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Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
On this day, the Supreme Court ruled that the Court's' earlier "separate but equal"ruling for segregated schools went against the 14th amendment to the constitution, and ordered schools nationwide to begin desegregation plans "with all deliberate speed." The ruling specifically applied to public schools, but implied segregation was not acceptable in other public facilities either, and inspired the civil rights movement that came later. -
National Defense Education Act (NDEA)
The National Defense Education Act was passed in 1958 in response to the space race, and the launch of the Sputnik satellite by soviet forces to ensure that America would have future citizens who are trained and of sufficient quality to meet the national defense needs of the country. This act provided 1 billion dollars in federal funding over 7 years in the form of student loans and fellowships as well as enhancing education in science, math, and foreign languages. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
Prompted by the growing achievement gap between students from low-income households attending urban or rural school districts and students from middle-class households in suburban school districts. The ESEA, enacted by President Lyndon B. Johnson was a part of his "War on Poverty" and provides funding for distributing funds to schools and districts with a high percentage of low-income students. The federal government has reauthorized the ESEA every five years since its original enactment. -
Title IX of the Education Amendments Act
The Civil Rights Movement was in full-swing at this time, and led to Title IX of the Education Amendments. Title IX mandated that no person may be denied benefits or participation in a program of education or activity receiving federal funding, or be subjected to discrimination based on sex. This act effectively changed the lives of women. -
No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
No Child Left Behind was a federal government re-authorization of the ESEA with a goal of ensuring student achievement and providing federal funding to schools in the form of NCLB bonuses for high-performing schools. The NCLB act required all teachers to be highly-trained, and students to be proficient in areas mandated by the states. NCLB did cause increased performance in certain areas of education, but has since been reformed and replaced. -
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
The ESSA was another re-authorization of the ESEA from 50 years prior to improve educational attainment, and to prepare students to be successful in college and their future careers. Provisions of the law include advanced equity among students, requires students are taught to high academic standards, and calls for accountability for low-performing schools.
