The educational system in the United States has been growing for nearly 400 years and has seen many milestones and notable moments. Jerry Jellig has been a part of this history and has helped change the culture of New Jersey education in the South Brunswick School District.

But Jerry Jellig is also an education history buff who loves sharing his knowledge of U.S. education with others. So without further ado, here are some interesting facts from Jerry Jellig about the history of U.S. education

• In 2001, the United States government passes the No Child Left Behind Act, which aimed at bringing accountability and reform to the educational system. In this piece, Jerry Jellig gave his thoughts on the No Child Left Behind Act, which has since been switched to the Every Student Succeeds Act.
• The United States had racially segregated schools through the 1960s. This was despite the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling in 1954. But by the 1970s, segregated school systems in the U.S. were eliminated.
• By the time 1900 rolled around, 31 states made school attendance mandatory for students ages 8-14. By 1918, every state required its students to complete elementary school.
• Public schooling was not popular in the South until that region’s Reconstruction Era, which took place after the Civil War.
• Before public schools became common in the South, affluent families would pay for private tutors to educate their children.
• In the mid-19^th century, the responsibility of academics fell solely on the shoulders of public schools.
• In early American education, girls were typically taught how to read but they were not taught how to write.
• Before the mid-19^th century when public schools decided to focus only on academics, their responsibilities were elsewhere, including teaching students about family virtues, religion and community, rather than math or reading.
• The very first public school in the United States was the Boston Latin School, which opened in 1635. This school helped pave the way for other public schools in the 13 colonies during the 17^th

Jerry Jellig’s impact has been felt by the United States educational system in many ways. You can also find the advice of Jerry Jellig in national academic publications such as EdWeek.org, and he also serves as an adjunct professor of organizational theory at the University of Pennsylvania.