In colonial and early America, the only education was private education. Poorer children took on an apprenticeship; wealthy families taught their children at home --- boys with a tutor who instructed in classical literature and languages, girls with a governess who would teach domestic skills, such as weaving, sewing, cooking and conversation.
Eventually there came a demand for English grammar schools, which taught a mixture of practical skills for business, such as foreign languages, ship navigation, bookkeeping, art, music and dance. Around this period, the Quakers became concerned with the education of women, freed slaves and American Indians.
In the 1840s, the common-school movement began. Its aim was to educate children, socialize new immigrants, and reduce poverty and crime. Initially, these reforms were concerned with younger children, but by the 1870s, taxes were being set aside for the funding of high schools that prepared students for college. Private schools remained available if families were able to afford the tuition.
After the abolition of slavery, Jim Crow laws kept black students from attending public schools with their white peers. Initially, the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson held up these laws, so long as students attended "separate but equal" facilities. However, in 1954, the case of Brown v. Board of Education ruled that separate schools were not equal, and public schools finally began racial integration.
In 1975, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act --- also referred to as Public Law 94-142 --- was passed; it ensured that children with disabilities would be educated, just like their non-disabled peers. Before this law was passed, many children with disabilities were institutionalized, neglected and abused. Over the years, Public Law 94-142 has been reauthorized and evolved, and today it is known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. IDEA guarantees a free and appropriate public education to children with disabilities, and a personalized Individual Education Plan. The IEP addresses the student's needs in the educational environment. Public schools must comply with IDEA, but private schools do not. However, some private schools now make their focus on a specific need or disability, including autism, dyslexia, and AD/HD.