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General Court of Massachusetts Elementary School Decree
In every town with 50 or more families, there must be an elementary school. In every town with 100 or more families, there must be a Latin school. Puritans wanted to ensure that children could read the bible and knew about their religion. -
A Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge
Thomas Jefferson proposed A Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge with a goal of basic education for the general population. -
Petition for Free Public Education
A petition supported by wealthier citizens to free public school is presented in a Boston Town Meeting. Poorer citizens opposed the petition because they didn't want to pay taxes. -
First Public High School
The first public high school is created in the United States at Boston English. -
Free Public School in Massachusetts
Massachusetts passed the first law to require free public school for all grades regardless of their financial status. -
Beginning of Common School Movement
The Common School Movement originated in Massachusetts and continued throughout the 1930s. Many people wanted more government involvement in schools, especially with the influx of immigrants expanding population sizes exponentially. The fear of moral and social decay of society caused Protestants among different denominations to band together in order to create what would be the basis for Common Schools. -
Horace Mann and the State Board of Education
The new State Board of Education appoints Horace Mann as secretary. He is commonly known as the "Father of Common School". -
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
The treaty was signed to end the war against Mexico. This treaty required the Spanish language to be integrated into aspects of American life such as education. -
Massachusetts Abolishes Legal Segregation
Massachusetts becomes the first and only state for nearly a century to abolish the legal segregation of black and white students. -
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Plessy v Ferguson
When Louisiana passed the Separate Car Act to segregate white and black train passengers, Homer Plessy challenged that act. He boarded a train from New Orleans to Covington and sat in coach, which was deemed the white section of the train. He was forcibly removed from the train by police and arrested. Judge John Ferguson ruled in favor of "separate but equal" segregation, which then fed into the segregation of educational institutions, negatively impacting black students. -
Educational Testing Service Formed
The Educational Testing Service is formed. It combined services like the College Entrance Exam Board, the Cooperative Testing Service, and more, as well as providing grants. -
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Brown v Board of Education
The Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional and a violation of 14th amendment rights. The idea of "separate but equal" was dissolved, as they had seen that it negatively impacted black students. Brown represents five lawsuits brought up against different school districts. Despite the controversy surrounding the suit, the courts ruled unanimously in favor of Brown. -
Engel v Vitale
New York law required the Pledge of Allegiance and a nondenominational prayer to be said at the start of each day. Although students had the option to not participate in the prayer, a parent was angry there was a prayer at all. He argued that saying a prayer at school was a violation of First Amendment rights. Justice Black ruled it was unconstitutional for a state to support religion. -
Title IX
This law prevents discrimination based on sex in any educational program that receives federal funding. This law also requires schools to respond to sexual harassment and violence. The act was signed into law by President Nixon. This law positively impacted the education of girls in school. -
Goss v Lopez
After students in Ohio were suspended for 10 days, they sued the school. They argued that they were denied the right to due process. The court ruled that in the case of a suspension of 10 days or less, parents were required to receive notice within 24 hours. The court further ruled that in cases of expulsion, students had the right to defend themselves and bring their case to the Board of Education. -
Education of all Handicapped Children Act
Under this act, public schools were required to accept funds to educate handicapped students. Schools are required to provide adequate services to help these students succeed. The funds ensured that handicapped students would be educated and integrated into public schools. In addition to education, the law also provided funding for handicapped students to receive one free meal a day. -
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Plyler V Doe
Tyler Independent School District in Texas withheld public funds for schools meant to pay for the education of illegal aliens. As a result, schools were encouraged to deny children entry to school based on citizenship status. Texas brought this issue to the Supreme Court, which ruled this act unconstitutional, and a violation of 14th amendment rights. Public schools were ordered to accept any child, regardless of immigration status.