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Boston Latin School
Boston Latin School opens in Boston Massachusetts. It is the first and oldest public school in the United States. -
Common Schools
Common Schools were established as public schools after a lawyer named Horace Mann advocated the importance of education. These schools were funded by local property taxes and they were free for children. It was the first stepping stone for education. -
Ratification of Fourteenth Amendment
This amendment forbids any state in the United States to deny any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson was a U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine. In 1892 Homer Plessy refused to sit in a car for blacks. Plessy was convicted and arrested and in trial it was concluded that segregation was not unlawful discrimination. This case is important because it segregated a lot of public facilities including schools. -
Brown v. the Board of Education, Topeka
African American students had been denied admittance to public schools based on race. These students argued that this segregation violated their Equal Protection Clause under the Fourteenth Amendment. It was concluded that the “separate but equal” doctrine was in fact unequal. This decision didn’t achieve desegregation in schools but it brought forth the Civil Rights movement. -
Sputnik
The Soviets are the first to launch a satellite called the Sputnik. This offered schools more than $1 million really making a difference in curriculums. -
Title IX
The Civil Rights of 1964 ended discrimination based on sex, race, and religion in areas of employment. The problem was that it did not protect those employed at educational institutions from sex discrimination. Title IX became a civil rights statute that covered sex. It states that no person in the United States shall be discriminated under any education program based on sex. This was an important case because it created equity and brought awareness to sexual harrassment/ assault in schools. -
Goss v. Lopez
Nine students in Columbus Ohio were suspended without letting these students explain themselves. The principal did not hold any hearings and this was said to violate the students’ due process rights protected by the fourteenth amendment. It was concluded that students facing suspension should at a minimum be given notice and offered a hearing. -
Education of all Handicapped Children Act
This act required all public schools receiving federal funds to provide equality and equal access to education to all children suffering from mental and physical disabilities. Also one free meal a day. These public schools were required to make certain accommodations for these children to aid in their learning. -
Plyler v. Doe
Texas education laws in 1975 allowed the state to withhold from local school districts state funds for educating children of illegal immigrants. This law was said to violate the Equal Protection of the Fourteenth amendment. It was concluded that these children were still people and deserved to be protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. -
New Jersey v. T.L.O.
T.L.O. was a highschool student who was searched under the suspicion that she had cigarettes. Officials discovered cigarettes and weed in her possession. She was charged with possession of marijuana. It was concluded that public school officials may conduct reasonable warrantless searches to their students without having to meet probable cause that would normally apply, as stated in the fourteenth amendment. -
Grutter v. Bollinger
In 1997 a white student, Barbara Grutter, in Michigan was denied admission to the University of Michigan Law School. The school admitted that it uses race as a factor in decisions like these because they try to keep a diverse student body. It was concluded that the University of Michigan Law School's use of racial preferences in student admissions does not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
