Education

The secretary of education, who heads the state department of education, has overall responsibility for public elementary and secondary education. The secretary is appointed by the governor. School attendance is compulsory from age 8 to 17.

The Frame of Government drawn up by William Penn in 1683 stipulated that education in reading, writing, and some trade be provided to all children of the colony. The William Penn Charter School was opened; Philadelphia in 1689.

In 1827 the Pennsylvania Society for Promotion of Public Schools was organized. Through its efforts and those of Governor George Wolf, the Free School Act of 1834 was passed. This act—the basis of the present public school system—created school districts, required a three-month school term, and provided tax appropriations for free schools. The Normal School Act of 1857 established teacher-training institutions.

In 1740 a charity school was opened in Philadelphia; it developed into the College and Academy of Philadelphia in 1755 and became the University of Pennsylvania in 1791. )

Pennsylvania State University is a coeducational state-supported institution of higher learning and a land-grant college. Its main campus is at University Park. There branch campuses throughout the state, including the Hershey Medical Center at Heshey shey The university was chartered in 1855 and first offered college-level instruction in 1859.