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Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education was a pivotal movement in the public education systems. In 1954, there was a unanimous ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that states "separate but equal" was unequal. The Court ruled that education was the most important state and local government function and that segregated schools provided unequal learning environments to the minority groups. -
Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142)
In the 1970's, Congress and the courts began to see the needs for equality in the public school systems for special needs students. They finally realized that all the children with disabilities had the right to be educated alongside their non-disabled peers. With parental pressure and legislative acts, Public Law 94-142 was put into place. It was amended several times in the 1990s and now serves as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). -
No Child Left Behind Act
In 2002, George W. Bush presented to the nation the No Child Left Behind Act. This act seeked equity and excellence, holding the states accountable for unequal achievement amount their student populations. It required student subgroups to pass 100 percent of state standard assessments. This law mandated and held the school districts with very high standards to keep the assessment scores up. If they did not, "failing" schools were liable for penalties. -
Race to the Top
The Race to the Top grant program was put in place by President Obama. This program provided monies to states for large-scale educational reforms. Underperforming schools also received money intending to boost state and district efforts to improve their worse-performing schools. There was intent to improve student achievement, narrow achievement gaps, and increase graduation and college enrollment. -
Virtual Education/Innovations
Online learning is the learning in which the teacher provides instruction through the Internet. Online learning is expanding by 16% each year and it is estimated that some 5 percent of all students nationally currently participate. Online learning allows students to take coursework that is otherwise unavailable near them or at their current district. It provides flexibility and deep opportunities.
