Five Historical Timeline By amanhaka Jan 1, 1830 Common Schools: January 1st, 1830 The common school movement was started to fund schools in communities with public dollars. The movement was begun by Horace Mann, who was elected secretary of the newly founded Massachusetts Board of Education in 1837. Schools were free, locally funded and governed, regulated to some degree by the state, and open to all White children. May 20, 1862 Homestead Act: May 20th, 1862 The Homestead Act began during the Civil War in 1862 and it provided adult citizens, who had never borne arms against the U.S. government could claim 160 acres of surveyed government land. Claimants were required to improve the plot by building a dwelling land. After the Civil War, Union soldiers could deduct the time they had served from the residency requirements. Sep 15, 1950 Civil rights Movement The effort to desegregate public schools across the United States was a major goal of the movement. Since the 1930s, lawyers from the NAACP had strategized to bring local lawsuits to court, arguing everyone is equal regardless of race, etc. Lawsuits were combined into the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case that outlawed segregation in schools in 1954. Apr 6, 1965 The Elementary and Secondary Education Act The Elementary and Secondary Education Act was passed by the 89th United States Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Part of Johnson's "War on Poverty", the act has been the most far-reaching federal legislation affecting education ever passed by the United States Congress. Since 1965, ESEA has been modified and reauthorized by Congress several times. Jan 8, 2002 No Child Left Behind Act: January 8th, 2002 No Child Left Behind Act authorizes federal education programs that are administered by the states. g and math in grades 3–8 and once in high school. All students are expected to meet or exceed state standards in reading and math by 2014.