Timeline of Landmark Legislation

  • Thomas Jefferson proposes a two-track educational system

    Thomas Jefferson proposes a two-track educational system

    This system enacted two different tracks, one for the more privileged and one for "laborers". While it did provide education for both, it mainly allowed the privileged to thrive and the laborers to fall behind.
  • New York Public School Society provides education for poor children

    New York Public School Society provides education for poor children

    Mayor DeWitt Clinton saw the inequalities in only having private or church-run schools, so he along with others formed the New York Free School Society in which more underprivileged kids could also participate in public education.
  • First public high school in the U.S. opens

    First public high school in the U.S. opens

    This high school was originally created to provide education to working-class boys in preparation for continuing on in their working-class life.
  • Massachusetts Reform School at Westboro opens

    Massachusetts Reform School at Westboro opens

    This school was instituted as a reformation school for boys who were juvenile offenders. This school housed over 300 young boys.
  • Congress decides it's illegal for Native Americans to be taught in their native language

    Congress decides it's illegal for Native Americans to be taught in their native language

    In another attempt to assimilate Native American children, they were forced to go to white, English-speaking schools for their education. After this law was enacted, children found themselves being severely punished for speaking in their native language, which only hindered their education.
  • Plessy vs Ferguson Ruling

    Plessy vs Ferguson Ruling

    In 1892, Homer Plessy decided to take the empty seat in the whites-only section of the train, which led him to jail. Plessy filed a complaint claiming this action violated his rights given to him by the 14th amendment. The court decided that segregation across all fields was “separate but equal,” a decision that hugely impacted the large population of people of color. This decision implied no harm in segregation, increasing the prevalent racial inequality across all fields, especially education
  • Educational Testing Service is formed

    Educational Testing Service is formed

    This was the country's largest non-profit testing and assessment center, which was created through a merge of three other testing services.
  • Brown vs Board of Education Ruling

    Brown vs Board of Education Ruling

    Oliver Brown filed a lawsuit against the "separate but equal" claim. Brown, along with the NAACP, decided that enough was enough. Brown’s case was combined with four other cases brought before the Supreme Court, which ultimately ruled that segregated schools were “inherently unequal.” The ruling did not fully desegregate schools across the nation but paved the way for other states to follow suit, allowing schools to be integrated and achieving a small win for racial equality in schools
  • Cooper v. Aaron

    Cooper v. Aaron

    This ruling denied the school board in Little Rock, Arkansas to keep schools segregated and opened the doors for the Little Rock Nine to integrate into a previously all-white school, a monumental decision in education history.
  • Engel v. Vitale

    Engel v. Vitale

    Ruled official school prayers unconstitutional. Vitale's main argument was forcing children into prayer was violating their First Amendment rights.
  • Title IX Ruling

    Title IX Ruling

    The Civil Rights Act of 1964 did not protect against sex discrimination when working in an educational setting. Bernice Sandler brought forward arguments claiming well-qualified women working at the University of Maryland were being replaced by men. Passed in 1972, this amendment banned discrimination based on sex in schools and other education departments, which Patsy Mink later protected. This act amended the previous Civil Rights Act and saved the future of female educators.
  • Milliken v. Bradley

    Milliken v. Bradley

    Desegregated busing of public school students in 53 school districts in Detroit. This led to white students being more equally distributed across the metropolitan area of Detroit, causing a majority of them to leave and only increasing this segregation.
  • Education of all Handicapped Children Act Ruling

    Education of all Handicapped Children Act Ruling

    Tommy Smith was removed from his public school and placed in a mental health facility because he had cerebral palsy. This evoked congress to pass this act which provided education for handicapped students and ensured they had access to equal education. The Disability Rights Center lobbied against attempts to weaken this act. While this act provided a better schooling system for handicapped children, students with learning disabilities would not see the same inclusive education until 1990.
  • The Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act

    The Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act

    This act gave assistance to Native American children going to college in schools that were owned by Tribal governments.
  • Plyler vs Doe Ruling

    Plyler vs Doe Ruling

    Two policies were put into place hindering undocumented students from attending public schools. The court stated each child’s case would need to be further examined before jumping to decide they cannot have access to free public education. This case only applied to children in grades K-12. Undocumented children were still unable to utilize in-state tuition or scholarships for college, which only strengthened the racial inequality gap for years to come.
  • New Jersey vs. T.L.O

    New Jersey vs. T.L.O

    Established a public school official can search their students in a school environment after a student, T.L.O, had their bag searched in suspicion of having cigarettes and other marijuana paraphernalia.
  • Bethel School District #43 vs. Fraser

    Bethel School District #43 vs. Fraser

    Deciding how far free speech really goes in public schools after a student gave a "sexually suggestive" speech at a school assembly. This ruling decided that public schools do have the right to punish a student for using indecent language.
  • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

    Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

    This act made certain that all students with disabilities would receive equal and free public education. This act amended the previous Education of All Handicapped Children Act.
  • Proposition 187 passes

    Proposition 187 passes

    Prohibit undocumented people from using services in California, including free public education
  • Proposition 209 passes

    Proposition 209 passes

    Outlawed affirmative action in public education

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