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The Massachusetts Education Law
The Massachusetts Education Law (1647) Often known as the Old Deluder Satan Act, this law is considered to be the first passed which required public education in the American colonies. In towns of 50 or more households, a teacher was to be hired, thus founding a public school. It was an attempt to make sure that children could read the Bible. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896): A Supreme Court case which upheld the doctrine of separate but equal, legalizing segregation in schools and all other public facilities that catered to people. -
Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka
Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka (1954): The Supreme Court in this landmark ruling overturned Plessy v. Ferguson and ruled that segregation by race in the school system was unconstitutional. It, therefore, was one step toward full desegregation -though in implementation it was resisted massively. -
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969): Held that students have the right to free speech in schools, which for the first time established a student's constitutional rights do not end at the schoolhouse gate. Students wore armbands to protest the Vietnam War. -
Title IX
Title IX (1972): Title IX barred sex-based discrimination in federally assisted education programs and activities. It drastically increased opportunities for female students in academics and athletics. -
Lau v. Nichols
Lau v. Nichols (1974): This case established the needs of non-English-speaking students. The Supreme Court found that the lack of language accommodation for Chinese-American students in San Francisco was a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, resulting in stronger requirements for bilingual education programs. -
Education of all Handicapped Children Act
Education of All Handicapped Children Act (1975): Later changed to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the law provided a free appropriate public education for children with disabilities and increased the importance of individualized education plans (IEPs) to meet student needs. -
Pyler v. Doe
Plyler v. Doe (1982): The Supreme Court has held that it is unconstitutional for states to deny free public education to children on account of their immigration status. The critical decision has ensured that children of undocumented immigrants hold a legal right to be admitted to and attend public schools without any discrimination or barriers put in place because of citizenship or immigration status.