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Compulsory Attendance
By 1918 all states had established laws requiring that all children attend school to receive a basic education. Quite simply, without this requirement children would not have received an education and our society would not have flourished the way that is has. A more educated society is a more democratic, more productive, and more progressive society. -
Cardinal Principles Report
This report expanded high school education to include alternative subjects for students not preparing to go to college, allowing all students to receive a basic education and then select a path that interested them. This gave rise to a variety of intelligence and achievement tests. Without this expanded curriculum, students would have not received the training to pursue non-collegiate vocations. -
Brown v. Board of Education
When the Supreme Court ruled that the concept of separate but equal was inherently unequal, it changed not only the face of education but society as a whole. It also established education as an important function of state and local government. Without this pivotal ruling, schools might still be segregated and African American students might still be receiving substandard education. -
Public law 85-926
This law marked the beginning of training for special education teachers, who would later advocate for the rights of students with disabilities. It was the foundation for the Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1975 and later, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1990. Without this legislation, today many students with disabilities would not receive appropriate educational services to help them be successful. -
Nation at Risk report
This report criticized schools for not performing at a level that would maintain the United States’ position as a leading power in the world market. It gave rise to minimum competency tests and later iterations of standardized tests that would follow. Without this report, standardized testing and its associated focus of instruction would not be the controversial issue that it is today.
