Stakes Testing
- History Standards, National
- Intelligence Testing
- Intelligence, Theories of
- Mixed Methods Research
- Nation at Risk, A
- No Child Left Behind Act
- Observation Research
- Plagiarism
- Pygmalion Effect
- Qualitative Research
- Standardized Testing
- Teachers as Researchers
- Testing, History of Educational
- U.S. Department of Education
- History of Education
- Activism and the Social Foundations of Education
- Activist Teachers
- After-School Education
- American Education, Themes in the History of
- American Sign Language
- Biliteracy
- Catholic Education, History of
- Chautauqua Movement
- Child Labor
- Committee of Eight
- Committee of Fifteen
- Committee of Seven
- Committee of Ten
- Community of Practice
- Compensatory Education
- Desegregation Academies
- Early Childhood Education
- Education in the New American Republic
- Education, Aims of
- Education, History of
- Educational Anthropology
- Educational Research, History of
- Eugenics
- Family Literacy
- Folklore
- Free School Movement
- Gifted Education, History of
- Globalization and Education
- Higher Education, History of
- Immigrant Education: History
- Libraries, History of
- Literacy in the South
- Lyceum Movement
- Mentoring, Youth
- Phrenology
- Physical Education, History of
- Playgrounds
- Principalship, History of
- Resistance, Student
- School Architecture
- Schools of Education
- Social Action, Democratic Classrooms for
- Social Frontier, The
- Sociology of Education
- Sports Mascots
- Law and Public Policy
- Academic Freedom
- Affirmative Action
- Alternative Accreditation for Teachers
- Alternative Schools
- Americanization Movement
- Antiracist Education
- Arts Education Policy
- Athletics, Policy Issues
- Bilingual Education, History of
- Brown v. Board of Education
- Bullying
- Bureaucracy
- Busing
- Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education
- Charter Schools
- Child Abuse: Issues for Teachers
- Child Labor
- Church and State
- Citizenship Education
- Civil Rights Movement
- Class Size
- Clothing, Banning of Symbolic
- Coeducation
- Commercialization of Schools
- Compulsory Educational Attendance Laws
- Corporal Punishment
- Culturally Responsive Teaching
- Culture-Fair Testing
- Desegregation
- Disabilities and the Politics of Schooling
- Disabilities, Physical Accommodations for People With
- Dress Codes
- Dropouts
- Education Commission of the States
- Educational Policy and the American Presidency
- Educational Reform
- English-Only Movement
- Equal Access Act
- Ethics Codes for Teachers
- Federal and State Educational Jurisdiction
- Foreign Language Instruction
- Fundraising in Schools
- GI Bill of Rights (Servicemen's Readjustment Act)
- Gifted Education, Policy Issues
- Global Child Advocacy
- Hate Crimes in Schools
- Head Start
- History Standards, National
- Homeschooling
- Ideology and Schooling
- Immigrant Education: Contemporary Issues
- Japanese Detention Camps, Education in
- Kindergarten, History of
- Learning Disabilities and Higher Education Access
- Least Restrictive Environment
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Students and Teachers: Rights of
- Lunch Programs
- Mainstreaming
- Mental Retardation and Education
- Mexican Americans and Access to Equal Educational Opportunities
- Minority Student Access to Higher Education
- Morrill Act
- Nation at Risk, A
- National Defense Education Act
- Native American Higher Education
- Natural Disasters
- No Child Left Behind Act
- Parent Rights
- Physical Education in American Schools
- Plagiarism
- Pledge of Allegiance
- Politics of Education
- Privatization
- Religion in the Public School Curriculum
- Religious Fundamentalism and Public Education
- Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC)
- Rights of Students
- Rights of Teachers
- Rural Education
- School Choice
- School Funding
- School Law
- Sex Education
- Sexual Misconduct by Educational Professionals
- Sexual Orientation and Identity, Educational Policy on
- Single-Sex Education
- Small Schools Movement
- Smith-Hughes Act
- Socialist Education and U.S. Children
- Special Education, Contemporary Issues
- Sputnik
- Standardized Testing
- Standards
- State Role in Education
- Surveillance in Schools
- Teacher Certification
- Teacher Preparation
- Testing, History of Educational
- Title IX
- U.S. Department of Education
- United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
- Vending Machines in Schools
- Violence in Schools
- Literacy
- Multiculturalism and Special Populations
- Adult Education and Literacy
- African American Education
- African American Education: From Slave to Free
- African American Private Academies
- Asian American Education
- Biracial Identity
- Black English Vernacular
- Blind, Education for the
- Colorblindness
- Cross-Cultural Learning in Adults
- Deaf Culture
- Deaf, Education for the
- Disabilities, Physical Accommodations for People With
- Drug-Exposed Children
- Global Awareness Exchange
- Globalization and Education
- Hispanic Education
- Homeless Children and Adolescents, Education of
- Immigrant Education: Contemporary Issues
- Learning Disabilities and English Language Learners
- Learning Disabilities and Higher Education Access
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Students and Teachers: Rights of
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Students: Advocacy Groups for
- Mental Retardation and Education
- Mexican Americans and Access to Equal Educational Opportunities
- Migrant Education
- Minority Disproportionality in Special Education
- Minority Student Access to Higher Education
- Multicultural Education
- Multiculturalism, Philosophical Implications
- Muslim Students in U.S. Schools
- Native American Higher Education
- Prison Education
- Rap Music and Oral Literacy
- Rural and One-Room Schools
- Rural Education
- Special Education, Contemporary Issues
- Tribal Colleges
- White Privilege
- Whiteness and Education
- Organizations, Schools, and Institutions
- African American Private Academies
- Alternative Schools
- American Federation of Teachers
- American Labor Colleges
- Anna T. Jeanes Foundation
- Archives and Library Collections on Education
- Boards of Education
- Boston Latin School
- Boy Scouts of America
- Carlisle Barracks School
- Charter Schools
- Children's and Educational Museums, History of
- Comprehensive High Schools
- Correspondence Schools
- Dalton School
- Desegregation Academies
- Education Commission of the States
- Freedmen's Bureau
- General Education Board (1901–1964)
- Girl Scouts of America
- Highlander Folk School
- Historically Black Catholic Schools
- Historically Black Colleges and Universities
- History of Education Society
- Holmes Group
- Horace Mann School
- John Dewey Society
- Laboratory School, University of Chicago
- Museums
- National Education Association
- New Harmony
- Organizations for Teacher Educators
- Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
- Park Schools
- Peabody Education Fund
- Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC)
- Rosenwald Schools
- Rural and One-Room Schools
- Southern Regional Education Board
- Spelman College
- Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
- Students for a Democratic Society
- Summerhill
- Tribal Colleges
- U.S. Department of Education
- Religion and Social Values
- Activism and the Social Foundations of Education
- Catholic Education, History of
- Catholic Schools, Contemporary Issues
- Child Abuse: Issues for Teachers
- Church and State
- Civil Rights Movement
- Ecojustice and Social Justice
- Ethical Issues and School Athletics
- Ethics and Education
- Eugenics
- Gangs in Schools
- Hate Crimes in Schools
- Historically Black Catholic Schools
- Human Rights Education
- Ideology and Schooling
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Students and Teachers: Rights of Parent Rights
- Religion in the Public School Curriculum
- Religious Fundamentalism and Public Education
- Rights of Students
- Rights of Teachers
- Sexual Misconduct by Educational Professionals
- Shaker Education
- Social Justice, Education for
- Spirituality and Schooling
- Teachers, Religious Values of
- United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child
- Violence in Schools
- School Governance
- Athletics, Policy Issues
- Bullying
- Bureaucracy
- Busing
- Cheerleading
- Clothing, Banning of Symbolic
- Computing, Ethical Issues
- Corporal Punishment
- Dress Codes
- Dropouts
- Ethical Issues and School Athletics
- Ethics and Education
- Ethics Codes for Teachers
- Gangs in Schools
- Homework
- Mainstreaming
- Mentoring, Youth
- Plagiarism
- Principalship, History of
- Rights of Students
- Rights of Teachers
- School Choice
- School Funding
- School Governance
- School Law
- Scientific Management
- Sex Education
- Sexual Misconduct by Educational Professionals
- Sexual Orientation and Identity, Educational Policy on
- Sports Mascots
- Superintendency
- Surveillance in Schools
- Vending Machines in Schools
- Video Games and Learning
- Sexuality and Gender
- Abstinence-Only Sexual Education
- Athletics, Policy Issues
- Boy Scouts of America
- Coeducation
- Compulsory Heterosexuality
- Declarations on Women's Rights
- Dress Codes
- Dropouts
- Drug Education
- Educational Equity: Gender
- Feminist Theory in Education
- Feminization of the Teaching Profession
- Gender and School Violence
- HIV/AIDS
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Students: Advocacy Groups for
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Students and Teachers: Rights of
- Queer Theory
- Sex Education
- Sexual Orientation and Identity, Educational Policy on
- Sexuality, Gender, and Education
- Single-Sex Education
- Social Foundations of Education: Feminist Perspectives
- Stereotypes of Teachers
- Women, Higher Education of
- Teachers
- Activist Teachers
- Alternative Accreditation for Teachers
- First-Person Accounts of Teaching
- Images of Teachers in Popular Culture
- Organizations for Teacher Educators
- Parent Rights
- Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
- Schools of Education
- Teacher Alienation and Burnout
- Teacher Attitudes Toward the Teaching Profession
- Teacher Beliefs About Students
- Teacher Certification
- Teacher Education in a Global Context
- Teacher Preparation
- Teacher Recruitment
- Teacher Satisfaction
- Teachers as Researchers
- Teachers College, Columbia University
- Teachers, Literary Portrayals of
- Teachers, Professional Status of
- Teachers, Religious Values of
- Teaching Profession, History of
- Theories, Models, and Philosophical Perspectives
- “Scientific” Racism
- Action Research in Education
- Active Learning
- Adult Education and Literacy
- Authentic Assessment
- Chaos Theory
- Community of Practice
- Comparative and International Education
- Complexity Theory
- Constructivism
- Context in Education
- Critical Geographies of Education
- Critical Literacy
- Critical Mathematics
- Critical Psychology
- Critical Race Theory
- Critical Theory
- Critical Thinking
- Cultural Capital
- Cultural Studies
- Culture Epoch Theory
- Curriculum Theory
- Dalton Plan
- Deskilling
- Disability Studies
- Discursive Practices
- Education, Aims of
- Educational Transfer
- Educationese
- Feminist Theory in Education
- Gary (Indiana) Model
- Hampton Model
- Hawthorne Effect
- Head Start
- Hegemony
- Holistic Education
- Ideology and Schooling
- Intelligence, Theories of
- Local Knowledge
- Marxism
- Mixed Methods Research
- Models and Methods of Teaching
- Multiculturalism, Philosophical Implications
- New Harmony
- Observation Research
- Paideia
- Performance Theory
- Philosophy of Education
- Place-Based Education
- Postcolonialism
- Postmodernism
- Praxis
- Project Method
- Pygmalion Effect
- Qualitative Research
- Reconceptualist Models of Education
- Reggio Emilia Approach
- Reproduction, Educational
- Semiotics
- Small Schools Movement
- Social Action, Democratic Classrooms for
- Social Capital
- Social Construction of Disability
- Vulnerability
- Waldorf Education
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