Educational Legislation Timeline by Isaiah

The Massachusetts School Laws of 1642 and 1647

isaiahmt1805 — 2024-10-21 18:08:13 UTC

The state of Massachusetts laid the groundwork for compulsory education in North America. Enacted in a religiously fundamentalist, puritan society, the 1642 measure required that parents/masters ensure that their children/servants know the principles of religion and the capital laws of the Commonwealth. The 1642 law was followed by the "Old Deluder Satan Act" in 1647, requiring towns of fifty families to hire a schoolmaster to teach students how to read and write. Towns of 100 families must have a grammar schoolmaster who could prepare children to attend Harvard College.

The Common School Act of 1837

isaiahmt1805 — 2024-10-21 18:15:51 UTC

Also occurring in Massachusetts, the Common School Act of 1837 was the first legislation to establish a system of public schools in America, open to all children regardless of socioeconomic status. The Act established a state-wide board of education to oversee the public school system, further cementing it as a significant milestone in the history of education law, setting a precedent for the structure of the public school systems nationwide.

Horace Mann: the "Father of the Common School"

isaiahmt1805 — 2024-10-21 18:24:43 UTC

Elected as the Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education in 1837, Mann was known for his commitment to education reform and expanding the common (public) school. To bolster his system, he influenced the development of teacher training institutions, and in 1838, he was instrumental in establishing state-sponsored "normal schools," or colleges of education, in Massachusetts.

Quote, "The Common School... may become the most effective and benignant of all forces of civilization"

The Progressive Education Movement (Late 19th to Early 20th Century)

isaiahmt1805 — 2024-10-21 18:33:19 UTC

The Progressive Education Movement was a branch of the progressive movement in politics, in response to widespread illiteracy and the inability to keep pace with the social changes of the turn of the century. Reformers seeked to overhaul the stiff, teacher-centered classroom. Experimental schools such as the University of Chicago Laboratory School attempted to make instruction interdisciplinary, emphasize the concept of individual worth, and see students as individuals with latent creative potential.

Key Reformers included John Dewey, Marietta Johnson, and Junius L. Meriam

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

isaiahmt1805 — 2024-10-21 18:39:38 UTC

Decision overturned: Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

In this landmark decision, SCOTUS overturned the 1896 court decision which created "separate but equal" facilities that segregated students by race. Justice Earl Warren delivered the unanimous decision in 1954, announcing that segregation of schools, under the guise of being "separate but equal" was unconstitutional and a violation of the 14th Amendment. The court ordered all states to deliberately implement desegregation measures. In the South, there was strong resistance to this ruling, and as a result, desegregation occurred at varying rates nationwide. This decision gave renewed energy to the civil rights movement, eventually resulting in the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

An Act to establish a clear and comprehensive prohibition of discrimination on the basis of disability - ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990)

jjmeier55 — 2024-10-24 00:36:10 UTC

The ADA is civil rights legislation prohibiting discrimination based on disability, acting as an addition to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to incorporate disabilities. Conditions included under this provision include amputation, ADHD, autism, bipolar disorder, blindness, cancer, cerebral palsy, deafness, diabetes, epilepsy, HIV/AIDS, intellectual disability, major depressive disorder, mobility impairments requiring a wheelchair, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, OCD, PTSD, and schizophrenia, as well as other mental and physical health conditions.

An act to close the achievement gap with accountability, flexibility, and choice, so that no child is left behind - No Child Left Behind Act of 2001

jjmeier55 — 2024-10-24 00:45:03 UTC

NCLB mandated a reform of education by setting higher educational standards in schools and setting up goals that can be measured in an effort to improve the success rate of students. Included improvements with Title I provisions relating to students with disadvantages. Each state developed their own educational standards under these provisions, and each state had an increased level of accountability.