The twentieth century meant change for every citizen of the United States. With two World Wars, a severe depression, the struggle for the rights of women and minorities, and amazing technological advancements, the country rose and fell sporadically, but always found itself back on top. Because government, economy, and public interest were the focus of the century, the issue of education was an endless matter. Due to this rise in public concern and involvement in education, numerous reforms and advancements have been made to enforce Civil Rights in schools, ensure parental involvement in education, and improve curriculum.
             At the turn of the century, education had become crucial to much of the population of the United States. Schools were opening across the country and becoming more advanced with every year. There was still one problem; these schools were only available for the white, upper and middle class children. African-Americans tried to open small schools of their own. Some survived, but faced numerous problems. The teacher's salaries were so low that they often had to be supplemented by black churches. At the same time, they had shorter school years when they really needed longer to bring the black students to the same level as their long-educated white peers. They taught all classes with a lack of books, desks, and many other supplies much needed to run a school. Two African-American women were very dissatisfied with the condition of the schools. Fanny Jackson Coppin was the first African-American to graduate from Oberlin College. She believed that black children should receive the same quality of education as white children. In 1902, Coppin began a program to train black teachers. She developed classes on school hygiene, reading skills, and how the teachers should effectively present material to their classes. Her programs not only increased the number of qualified teachers in African-American schools,...