- Office of Education
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The Office of Education was a small unit in the General Government of the United States. It was created on March 2, 1867, as the Department of Education, using the same titles as another unit which it superseded.[1] Henry Barnard was appointed as the first Commissioner of Education in 1867. During his three years of service, the name of the unit was changed to the Bureau of Education. He was replaced by John Eaton in 1870. The official names was "Office of Education" from 1870 to 1929. [2]
Contents
Purpose
The collecting of educational statistics had already begun in parts of Europe. The Office of Education was created to meet the need to gather statistical information on the fast-growing educational institutions of the United States. Reformers hoped that the Office would become a powerful federal agency, but were frustrated at every turn by Congress, which did not or want to trespass on the right of the states to control educational policy.
The Commissioner of Education was required to prepare a Report annually, which was printed and given to members of Congress and other persons. In 1875, 20,000 copies of the Report for 1874 were printed; 5,000 copies for the use of members of the Senate, 10,000 copies for the use of members of the House of Representatives, and 5,000 copies for the use of the Commissioner of Education.
Agricultural colleges
In 1857, Congressman Morrill introduced a bill for the establishment, through the aid of public land grants, of State colleges throughout the country primarily for the teaching of agriculture and the mechanical arts. On Monday, February 1, 1858, a petition of the Ohio State Board of Agriculture was presented to the Senate "praying that a donation of land be made to each of the States for the establishment of agricultural colleges." Neither of the proposals was accepted until the time of the Lincoln administration (1861-65), after which it became necessary to gather information on the many schools already in existence, as well as on those being built.
One nation
The National Bureau of Education had a unifying influence on the different educational institutions of the United States, caused by supplying the leaders of the institutions with information that enabled them to know of the practices of the various institutions.
Overview
The Office of Education was a unit of the Department of the Interior, therefore it was under the aegis of the Secretary of the Interior. It had no power to control the actions of educational institutions. At various times during its first decades of existence, attempts were made to change its name. These names (Board, Department, Office, and Bureau) were considered. In 1873, a bill (H. R. 3782) was introduced which would change its name to the Bureau of Education and Statistics.
It gathered information on diverse educational facilities such as those built to bring an education to American Indians as well as all of the facilities in all of the other places.
Repeal of the law
In 1972, Public Law 92-318 provided the repeal of the law which had created the Office of Education. The repeal took effect on July 1, 1972.
Successors
- United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (1953-79)
- United States Department of Education (1980-present)
References
External links
Sources
Categories:- Defunct agencies of the United States government
- History of education in the United States
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