Timeline of Educational Policies and Court Rulings

By pumpkin69

  • Brown v. Board of Education

    States are responsible to provide students with "equal educational opportunities" and students cannot be fully segregated from other students because separate facilities are inherently unequal.

  • Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)

    Created funds for elementary and secondary education for professional development, instructional materials, resource support and parent involvement to shorten achievement gaps and provide fair and equal opportunities.

  • Bilingual Education Act (1968-2002)

    A bill to provide federal funding for schools to support bilingual education programs. Entered into law as Title VII of the ESEA.

  • Lau v. Nichols

    Established Title VI of Civil Rights. Protects the rights of non proficient English speakers and parents. Must be offered English as a Second Language and access to content of instruction.

  • Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974 (EEOA)

    The act stated that no state could deny educational opportunities on the basis of race, color, sex or national origin and must take appropriate action to overcome language barriers.

  • Castaneda v. Pickard

    Outcome was a three-pronged test to determine if schools were taking appropriate actions to address the needs of ELLS which is required by the EEOA.

  • Plyler v. Doe

    Declared that undocumented students had the right to attend free, public education where they reside.

  • California Proposition 227

    Ron Unz supported his goal to replace bilingual education with with structured English immersion programs.

  • Arizona Proposition 203/English for the Children

    A ballot initiative passed in Arizona which limited the type of instruction available to ELLS. They could no longer choose bilingual or immersion methods.

  • No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

    Replaced Title VII Bilingual Education Act with Title III. Each state would develop it's own standards, further emphasis was put on annual testing, annual academic progress, teacher qualifications and changes in federal funding.

  • Massachusettes Question 2

    This is a similar campaign to Ron Unz's. It was based on immersion programs not bilingual programs.

  • Race to the Top (RTTT)

    A competitive grant program that is part of the ARRA announced by President Obama. States are awarded points for educational policies, standards, evaluations, teacher effectivenes ,interventions, etc . Each area is weighted and funds are granted accordingly.

  • Common Core State Standards

    Initiative to develop math and language arts standards in line with the requirements of the RTTT grant and ESEA Flexibility to raise academic achievement.

  • Elementary and Secondary Education Act Flexibility

    States may be granted flexibility from the NCLB expectation of 100% of students passing state tests. Alternate systems of reform could include: college/career ready expectations for students, state-developed differentiated recognition or supporting effective instruction and leadership.

  • Every Student Succeeds Act

    Replaces No Child Left Behind. Will be in place for 2017-18 school year. Focused on: annual assessments, accountability, public reporting, high quality staff and funding.