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In 1954, the Brown v. Board of Education case took place. It was ruled by the Supreme Court that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional and this land marked the civil rights decision. This was the beginning of equality within the school systems.
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In 1965, President Johnson signed the ESEA which offers communities with low-income students the opportunity to receive grants for classroom materials and special education centers. Low income college students also could apply for scholarships that were created under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. PL 89-10
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This case originated from an instance in which Spanish speaking students were put into the Educable Mentally Retarded (EMR) classes based on English spoken assessment data. In 1970, a settlement agreement was formed that required schools to watch for racial imbalance within there school system and to take action to eliminate imbalance.
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In 1972, seven children were denied the ability to be placed in a public educational system because of disabilities. It was ruled by the Court that all children were to have access to educational programs, no matter their disability or non disability. If a school system or program did not have the funds to support a child with a disability, then the funds that they did have were to offer the child as much as they possibly can in order to include all students into the school system.
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In 1973, the The Rehabilitation Act was created and it prohibited any discrimination against citizens with any form of form of disability in federal instances. Section 504 states, “Students with disabilities have the right to reasonable accommodation”.
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In 1975, The United States Congress enacted the EAHCA which required that public schools that were given federal funds were to accommodate to students with physical and mental disabilities to provide them with the same access to education as those without disabilities. Schools were to create an educational plan through evaluation and parent input to offer the closest possible opportunities to the full educational experience. PL 94-142
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HCPA added to the EAHCA and included clauses regarding disabled children ages birth to 5 years old. This Act assured that disabled children, ages 3 through 5 were given a free and appropriate public education like those students without disabilities. It added more programs and services that solely focuses on young children (newborn, infant, toddlers). Lastly, the HCPA offers families with newborns and toddlers who are disabled an IFSP (Individualized Family Service Plan).
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In 1990, changes were made to the PL 94-142 (EAHCA) through PL 101-476 by adding traumatic brain injury and autism to the list of disabilities. An ITP (Individualized Transition Plan) was also required to be included within a student's IEP in order to prepare them for life after school.
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In 2001, The No Child Left Behind Act includes aspects such as testing students grades 3-8 in reading and math. It also includes better accountability, more parent opportunities, and flexibility in order to create fair and equal educational opportunities for all students.
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In 2004, improvements were made to the IDEA. It was mandated that children were to have access to free and appropriate public education that follows aspects like excellence and equity for children will disabilities. PL 114-95
