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Timeline of Landmark Legislation

By Kbritt
  • The Common School Movement

    The Common School Movement
    Common schools were the first public schools. Horace Mann played an important role in starting these schools. He became the secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education in 1837. According to pbs.org, he is referred to as the Father of the Common School. His goal was for every child to received a basic education and have it funded by taxes. Eventually, these schools spread from Massachusetts to the rest of the states. This gave all children the opportunity to receive an education.
  • Plessy v. Ferguson

    Plessy v. Ferguson
    According to history.com, Plessy v. Ferguson is known as the “separate but equal” landmark decision. In 1892, Homer Plessy refused to sit in the train car designated for black people. Plessy argued that his constitutional rights were violated. The Supreme Court rejected his claim and enforced separate public spaces based on races. This obviously affected schools by keeping schools segregated.
  • Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka

    Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka
    According to history.com, Linda Brown was denied access to an all-white school in Topeka. Her father filed a lawsuit against the Board of Education of Topeka, stating that the all-white schools provided a better education than the schools for black children. He claimed that this violated the 14th amendment. The courts ruled in his favor and reversed the Plessy v. Ferguson decision, declaring that separate schools are inherently unequal.
  • Engel v. Vitale (1962)

    Engel v. Vitale (1962)
    According to uscourts.gov, the New York school system used to start their day with a nondenominational prayer. This was argued to be inappropriate as it violated the first amendment. The court agreed and said that should not sponser religious activities. I believe this to be important because students come from all walks of life. Some are not religious and should not be forced to take part.
  • The Elementary and Secondary Education Act

    The Elementary and Secondary Education Act
    This act was first signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. This act focused on offering grants to districts that had a high population of low income children. These grants could pay for textbooks, library books, special education centers, scholarships etc. The goal was to work on closing the achievement gaps that many of the students were facing. This would lead to President Obama signing the Every Student Succeeds Act.
  • Higher Education Act of 1965

    Higher Education Act of 1965
    According to encyclopedia.com, the Higher Education Act of 1965, or HEA, provides financial assistance and other resources for students pursuing postsecondary and higher education. Title IV specifically focuses on supporting students with scholarships, loans with reduced interest rates, and work-study programs. It was created to help with the rising costs of colleges during that time. Low income and middle class families were hit the hardest so this gave opportunities to obtain a degree.
  • Title IX

    Title IX
    Title IX states that no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. This means that you cannot discriminate based on gender. Being a woman myself, this is huge for us. We are allowed to receive the same education that a man gets.
  • Education of all Handicapped Children Act

    Education of all Handicapped Children Act
    According to the Departmenr of Education, Congress enacted the EHA to support states and localities in protecting the rights of, meeting the individual needs of, and improving the results for infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and their families. The name eventually changed to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in the 1990’s. This act greatly affects children with disabilities. Before this act, children with disabilities were denied access to a proper education.
  • Pyler v. Doe

    Pyler v. Doe
    According to a research guide in the library of Congress, Pyler v. Doe ruled against Texas’ policy of denying or charging admission to undocumented children. This went against the previous actions of the State of Texas and prevented them from continuing this corrupt behavior. This positively affects undocumented children and allowed them to get the education they deserved.
  • Bethel School District #43 v. Fraser (1987)

    Bethel School District #43 v. Fraser (1987)
    In this case, a student gave a speech in front of the whole school. He got in trouble for using profanities and claimed he had the right due to free speech. This went to court and they decided that this did not violate his free speech. I think this important because it doesn’t give the students the right to say whatever they want in the name of free speech. You still have to be appropriate in the classroom.