Educational Equity: Closing the Achievement Gap

By Cecyflo01

  • Brown v. Board of Education (1954-1955) (Judicial Law)

    This is actually a compilation of five separate cases that were presented to the U.S. Supreme Court dealing with the issue of segregation in public schools (Brown v. Board of Education, 1954-1955). The overall issue was that schools were not providing equal opportunities for whites and blacks. The case decided that it was important to desegregate public schools as soon as possible and found it unconstitutional to have segregated schools.

  • Elementary and Secondary Education Act: 1965 (Statutory Law)

    This Act was passed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on April 11, 1965. This was part of President Johnson’s “War on Poverty.” It provided federal funding to primary and secondary education with the intention of providing equal access to education and closing the achievement gap (Elementary and Secondary Education Act 1965).

  • Title VII: Bilingual Education Act (BEA) (1968) (Statutory Law)

    The Elementary and Secondary Education Act was modified by incorporating the Bilingual Education Act. This was the first time the United States federal legislation recognized of limited English speaking ability students. The Senator from Texas, Ralph Yarborough, was the one to introduce the bill. It then turned into Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The focus was on equal educational opportunities and funding bilingual programs (Bilingual Education Act, 1968).

  • Education for All Handicapped Children Act: 1975 (Statutory Law)

    This law required all public schools to provide equal access to education for students with physical or mental disabilities (Education for all Handicapped Children Act, 1975). The school was to create an educational plan along with the parent to make sure that the student was receiving the appropriate education (ed.gov). This law opened up a discussion and conversation about students with disabilities and how they could provide more resources for them.

  • The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) (1990) (Statutory Law)

    This law provides low-income parents with child care assistance if they are interested in continuing their education, are working or have training activities (The Child Care and Development Block Grant, 1990). This grant was included in the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 that was signed by President H.W. Bush. It also allowed helping improve the overall quality of child care by giving them opportunities to continue to learn.

  • No Child Left Behind Act (2001) (Statutory Law)

    Just a couple of days after becoming president George W. Bush signed this law. The purpose of No Child Left Behind was to continue the efforts in helping close those gaps and make sure that our students were not falling behind. The law included an emphasis on reading especially for younger children and in flexibility for the States and the local educational agencies when it came time to allocate federal money​ (No Child Left Behind Act, 2001).

  • Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004 (Statutory Law)

    This is the main federal statute that allows federal aid for students with disabilities and their education. There are two key components including due process provisions explaining parental rights and a permanent program that provides federal funding to the states (Education for all Handicapped Children, 1975). Overall the main purpose of this law is to make sure that every student receives a free public education that is appropriate for them.

  • Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act (2007) (Statutory Law)

    This act was enacted under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. This Head Start was a program that consisted of an eight-week summer program serving children from ages three to five (Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act, 2007). The program grew by next year and it turned into a half a day, during the school year program. The main purpose was to focus on education, health, ​and parental involvement.

  • Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) 2015 (Statutory Law)

    This law replaced the No Child Left Behind Act. It was signed by President Obama on December 10, 2015. The purpose of this act was to make sure that as a nation we were preparing students for success. Some of the main focuses would be to continue to “advance equity by upholding critical protections for America’s disadvantaged and high-need students” (ed.gov). Another one would be to continue to have statewide assessments to measure progress.

  • Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Statutory Law)

    This act "divided career and technical education (CTE) students into CTE concentrators and CTE participants: (Congress.gov). With this law states now have the opportunity to manage and set their own standards when it comes to career and technical education programs. This is with the intention of providing opportunities for students from low-income schools to be able to walk out of high school with certification and find a job. This is not necessarily helping with closing the achievement gap.