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Ruby Bridges becomes the first African American to attend her elementary school in New Orleans as a first grader. Other parents pulled their children out of school leaving Ruby in a class of one. She faced a lot of discrimination including angry mobs at the entrance of the school - the U.S. marshalls had to be called to escort her.
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In 1964 the Civil Rights Act was passed prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, or national origin. This allowed people of color and other marginalized groups the opportunity to pursue a better education.
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Lyndon Johnson signed the Immigration Act of 1965 which allowed for many more Latin American people to come to the United States. This increased the diversity of classrooms in America.
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In 1972 Title IX became law which specifically prohibits discrimination based on sex in education. This is impactful because while the Civil Rights Act was already passed, it was still acceptable to hold women back from pursuing education.
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The Equal Education Opportunities Act was passed prohibiting discrimination and requiring schools to actively combat anything that would prevent equal protection. It was especially important to students who were English Language Learners.
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The Education of all Handicapped Children Act became law and required that schools provide education for students with special needs. It specified that they must receive free and appropriate education in the least restrictive setting possible.
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In the case of Wallace V. Jaffree the Supreme Court ruled that Alabama's laws allowing for silent prayer and teacher-led voluntary prayer in public were unconstitutional. They decided that it violated the First Amendment.
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The Higher Education Act is amended and reauthorized. It expanded access to higher education for low and middle-income students by increasing aid and accountability.
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In 2008 Barack Obama became the first (half) African American President of the United States. Changes to the No Child Left Behind Act are adopted.
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In 2018 we have seen an increase in walkouts in support of gun reform to prevent school shootings as well as teacher strikes in favor of raising teacher wages across the nation. This shows the increased civic responsibility of educators and students alike to improve the education in the U.S.