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The Massachusetts Education Law of 1647
This law decreed that any town with fifty families would need to hire a teacher to teach children to read and write. It also decreed that any town with a hundred families would need to hire a grammar teacher to teach children to attend Harvard college. Townspeople wanted their children to be able to read their Bibles. This led to teachers getting paid for their profession and is the first brick leading to formal schooling in America. -
The Land Ordinance of 1785
This ordinance granted sections in each township for schools. The land had to be used as school land or use the land to fund education. These "land grants" were the start of the existing state public universities today. -
The Constitution of Pennsylvania 1790
In the constitution, it states that the state will provide free education to poor children. Rich children are still expected to pay for their education. It gave poor children an opportunity to be educated like the rich. T -
Massachusetts Public School Law
This law made public schools free to all students regardless of grade level. This law also required towns with 500 families to establish free public schools. This law led to many other states creating laws or acts creating free education for all students within the next 10 years across the nation. It started the free education for all for America. -
The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
This is the treaty that ended the war with Mexico. In this treaty, Mexico gave the U.S. what is now known as the U.S. Southwest. In exchange the U.S. guaranteed citizenship to all the citizens living in the area. The treaty also guaranteed that the citizens would also be able to use their native language including education. This treaty has been compromised many times in the U.S. throughout history even with Proposition 227 where teachers could not teach in Spanish. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
This was the first U.S. Supreme Court case to legalize separate but equal for blacks and whites. Homer Plessy, who was 7/8 white and 1/8 black bought a train ticket in Louisiana to ride the train and sat in the white passenger car. When asked to move to the black car, he refused and was arrested for violating the law. The court determined that the 13th and 14th Amendments were not violated since both cars were equal and it doesn't infringe upon rights if separate. -
Brown v. The Board of Education, Topeka
In this U.S. Supreme Court case, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff and said segregation in schools between blacks and whites was unconstitutional. This ruling overruled the Plessy v. Ferguson which legalized "separate but equal".This case was the beginning of integrating schools across the nation. It was a lawsuit the Brown family started when their daughter, Linda, was denied admission to the white school close to her home and had to take a bus to a black school further away. -
Title IX
Title IX was proposed to the Senate in 1972 by Senator Birch Bayh of Indiana. It was passed by the Senate and the House and was signed into law by President Nixon. This law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex/gender in education programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance including school sports. Many cases were brought to the Supreme Court after this law was signed across the nation when women were discriminated against in education and sports. -
Education of All Handicapped Children Act
This act required all public schools accepting federal funds to provide equal access to education and one free meal a day for children with physical and mental disabilities. This act was very vague in the beginning, but has been amended multiple times. Now, schools are required to evaluate a child's special needs, develop an individualized education program for the child, involve the child's parents, and educate the handicapped child along with non-handicapped children as much as possible. -
Plyler v. Roe
This is a Supreme Court case is which the state of Texas was denying school funds for undocumented children in school districts. The superintendent, James Plyler, took this case to the Supreme Court stating it was against the 14th Amendment. The Supreme Court ruled this was against the 14th Amendment and Texas could not withhold school funds for undocumented children. The undocumented children were able to get a free public education. -
Chipman v. Grant County School District
In this case, two high school students who were unwed mothers were denied membership into the National Honors Society. The two girls were Somer Chipman and Chasity Glass. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the students since the chapter discriminated against them and went against Title IX. The chapter said they based their denial of membership on character, but used their motherhood as a basis and do not do the same for male applicants. -
Forest Grove School District v. T.A.
In this case, T.A.'s parents saw that their son was struggling, but the school district said he wasn't disabled and didn't receive services. T.A.'s parents moved him to a private school where they provided him with the resources he needed. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the parents when they sued the school district for reimbursement of the private education. The court determined this was against the law and the student's rights to an education.