Nyc Board Of Education history

After 1814, if the cost of instruction exceeded the total of state aid plus local tax, as it generally did, the difference was made up by charging tuition, or "rates," itemized on "rate bills." By mid-century New York had over ten thousand common school districts.

For example, in a number of cases the Superintendents of Common Schools, starting in 1837, barred sectarian religious exercises in public schools.

State-sponsored historical research began in 1839, when an agent transcribed documents in European archives, which were later translated and edited by Edmund B. O'Callaghan.

Catholics protested the Society's Protestant leanings, and in 1842 the Legislature established a parallel system of publicly- operated schools for New York City, to be governed by ward trustees and overseen by a city board of education.

State support began in 1846, when the Legislature appropriated money to help build reservation schools.

Founded in 1847, the forerunner of today’s City University of New York was governed by the Board of Education of New York City.

In 1853 a general law authorized one or more common districts to form a union free school district.

These innovations were discussed and promoted by the University convocations, meetings of educators held annually starting 1863.

Average daily attendance was used to compute part of general school aid starting 1866, in the hope of encouraging attendance.

Neither system ever achieved universal attendance during the 19th century, however, for not until 1874 was a compulsory attendance law for the primary grades enacted; new immigration subsequently overloaded all city schools.

Colleges were calling for higher standards in secondary schools, and an 1877 statute authorized the Regents to give "academic" examinations as a standard for high school graduation and college admission.

The first Regents high school syllabus was issued in 1880.

Hough, Franklin B. Historical and Statistical Record of the University of the State of New York during the Century from 1784 to 1884.

Starting in 1886 the Department of Public Instruction loaned glass lantern slides to teacher training institutions, school districts, and adult learning groups.

See footnote 13 State-funded, tuition-free, one-year training classes for rural school teachers were offered in selected rural high schools starting in 1889.

The finest concerts in a very musical city are heard in Carnegie Hall (1891); the two million dollars donated by Andrew Carnegie for its construction have perhaps given more pleasure per dollar than any other philanthropic endowment.

Growing public concern about child labor in factories and sweatshops helped persuade the Legislature to pass a strong compulsory attendance law in 1894.

The state minimum legal standards for teacher training and certification applied to city school districts starting 1897, and most smaller cities used the state teacher examinations.

After 1898 the greater city understood that it had obligations to create green space beyond the expanses of Central and Prospect parks, so gardens, along with zoos in every borough, were provided for residents.

The revised city charter of 1902 established a single school board appointed by the mayor.

Starting in 1904 a division (later bureau) of statistics manually collected and tabulated data on school district enrollments and finances, and used the data to calculate state aid.

Theatre is New York’s “fabulous invalid,” periodically near death and at other times revived, and Variety (1905) is the news magazine that informs the world of its health.

A single state board of medical examiners was established by statute in 1907.

Starting in 1910 private trade schools were required to be licensed and inspected.

The great monument to Commissioner Andrew S. Draper is the Education Building, completed in 1912, whose funding he secured.

After Draper's death in 1913, a rewriting of the Regents rules by Regent Pliny T. Sexton tended to make the University the primary administrative unit.

The Cole-Rice Law also provided financial incentives for the formation of "central rural school districts," first authorized by a 1914 statute.

The function was first carried out in the Department's old inspections division, in a separate division after 1915.

Unionization of city teachers began in 1916; the American Federation of Teachers is now the bargaining agent for the present-day staff.

The federal Vocational Education Act (Smith-Hughes Act) of 1917 made monies available to state boards of vocational education (in New York, the Board of Regents) to train young men to work in war factories.

After 1918 technical high schools, offering a more academic curriculum, were established in the largest cities.

While the Museum's exhibits focused on New York's geology, paleontology, botany, zoology, and anthropology, staff began collecting historical artifacts by the 1920s.

These "Americanization" classes were returned to local control in 1921, and some state aid was provided for them.

After 1922 high schools in city and village superintendencies could substitute other tests for the Regents exams.

However, the constitutional and statutory reorganization of state agencies in 1925-27 reestablished the Education Department as the administrative embodiment of the University of the State of New York.

In 1926, the Legislature established the Board of Higher Education of the City of New York, which assumed supervision of both municipal colleges.

In a revision of the Regents rules in 1928, a clear distinction was made, for the first time, between those (general) rules and Commissioner's regulations, which are administrative rules for executing and enforcing the Regents rules and the statutes relating to education.

Beginning in 1929, a special commission was convened to investigate the problems of “truancy” and “personality conduct” among New York City’s youth.

Starting in 1931 the finance division provided advice on accounting, auditing, and budgeting to newly-organized central rural school districts.

The Regents in 1937 approved the proposal of the State Examinations Board and the Department for comprehensive Regents examinations.

Since 1942 the Commissioner's regulations have been published in book or loose-leaf format.

After 1944 the Regents scholarship examination came into use.

After 1945 growth in the vocational education programs in the cities resumed, but statewide needs became more apparent.

The National School Lunch Act of 1946 provided for federal-state-local funding of a general school lunch program.

A separate public relations office was set up in 1948.

Abbott, Frank C. Government Policy and Higher Education: A Study of the Regents of the University of the State of New York, 1784-1949.

A major new state aid program for county and multi-county library systems was started in 1950, and has been enhanced and reformulated several times since.

The report on the Board of Regents and the office of Commissioner in the March 14, 1951, Report was authored by William J. Ronan.)

In 1953 the Regents obtained seven FCC permits for UHF channels; under a law passed the next year the Regents chartered educational television (ETV) councils to operate the stations.

The Regents of the University of the State of New York, 1784-1959.

While the new aid formula still favored rich districts willing to pay for better schools, it governed the allocation of state aid until 1962, when a revised formula took effect.

Professional rehabilitation services in sheltered workshops, the first in the nation, were funded in 1963.

Albany: 1965. (The first quadrennial report on public and private higher education in the State.)

The New York State inter-library loan network was established in essentially its present form as a multi-level, cooperative system in 1966.

After 1967 BOCES were authorized to own and operate their own facilities, and BOCES now offer vocational and special education programs as well as many administrative services for member districts.

By 1968 twenty-two districts had programs to achieve racial balance.

The first sign of fiscal stringency appeared in 1969, when the Governor's budget proposal recommended a five per cent cut for all agencies.

In 1970 the Department established a unit to visit and assist private and parochial schools, who now received some state aid for state-required tests and reports.

The New York State Teachers Association merged with the United Federation of Teachers to form the powerful New York State United Teachers in 1972.

The statistical data on higher education is now generated from the Higher Education Data System, or HEDS. The system began to be developed in 1973 and in recent years has been based in networked micro-computers.

A revised, interim state aid formula was enacted in 1974; it added a second tier of compensatory aid for under- performing and handicapped students.

Computerization of professional licensing and registration functions began in 1975.

Summer schools for the arts, established in 1976, gave instruction to students with special talents in music, drama, dance, and art.

In 1978-80 OVR used federal funds to establish a statewide network of Independent Living Centers (ILCs), community-based organizations run by individuals with disabilities to help their peers lead independent lives.

In 1979, the CUNY Financing and Governance Act was adopted by the State and the Board of Higher Education officially became The City University of New York Board of Trustees.

The Department developed new LEP regulations and curriculum in 1982.

After 1983 a centralized administrative audit unit for external programs was set up, including the audit function from the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.

Commissioner Gordon Ambach brought the three streams of tests, standards, and school review and improvement into the Regents Action Plan to Improve Elementary and Secondary Education, approved in 1984.

Albany: 1985. (Contains a brief historical overview and a guide to local information sources.)

State-funded work place literacy programs have been functioning since 1987.

In 1988 a new, short-lived Office of School Improvement and Support was set up to administer special aid and advisory programs for under-performing schools and students, with an emphasis on family and community relations.

VESID adopted an overall operational plan in 1990; significant planning and operational improvements have occurred in some other areas.

The Regents College Degrees and Programs became fully independent of the Education Department in 1991 but continues to be governed by the Board of Regents.

The full Board of Regents meets monthly (except August) and since 1994 has held some meetings outside of Albany.