History of Education in the United States

This Research Guide provides a focused and accessible entry point into the history of education in the United States, offering curated resources for students, educators, and researchers interested in how American educational systems and philosophies have evolved over time. From early colonial schooling to the development of public education, higher education, and special education, this guide highlights key moments, figures, and policies that have shaped the educational landscape.

By bringing together scholarly articles, books, primary source documents, and multimedia materials, this guide supports a variety of research needs and academic levels. Whether you're exploring the origins of compulsory schooling, examining the impact of landmark legislation like Brown v. Board of Education, or researching the role of education in social reform movements, this Guide offers reliable tools and guidance to deepen your understanding and support your academic work.

This Guide is organized by type of material to help you quickly locate the best resources for studying the history of education in the United States. Use the navigation menu to explore different categories, including books, scholarly journals, websites, and primary sources.

Each section includes carefully selected resources that are relevant, reliable, and accessible through the library or open access platforms. Whether you're looking for an overview, in-depth analysis, or original historical documents, this guide will point you in the right direction. If you need help finding additional materials or developing your research topic, feel free to reach out to the librarian listed on this page.

This guide covers a broad span of U.S. education history, and many of the sources reflect the language, social conventions, and institutional structures of their time. Some terms that appear in older literature (for example “colored schools,” “special education (handicapped),” or “bilingual immigrant schools”) are now considered outdated or insensitive. We encourage you to approach these materials with historical and critical awareness: consider what the terminology signaled at the time, who used it, whose voices are missing, and what institutional dynamics underlay the language.

When you use these sources, pay attention to how changes in terminology and language reflect broader shifts in educational policy, social attitudes, and equity/justice concerns. Recognizing how language is embedded in history can deepen your analysis and enrich your research.