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Engle v. Vitale
The Supreme Court rules that New York's Regents prayer is unconstitutional. Therefore, it is ousted in the New York public school system. -
Civil Rights Act
Enacted by Congress under Lyndon B. Johnson this law makes it illegal to discriminate based on race, color, sex, religion or national origin. -
Mills v. the Board of Education of Washington, D.C.
Further elaborates and extends on PARC (Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children) this indicates that all children with any disability need to have services made available based on the child's need and this may include special education. -
Equal Educational Opportunities Act
Prohibits discrimination and mandates that schools have to overcome hurdles hindering equal protection especially for non-English speaking students. -
The Refugee Act of 1980
Signed in by Jimmy Carter this law helps to further shape the Immigration Act of 1965 and offers refugees admittance to the United States. This includes children who bring an array of issues along with special needs to classrooms. -
Emergency Immigration Education Act
This is designed to aid schools with unexpected high numbers of immigrant children and provides services to those children. It is also designed to offset costs for school districts. -
Massachusetts Education Reform Act
This Act requires a common curriculum and calls for statewide tests. Other states soon copied this model. -
Proposition 227
This California law mandates that all classroom instruction be taught in English. -
No Child Left Behind
This is a controversial law that holds schools accountable for the growth and progress of child education. It calls for high stakes student testing and penalizes schools who do not meet the requirements for No Child Left Behind. -
Common Core Standards Initiative
The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers advocate for common standards in schools across the country. Particularly in the disciplines of English language arts, literacy, and mathematics. However, it is entirely up to the state to adhere to these standards.