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Massachusetts passed the Law of 1647 also known as, Old Deluder Satan Act in 1647. The law required every town with 50 or more families to have an elementary school and every town of 100 families should have a Latin school. The goal was for Puritan children to be able to read and interpret the Bible.
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The 1830's began the Common School movement, where an effort was made to provide free school for all children regardless of wealth or heritage. Horace Mann was the face of this movement and was the head of the Massachusetts State Board of Education. Common schools were funded through local property taxes and was seen as the start of systematic public schooling in the United States.
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The Supreme Court's ruling in Plessy V. Ferguson required "separate but equal" railroad cars for Blacks and white in the state of Louisiana. The case comes from a train incident in 1892 where Homer Plessy refused to sit in a car for African American people. Plessy argued his constitutional rights were violated. As a result from this case, restrictive Jim Crow legislation and separate public accommodations based on race became commonplace
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The Measurement Movement was started by Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon. The measurement movement, measured a person's brain intelligence. This movement created what we now know as the IQ test.
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This movement brought attention to the fact that it was unfair and unequal to teach white and African American students in different schools. This movement initiated the desegregation of schools. Brown v. Board of Education was one of the cornerstones of the civil rights movement.
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The Little Rock Nine were a group of African American students, who enrolled at an all white high school. The governor of Arkansas sent his National Guard to prevent the students from enrolling. President Eisenhower sent in federal troops to enforce the court order, not because he supported desegregation, but because he could not allow a state governor to use military power to defy the U.S. federal government. The Little Rock Nine became part of the fight for equal education in the U.S.
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The National Defense Education Act established the legitimacy of federal funding of higher education. The National Defense Education Act made substantial funds available for low-cost student loans, boosting public and private colleges and universities. The Act also highly encouraged students to pursue education after high school.
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The Head Start Program was created to help preschool children that come from low-income families. The program helped students meet their emotional, social, health, and psychological needs. The program was an 8 week long program.
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The Elementary and Secondary Education Act ensured public schools provide a quality education for all kids. The Act funds primary and secondary education, emphasizing high standards and accountability. The Act also provided free lunched to students and gave attention to special education.
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Title IX is a federal civil rights law in the U.S. that was passed as part of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or other education program that receives federal money. Title IX gives each gender equal rights to educational programs, activities, and federal financial assistance. Female students and faculty were both limited in what they could do before this law.
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The Education of all Handicapped Children Act allows a free appropriate public education to children with disabilities. This law provides special services and education to students in the program.
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In Plyer V. Doe, the Supreme Court issued a decision holding that states cannot constitutionally deny students a free public education on account of their immigration status. Public schools could not charge illegal immigrants for public education.
