Chemistry education - American Education

An outgrowth of ancient alchemy, chemistry entered modern school curricula in the 18th and early 19th centuries as part of the training required for medicine.
Two special-purpose institutions, however, pioneered its introduction into the standard secondary school and college curriculum: the UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY at West Point and the RENSSELAER INSTITUTE (now Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute), which taught science and engineering technology. As the industrial revolution increased the importance of and interest in chemistry, liberal arts colleges turned to West Point and Rensselaer for model teaching programs in chemistry, physics, advanced mathematics and engineering, as well as laboratory instruction. In recent years, secondary school chemistry education has experienced several major revisions, including those of the Chemical Bond Approach Committee and those of the American Chemical Society in 1963.