Special Education Timeline

By srdickson

  • Brown VS Board of Education (1954)

    Brown v Board of Education (1954) is a piece of the historical context for special education laws protecting the rights of students. This case let the way to a growing understanding that all people, regardless of race, gender, or disability, have a right to public education. Learn more about this here: Link text

  • Public Law 88-164 (1963)

    This law authorized funds for training professionals to work with children with special needs and for research and to demonstrate best practices for teaching students with intellectual and developmental disabilities and deafness.

  • Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA)

    Read the Law here: Link text

  • Pennsylvania Associations for Retarded Children v Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    This court case resulted in school districts being required to identify and start teaching ALL children with mental retardation. School districts were to develop evaluation for most appropriate placement. And the State Department of Education was required to submit plans describing available programs, financial arrangements, and teacher recruitment and training efforts to provide education.

  • Mills v Board of Education

    This case ordered the districts to provide all children with disabilities a publicly supported education, to provide due process safeguards and outlined procedures for labeling, placement, and exclusion of students with disabilities from school. The outcome of Mills had a direct influence on the development of PL 94-142.

  • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (PL 93-112)

    This federal civil rights law prohibits discrimination of individuals with disabilities in any program receiving federal funding. This applies to students in public and publicly supported schools.

  • Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA)

    This federal law protects the privacy of student education records. This applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Dept. of Ed. Link text

  • PL 94-142 Education for All Handicapped Children Act (1975)

    This education act assured that all students classified with a disability receive a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). This act was renamed in 1990 (see the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in the timeline for more information). This is also where IEP's began to develop.

  • Larry P v Riles

    This case had direct implications for Special Education. Increased attention and compliance with statues and regulations such as non-discriminatory assessment practices, development of culture-fair assessment procedures, reinforced use of multiple assessments, reticence to place some children into special education my be a disservice and groups outside the class will challenge assessment with resulting policy changes.

  • Jose P v Ambach

    This case involved the rights of handicapped students to be referred, evaluated, and placed in a timely fashion into appropriate educational programs and services in the New York City public schools.

  • Board of Education of Hendrick Hudson Central School District v Rowley

    This is the first special education case to land in the U.S. Supreme Court. The court ruled that students who qualify for special education services must have access to public school programs that meet their needs, and that the programs must be supported by services that enable students to benefit from instruction.

  • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

    This Act renames the previous Public Law 94-142 Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. This renamed law ensures that all children, classified with a disability, ranging from the age of three to the age of twenty-one are provided with the appropriate and free education and interventions.

  • The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

    This act gives civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities that are like those provided to individuals on the basis of race, sex, national origin, and religion. It guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in employment, public accommodations, transportation, State and local government services, and telecommunications.

  • PL 107-110 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) (2001)

    This federal act is intended to improve the quality of effectiveness of elementary and secondary education for all students.

  • IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Act (2004)

    The IDEA underwent several changes and is now referred to as The Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act. This reauthorization of the IDEA requires states to provide a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE) to every child with a disability through the age of 21 years, or sooner if a high school diploma is awarded.