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Coral Way Elementary School is Founded
This was the first bilingual and bicultural school founded in the US. Originally a traditional school, Coral Way was changed to serve the increasing population of Spanish-speaking Cuban immigrants in Florida. -
Civil Rights Act Passed
The Civil Rights Act made it illegal to discriminate based on race in any shape or form in any public institution, such as schools. It was passed after countless protests and activism on behalf of those who favored civil rights. -
The Indian Education Act is Passed
An initiative to educate the Native American population was created. The program addressed the fact that Native American students had a different background and culture than other students. New funding was given by the government to help schools geared towards Native American students. -
Lau v. Nichols Affirms Equality for Non-English Speaking Students
Prior to this case many non-English speaking students were denied their right to equal education. The case outcome declared that discriminating based on language violated the Civil Rights Act and mandated educational resources to help non-English speaking students. -
Judge Garrity Demands Busing of Black Students
In order to help end racial segregation in Boston schools, Judge Arthur Garrity mandated that Black Students be bused to predominantly white schools. Despite de jure segregation being outlawed 10 years ago, schools in the US were still very segregated around this time. This was because neighborhoods were still very segregated by race and economic class. Segregated neighborhoods led to the public schools in their zones being segregated. Garrity worked against this by physically moving students. -
Refugee Act of 1980 Passed
President Carter expanded the definition of who could be a refugee and defined policies for the United States to accept and resettle refugees. The Act led to 3 million refugees of different backgrounds arriving in the United States. Many of these refugees were children who began attending American schools. -
Plyler v. Doe Asserts Rights for Unauthorized Immigrants
Texas had previously decided that unauthorized immigrants were not protected under equal rights laws. The state wanted to charge undocumented children mandatory $1000 public school tuition. The Supreme Court voted against this and argued that even undocumented immigrants had a right to free public education. -
Emergency Immigrant Education Program
The Emergency Immigrant Education Program sought to help immigrant children attending American schools and allotted additional funding to schools with a large immigrant population. This was partly because a large number of immigrant children were limited English proficient and schools required extra resources to educate them effectively. -
Individuals With Disabilities Act Is Updated
Further attempts were made to accommodate disabled Americans in public spaces and institutions. The act declared that disabled children must have access to an education meeting their needs. Other disabilities were also added to the list, such as autism and brain injuries. -
Georgia Offers Free Universal Preschool to All Children
The state of Georgia decided to make preschool free for all children aged 4. This was done to enhance student performance in later schooling by giving them a head start regardless of economic status. The aim was that this would lessen the amount of students requiring supplemental and remedial education.
