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Two-track Educational System
In 1779 Thomas Jefferson proposed a two-track educational system for the “laboring and the learned”. This basically meant that only a select few individuals would advance through the educational system. In my opinion, this had a negative effect on the society because it discouraged people from obtaining an education and it was an unequal way of separating the upper-class “learning” Americans and the lower-class “working” Americans. -
Public Schools Free of Charge
Massachusetts is one of the first states to pass a law that states all public schools are open to all students and they are free. This was important because not only did it offer equal education but it offered equal opportunity to students who wouldn’t typically be able to afford school during this time period. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Homer Plessy, a white man by appearance but one-eigth black by blood, was arrested for sitting in a white-only car on a train. He later went to trial and filed against judge John Ferguson of the Louisiana Supreme Court for violating the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The court ruled against Plessy, stating that the intended equality between races that is presented in the 14th Amendment only extends so far and that the Equal Protection Clause covers civil rights not social rights. -
G.I. Bill
This Bill was enacted at the end of World War 2 and it provided college scholarships for men of the working class. This bill is still important today because it created equal access to education for veterans and equal access to federal funding. -
Educational Testing Service
The Educational Testing Service was formed in order to regulate and research educational testing. This non-profit organization received funding from the Rockefeller and Carnegie foundations in order to create assessments and general subject tests used for placement or entrance exams. This service helped create the SAT and various other standardized tests across the country. -
Brown v. the Board of Education (part 1)
The plaintiff, Oliver Brown, was a parent of one of the children denied access to a white school in Topeka, Kansas. He filed against the School Board of Education claiming that racial segregation in Topeka’s schools violated the Constitutions Equal Protection Clause because white and black schools were unequal. -
Brown v. the Board of Education (part 2)
Judge Warren and the other Supreme Court justices came to a unanimous decision that segregation of public school students violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. This landmark court case impacted racial segregation across the country but unfortunately did not fully desegregate public education in the United States. -
Title IX
As a part of the Education Amendments Act this federal law claims that in the United States people cannot be discriminated against or denied benefits from any educational programs based on sex. This created equal opportunity for receiving federal financial assistance for male and female students. -
Milliken v. Bradley
Bradley filed against Michigan Governor Milliken because of desegregation of public schools throughout Detroit School districts. The goal was to integrate public school but unfortunately the court ruled in favor of Milliken. The ruling stated that there will not be desegregation across districts but it is legal to segregate students based on whether they are from the inner-city (mostly students of color) or suburban districts (mostly wealthier white students). -
Education of all Handicapped Children Act
The US congress enacted the EAHCA in order to ensure that all public schools must provide equal access to education for students with physical or mental disabilities. The results of this act ensure that handicapped students are evaluated and an education plan is created for the student that reflects the educational experience of a student without disabilities. This positively affected our education system by providing equality & federal funding for special education programs across the country. -
The Federal Tribal Colleges Act
This act states that all Native American communities are required to establish a community college within the reservation. This allows Indians to attend college without having to leave home. This is important today because enacting this federal law allows Indian-Americans to have equal access to education while still being able to honor their traditions and cultures on the reservation. -
Pyler v. Doe
James Pyler, the superintendent of Tyler Independent School District in Texas, was taken to court by “Doe” which is referring to all students. This court case determined that a state cannot deny a student free public education just because they do not have documentation proving their citizenship. The results of Pyler v. Doe are important today because students have equal access to an education regardless of their immigration status. -
Proposition 187
The goal of this proposition was to make illegal aliens unable to receive equal public benefits. This effected education because it prevented students from attending school based on their immigration status. This proposition went against the court ruling from Pyler v. Doe because it denied access to education for students who were un-documented.
