Timeline of Landmark Legislation

  • Public School in America

    Public School in America
    In 1647 the Massachusetts Bay Colony established the first public schools in America. This meant that for every 50 families residing in the towns an elementary school should be expected. Towns with 100 families should have a Latin school. The effort for this act was to allow Puritan children to know more about the bible and religion.
  • A Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge

    In 1779, Thomas Jefferson proposed a bill to serve all children in education. He put forward the idea for education to be free for all men and women. This bill would be tax funded and was to teach civilians basic education tools.
  • The 14th Amendment

    The 14th Amendment
    The 14th amendment was passed in 1866 and it stated that all natural born citizens including slaves will be considered equal citizens of the United States. This amendment also made sure that no jurisdiction of the law shall treat any citizen unfairly.
  • Plessy vs. Ferguson

    Plessy vs Ferguson was a case in which the Supreme Court ruled that said "separate but equal" facilities followed and did not violate the 14th amendment. This meant that whites and blacks can be served equally as long as facilities provided about the same services.
  • Brown vs. the Board of Education Topeka

    Brown vs. the Board of Education Topeka
    Brown vs the Board of Education Topeka became a key indicator against the Plessy vs Ferguson case as it overruled the decision of the Supreme Court of segregated schools. This decision stated that dividing students in the classroom based on race was not right and eventually overruled the "separate but equal" previous ruling.
  • Civil Rights Act of 1964

    Civil Rights Act of 1964
    In 1964 the Civil Rights Act was passed which banned any form of discrimination in reference to race, sex, religion, and national origin. This act created new opportunities for all racial minorities to obtain jobs and seek out new opportunities. This also meant no segregation in the public education system which meant all children were able to attend school in fair and equal way.
  • Title IX

    Not so long after the Civil rights Act, Title IX was passed. Title IX stated there shall be no harassment or discrimination based on sex in education. Federal programs, colleges, and resources from the government for the sake of education should be fair and equal to all without discrimination. This meant not only were students to be treated fairly but all employees and staff as well.
  • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

    Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
    In 1973 the Rehabilitation Act was passed that equally gave rights to people with disabilities. This act was broken into sections and in specific section 504 was focused in the education field. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act stated that provided free educational coverage for all who had disabilities and mentally challenges, meaning education should be as equal to them as to anyone else in the educational field.
  • Pyler v Doe

    Pyler v Doe
    As the 14th amendment stated that all education should be and free for all citizen the Pyler v Doe case was one that discussed the education of immigrants. States would want to charge out of state tuition and or deny education because of their residential status. In Texas officials argued that fair education should be provided to immigrants as they are people contributing to society and would rather much have educated civilians that not, hence forth Pyler v Doe.
  • Gun-Free School Zones Act

    In 1990 President George Bush signed the Gun-Free School Zones Act prevented anyone from entering school grounds or school boundaries with a firearm. This mean unless legally authorize no one was allowed to enter premises or even about 1000 feet from an educational facility. The purpose of this act was to secure a safety school and learning environments for all educational staff and students.
  • No Child Left Behind Act

    In 2001 the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was granted by congress but was not passed until 2002 by President Bush. The NCLB Act was intended to help those children who did not have the resources for school providing Title I help. This was funded by federal money and assessments were given to students each year to ensure funding. In 2015 this act was demolished and integrated into the "Every Student Succeeds Act".
  • Grutter v. Bollinger

    Grutter v. Bollinger
    Supreme Court made a decision in regard to diversity in education, as Grutter argued she had been neglected from the university due to her face. Although university do have a high criterion as to who can attend race was not a decision factor in admissions. This protected the diversity of schools and did not violate the 14th amendment as argued.