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Sante Fe School District v. Doe
A court case regarding school prayer. The US Supreme Court ruled that the student-led prayer before football games violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. -
No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)
Approved by Congress and George W. Bush signed into law to replace the Bilingual Education Act of 1968. Schools mandated student testing, accountability to student achievement levels, and provides penalties for schools that do not make progress toward their NCLB goals. -
International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL)
A non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing online education for students K-12. Their mission is to transform the advancement of breakthrough policies and practices to ensure high-quality learning. -
The Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act (IDEA 2004)
Reauthorized and modified the Act required school districts to use the Response to Intervention (RTI) approach for early identification of students at risk for specific learning disabilities. The RTI approach uses a three-tiered model for screening, monitoring, and providing intervention using research based instruction with the goal of reducing the need of services. -
Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District
The US District Court of Pennsylvania rules that teaching intelligent design as an alternative to evolution is a violation of the First Amendment. -
American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD),
First known as the American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR), but changed the name to join the trend toward use of the term intellectual disability in place of mental retardation. -
Meredith v. Jefferson County Board of Education
The US Supreme Court ruled that race cannot be a factor in assigning students to high schools. This ruling rejected integrations plans and possibly affecting similar plans in districts around the nation. -
Quest to Learn (Q2L)
The first school to teach through game-based learning. The experiment started in New York City with a class of sixth graders and a plan to add a grade each year until the school serves students in grades 6-12. -
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Provided more than 90-billion dollars for education which aided local school districts to prevent layoffs and updates/repairs. It includes the Race to the Top initiative which gives a 4.35-billion dollar program designed to induce reform in K-12 education. -
Common Core State Standards Initiative
An educational initiative that details what K-12 students throughout the US should know in English language arts and mathematics at the conclusion of each grade level. -
Obama signs trillion-dolar budget
The bill restores some, but not all, of the cuts to federal education programs that resulted from sequestration. -
Vergara v. California
The Superior Court of California ruled that laws regarding teacher tenure, seniority rights and dismissal are unconstitutional. California is not the only state that attempting to weaken or eliminate teacher tenure protections. -
Too Much Testing Movement
President Obama joins the "too much testing" movement as his new plan calls for limiting standardized testing to no more than 2% of class time. -
Every Student Succeeds Act
President Obama signs ESSA into law after the US Senate votes 85-12. This latest version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) replaces No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and allows more state control in judging school quality. -
Transgender Bathrooms
Most courts who have looked at the issue have said that this includes discrimination against someone because they are transgender or because they don’t meet gender-related stereotypes or expectations. Several other federal and state laws also protect transgender students. -
California Multilingual Education Act
Gave the opportunity to provide all parents with the choice to have their children educated to high standards in English and one or more additional languages. The parents will now have the opportunity to participate in building innovative new language acquisition programs. -
Case of Endrew F v Douglas County School District
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously rules that schools must offer "an individualized education program reasonably calculated to enable a child to make progress appropriate in light of the child's circumstances." -
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
Donal Trump signs bill to lower corporate taxes as well as those for most individuals. Educational implications include maintaining the $250 limit on deductions teachers can take for school supplies and expanding the use of 529 savings plans for K-12 private and homeschool costs. The final bill does not include provisions to tax graduate student tuition benefits nor those provided to college and university employees. -
Parkland, Florida Massacre
Stoneman Douglas High School students become passionate advocates for gun control and school safety. Their activism soon spreads across the nation. In a meeting with students, parents, and teachers affected by gun violence, President Trump promises more rigorous background checks and better mental health screenings for gun buyers. He later suggests training and arming teachers in order to improve school safety. -
Janus v. AFSCME
The Supreme Court Wednesday dealt a huge blow to public-sector unions and the labor movement in general, ruling in Janus v. AFSCME that public employees do not have to pay fees to unions to cover the costs of collective bargaining.