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Creation of the First School
First school in the nation was created. Massachusetts had opened the doors to a publicly funded Latin school. Boston's community had agreed to join together to fund the school and pay a schoolmaster. Towns surrounding Boston followed their example. -
Further Development of the First Schools
The Massachusetts Bay Colony’s General Court orders towns with at least fifty families to have an elementary school. The General Court also declares towns with at least one hundred families should have a Latin school. These schools were established in order to ensure Puritan children learn to read the bible and learn basic information about their religion. The earliest schools focused on religion, reading, and writing. -
Creation of the First Board of Education
Horace Mann played a key role in the creation of the Massachusetts State Board of Education. With the financial help of Edmund Dwight the board is established. Dwight offers to fund the board and Mann goes on to be the board’s first secretary of education. Mann is coined as the “father of American education”. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Homer Plessy agreed to the Committee of Citizens proposal of challenging Louisiana’s Separate Car Act. Plessy was specifically asked as he was multiracial and the act had required separate railway cars for black and white individuals. After refusing to move train cars he was arrested. Lawyers argued the act violated the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments. On May 18, 1896 the U.S. Supreme Court concluded racial segregation was deemed constitutional under “separate but equal” doctrine. -
Brown v. the Board of Education, Topeka
Oliver Brown’s daughter Linda Brown was denied entrance to Topeka’s all white schools. Brown had stated segregation in schools was unconstitutional because the education and services were not equal. On May 17, 1954 the Supreme Court declared segregation in schools unconstitutional. This decision would result in the end of segregation in schools and as a result develop diversity in schools today. This landmark case overturned the “separate but equal” doctrine which was upheld for nearly 60 years. -
Engel v. Vitale
New York schools began each day with a nondenominational prayer acknowledging dependence upon God. Multiple student’s families stated these prayers contradicted their own religious beliefs. It was argued that this action was unconstitutional as it violated the First Amendment. The Supreme Court agreed and stated the government could not sponsor religious activities. -
Serrano v. Priest
Three cases were brought forward by families belonging to the Los Angeles County public school system. They argued that the California school finance system had put lower income students and families at a disadvantage. The 1971 case was one of three. The California Supreme Court found the system in violation of the Equal Protection Clause. This was determined because there was a disparity in the funding between different districts. -
Title IX
Women had been left out of many educational opportunities as they were not deemed valuable as men. In response to this mistreatment, Title IX was presented. Title IX was brought forward in order to prohibit discrimination in any school or educational programs on the basis of sex. Particularly programs that received funding from the national government across the U.S.. -
Lau v. Nichols
San Francisco, California opened its doors in 1971 to many individuals. Lau and fellow Chinese students were left behind in their curriculum as language assistance was not provided. Students stated that lack of supplemental English classes constituted an unequal educational opportunity. Justice William O. Douglas unanimously declared it unconstitutional to not provide supplemental language resources. As a result supplemental English and Bilingual programs were provided in public education. -
Education of all Handicapped Children Act
Now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is also known as IDEA. The act presented a law to ensure free public education to all students with disabilities. As a result special education and any additional services were provided to disabled students and their families. The law would go to protect the rights of children with disabilities and their families. On November 29, 1975 President Gerald Ford had signed the landmark civil rights measure into law. -
Plyler v. Doe
Texas upheld a law that allowed the state to withhold school funding from undocumented children. It was struck down by the Supreme Court. It was deemed unconstitutional because it violated the Fourteenth Amendment rights of undocumented children. The Texas law discriminated against the children on the basis of a factor beyond their control. -
Board of Education v. Rowley
A public school in New York refused to provide a sign-language interpreter for a deaf student. The school stated her performance did not signal she needed one. Parent’s of the student argued that denying disability resources resulted in an unequal education. However the court found the school to be providing free and appropriate education.