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Thought and Language is Published in the English-Speaking World
Lev Vygotsky, a young, Soviet psychologist of Belarusian birth, first had his work on socialization and language, as they pertain to the education process, published posthumously, in Russian in 1934. In 1962, it arrived in the English-speaking world, but his work did not make significant waves, until 1978.The work's significance lies in the concept of thinking itself as a learning process that occurs through socialization. Information found at (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Vygotsky) -
Head Start
In 1965, the Head Start program was instituted in the United States as part of a larger anti-poverty effort by the Lydon B. Johnson Administration. Head Start sought to level the educational playing field by providing services ranging from nutritional-assistance to encouraging parental involvement, to low-income families. To this day, the Head Start program remains a vital component of childhood education in under-served areas. Information from (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_Start_(program) -
Mills v. Board of Education of District of Columbia
Mills v. Board of Education of District of Columbia was a 1972 court case, which established that every child is "entitled to free public education and training, according to their learning capacities". It was a landmark case in the continuing fight for equal treatment of disabled children in the public school system. Information from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mills_v._Board_of_Education_of_District_of_Columbia -
Plyler v. Doe
In 1982, the Supreme Court ruled on Plyler v. Doe, and established that a Texas law which barred children of undocumented immigrants from receiving a public education, was unconstitutional. The court found that the law violated the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment, and that discriminatory denial of access to education for any child would result in an increase in social ills overall. Information from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plyler_v._Doe -
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law, prohibiting discriminatory practices on the basis of any physical or mental disability, by any public entity. Significantly, this included public schools and school boards, and their inclusion in the law has helped pave the way for a more equal educational environment for students with disabilities. Information from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americans_with_Disabilities_Act_of_1990 -
In Search of Understanding: the Case for Constructivist Classrooms
In Search of Understanding: the Case for Constructivist Classrooms is a 1993 book by Jacqueline and Martin Brooks, arguing for the adoption of constructivism in the classroom. In the view of constructivists, learning is a process shaped by the culture of the individual, and their active engagement with a topic and/or their environment, rather than simply the process of passively absorbing knowledge. Information from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructivism_(philosophy_of_education) -
Multicultural Education: Transformative Knowledge and Action
In 1996, James Banks published Multicultural Education: Transformative Knowledge and Action. The book is a scholarly examination of the history of multicultural education, and prescribes potential reforms, for collectively pursuing a more equal, diverse education system. Information from: https://education.uw.edu/cme/action -
No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act, officially signed into law in 2002, reformed the U.S. education system, to include a largely standards-based approach. This included standardized testing, the results of which would determine the level of funding for a given school. The act was so unpopular, that in 2015, it was easily replaced with the Every Student Succeeds Act, by a congressional majority. Information from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Child_Left_Behind_Act -
Fisher v. University of Texas
The first iteration of Fisher v. University of Texas resulted in the Supreme Court establishing that while affirmative action is a legal practice, it would have to pass a strict set of legal standards, to be used by institutions of higher education. Historically, affirmative action has helped to ensure that a given school's student body remains diverse, and this case only served to reaffirm this role. /https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisher_v._University_of_Texas_(2013) -
A Demographic Milestone
In 2014, the National Center for Education Statistics reported that, for the first time in the United States, the number of minority students enrolled in public school outnumbered non-hispanic white students. According to the report, this was the result of a dramatic increase in the number of Latino students, specifically. This was said to pose a new challenge, for the educational system: how to improve the achievement outcomes of those now in the majority.
