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Elementary and Secondary Education Act
This bill was enacted in 1965 as part of Lyndon B. Johnson's "War on Poverty". The bill supported many initiatives that help low-income families access high quality educaiton resources. This event was important because as a former teacher, President Johnson thought that in order for a child to lead a productive life, a high quality education was vital. Many initiatives enacted in the bill are common today, from free and reduced lunch to extra teachers for children with disabilities. -
Vocational Rehabilitation Act VRA
This law prevents any private organization that recieves federal funding from discriminating agains person with disabilities only based on their disability. It also defined "Handicapped person" and "appropriate education". This act was important because people with disabilities were now given an equal opportunity in the work place, public education, and in social and health services. This act also allowed more access to people with disabilities to colleges and universtiies. -
Education Amendments Act
The Educational Amendements Act granted federal funds to states to provide programs for exceptional learners. This bill was important because it was the first to provide funds for gifted and talented students. It is also important because it grants families the right to due process in special education placement. -
Education for all Handicapped Children Act EAHCA
The EAHCA also known as the Manistreaming Law, requires states to provide and free and appropriate education for all students with disabilities. This bill defined "least restrictive environment" which means that a student with a disability should be educated in the setting in which they best learn. Another important requirement of the EAHCA was the Individualized Educaiton Program or IEP for all students with special education needs. -
Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments
These amendments expanded the free and appropriate education enacted in 1975 to children with disabilities ages 3-5. It also established early interention programs or infants and toddlers with disabilities ages birth to two years. This is important because earlier intervention and education are vital for children with disabilities in their future education and social lives. -
Americans with Disabilities Act ADA
This was enacted in 1990 to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities in the private sector. This means that businesses not owned by the state must now provide equal opportnity employment, public sevices accomidations, transportation and telecommunication. This act is important becuase it not only expanded equal opportunity employment, but open the definition of "disabled" to include people with AIDS. -
Individuals with Disabilities Educaiton Act IDEA
IDEA was enacted in 1990 and replaced EAHCA in education. This act established people first language and expanded SPED services to social work, rehabilitation, and technology. In this act, due process and confidentiality are extended and autism and TBI are added as disabilities. The most important initiative to come of this law, was providing individualized trasitional services from school into employment to people with disabilities by the time they reach the age of 16. -
Individuals with Disabilities Eduation Act IDEA
A continuation of the first IDEA passed in 1990, this act requires many things such as, requiring schools to give students access to the general education curriculum, even when expelled from school. It required more coteaching and for general teachers to be a part of IEP teams. It also requires a behavior managment plan to be included in IEPs of students with behavioral disabilites. From the students, it requires that they take part in statewide and districtwide assessments. -
No Child Left Behind
This bill was passed with the intention of improving performance in public schools by increasing school, district, and state accountability for all students. This act gave room for choice in how states use funding as long as standards were met. If a school was failing to meet the standards of accountability, students were offered a choice of schools. an imporntant initiative enstated in this act was early reading interventions. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvment Act IDEIA
This act was important because it allowed schools to use the RTI process to determine the presence of a disability instead of requiring a gap between achievement and intellectual ability. It increased funding for early interventions and raised standards for SPED licensure. Also, the act eliminated the use of short-term goals for students wtih IEPs who have taken statewide assessments. Lastly, the act adopted policies to prevent a disproportionate representation of race or ethnicity in SPED.
