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Horace Mann, first secretary of eduction https://genius.com/Horace-mann-twelfth-annual-report-to-the-secretary-of-the-massachusetts-state-board-of-education-1848-annotated
The state of Massachusetts created the first State Board of Education and appointed Horace Mann the Secretary of Education. Mann believed that education was "the great equalizer" and could end poverty and social class distinctions. This significant event founded the idea that all children needed an education and paved the way for education for all. Mann was later named the "Father of American Education". His ideas and work largely impacted schooling in the United States. -
National Association for Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) https://www.neh.gov/news/web-du-bois-and-the-foundation-the-naacp
W.E.B. DuBois was an African American scholar who believed in ending racial injustice and defending individual freedom. He believed African Americans needed traditional liberal arts education so they could move forward intellectually, politically, and economically. DuBois, along with an already formed group of like-minded African Americans, joined with white liberals to form the NAACP. The NAACP has been one of the greatest influential organizations in the civil rights movement. -
Brown v. Board of Education https://www.southerneducation.org/Resource-Center/SEF-Blog/SEF-Blog-(1)/May-2018/Brown-v-Board-of-Education-Message-for-the-Future.aspx
On behalf of elementary aged African American children in Topeka, Kansas a lawsuit was filed to allow them to enroll in white schools. The ruling was In their favor and stated that segregated public schools were not equal and could not be made legal which deprived African American children of equal protection. Education was deemed the most important state and local function and must be provided to ALL children. For the first time, African American children would no longer be segregated. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) https://www.edrevsf.org/resource/disability-terms-and-definitions-under-the-individuals-with-disabilities-education-act-idea/
Parents of children with disabilities were inspired by the Brown ruling. They began to organize and advocate for their children's educational rights. One argument that helped advance the cause was that of the 8 million children with disabilities over half of them didn't receive equal education. 20 years of court decisions, parent advocacy, legislation, and amendments led to 1990's IDEA passing. This law ensured that people with disabilities were protected in both employment and education. -
2011 Achivement Reports via National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) https://stephens.salkeiz.k12.or.us/naep-testing-february-27-2019/
Each state has their own criteria and how they deem "proficiency" in student learning as well as how they measure this data. The NAEP serves as a common ground for states to measure student achievement and success with one another. A national focus has been on the achievement gap between American white children and children of color. In 2011, according to the NAEP, gaps between African American and Latino students and their white peers were the lowest in the United State's history.
