Bureau of Education (National)
Encyclopedia
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 It was created on March 2, 1867, as the Department of Education, using the same titles as another unit which it superseded. 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.
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
.
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.
, caused by supplying the leaders of the institutions with information that enabled them to know of the practices of the various institutions.
, 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.
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
. It was created on March 2, 1867, as the Department of Education, using the same titles as another unit which it superseded. Henry Barnard
Henry Barnard
Henry Barnard was an American educationalist and reformer.-Biography:...
was appointed as the first Commissioner of Education
Commissioner of Education
The Commissioner of Education was the title given to the head of the National Bureau of Education, a former unit within the Department of the Interior in the United States...
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
John Eaton (General)
For other people named John Eaton, see John Eaton .John Eaton, Jr. was a U.S. Commissioner of Education and a brevet brigadier general during the American Civil War.-Early life:...
in 1870. The official names was "Office of Education" from 1870 to 1929.
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
Commissioner of Education
The Commissioner of Education was the title given to the head of the National Bureau of Education, a former unit within the Department of the Interior in the United States...
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
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, 10,000 copies for the use of members of the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, and 5,000 copies for the use of the Commissioner of Education
Commissioner of Education
The Commissioner of Education was the title given to the head of the National Bureau of Education, a former unit within the Department of the Interior in the United States...
.
Agricultural colleges
In 1857, Congressman MorrillJustin Smith Morrill
Justin Smith Morrill was a Representative and a Senator from Vermont, most widely remembered today for the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act that established federal funding for establishing many of the United States' public colleges and universities...
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
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
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 StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 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 InteriorUnited States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
, therefore it was under the aegis of the Secretary of the Interior
United States Secretary of the Interior
The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...
. 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
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
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 EducationUnited States Department of EducationThe United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
(1980-present)
Sources
- 38th-43rd Congresses
- New International EncyclopediaNew International EncyclopediaThe New International Encyclopedia was an American encyclopedia first published in 1902 by Dodd, Mead and Company. It descended from the International Cyclopaedia and was updated in 1906, 1914 and 1926.-History:...