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Common Schools
The Common Schools Movement began in the 1830s and started the push for free public schooling for all students. Free schools were only for children of the poor, long hampered the acceptance of the idea that publicly supported schools could and should exist for all children, regardless of social class, gender, religion, ethnicity, or country of origin. BUTTS, R. FREEMAN. 1978. Public Education in the United States: From Revolution to Reform. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. -
Roberts Vs. The City of Boston
Parents explained how their children had been denied enrollment in all Boston schools except the segregated Smith School. However a state statute existed that allowed any student unlawfully excluded from public school to recover damages. The Roberts case was unsuccessful because authorities reasoned that special provisions had been made for "colored" students to have a school. -
Brown Vs. Board of Education
The outcome of Brown vs. Board of Education unanimously declared that racial segregation in public schools is against the constitution. This outcome was able to overturn the "separate but equal" idea that had kept different races in separate classrooms and buildings. -
Little Rock Nine
Three years after the ruling out of segregation, nine African American students enrolled to Central High School in Little Rock Arkansas where they were mobbed by white students daily. Martin Luther King urged President Eisenhower to take a stand. Eisenhower reluctantly ordered troops from the Army’s 101st Airborne Division to protect the students, who were shielded by federal troops and the Arkansas National Guard for the remainder of the school year. (King, 9 September 1957) -
Civil Rights Act
Under the Civil Rights Act were two very important statues for education.
Title VI was implemented to prevent discrimination in public schools based off of race, religion, color, or nationality.
Title IX prohibits any discrimination based off of sex in public schools. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
The purpose of ESEA was to provide additional resources for vulnerable students. ESEA offered new grants to districts serving low-income students, federal grants for textbooks and library books, created special education centers, and created scholarships for low-income college students.
Brenchley, Cameron. “What Is ESEA?” ED.gov Blog, 8 Apr. 2015, blog.ed.gov/2015/04/what-is-esea/. -
The Rehabilitation Act
The Rehabilitation Act protects individuals with disabilities. This was one of the first legislative efforts to secure equality for disabilities. These rules apply to all federally funded employers and organizations and prevent any discrimination based off of their disability. Brenchley, Cameron. “What Is ESEA?” ED.gov Blog, 8 Apr. 2015, blog.ed.gov/2015/04/what-is-esea/. -
Native American Languages Act
In as early as 1864, congress made it illegal for Native Americans to be taught in their native languages. Native children as young as four years old are taken from their parents and sent to Bureau of Indian Affairs off-reservation boarding schools.
Finally, in 1990 the Native American Languages Act was passed to preserve the right of Native Americans to their native languages and cultures. The United States needs to preserve and protect these rights of Native Languages. -
Proposition 187
Proposition 187 was a ballot in the state of California to establish a citizenship screening that would prohibit undocumented immigrants from various rights, including attending healthcare and public schooling. The proposition was approved by state voters but later on ruled unconstitutional, and never became a law. “A Guide to Disability Rights Laws.” A Guide to Disability Rights Laws, U.S. Department of Justice, 2020, www.ada.gov/cguide.htm. -
No Child Left Behind Act
Schools are required to bring all students to a "proficient" level on yearly state tests. This means that the state and school must provide equal opportunity for all students, including students with disabilities, students who live in poverty, students with chronic absenteeism, etc.
