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Massachusetts Compulsory Law
The colonists believed that all of the individuals in the colony needed to be able to read so that they could read the Bible and the laws of the colony. April 14, 1642, the general court passed a law that required the heads of households to teach their children to read and write. Five years later, in 1647, because they suspected that parents were not educating their children properly, the court passed a law requiring towns to provide schools. -
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States and wrote much of the Declaration of Independence. He believed that education was the key to happiness. He oversaw the founding and development of the University of Virginia. -
Morrill Land-Grant College Act
The Morrill Act of 1862, also known as the Morrill Land Grant College Act, was originally set up to establish institutions that would be responsible for educating people in agriculture, home economics, mechanical arts, and other professions that were practical at that time. -
National Department of Education
The National Department of Education was created in 1867 in order to collect information on schools and teaching that would help the states design more effective school systems. President Andrew Johnson signed the legislation creating this department. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
The Supreme Court ruled that equal protection only extended to political and civil rights, and not social rights. The court also ruled that as long as the facilities were equal, there was no “badge of inferiority” placed on blacks by the law. This case justified “separate but equal” which allowed schools to remain segregated until Brown v. the Board of Education in 1954. -
GI Bill
This legislation became known as the “GI Bill of Rights” because it offered Federal aid to help veterans adjust to civilian life. The act provided tuition, books and other supplies to help veterans continue their education either in a vocational school or college. Over the next seven years, over eight million veterans received education benefits. -
National Defense Education Act
The National Defense Act of 1958 was one of the most successful legislative initiatives for higher education in our country’s history. It made substantial funds available for low-cost student loans which boosted both public and private colleges and universities. Although the act was primarily intended to contribute funds for education in science, mathematics, and foreign languages, the act also helped to expand college libraries and other services for all students. -
Title IX Education Amendment
Title IX is a part of the United States Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX is a comprehensive federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program or activity. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act “No Child Left Behind”
The NCLB law put the focus on ensuring that states and schools improve the performance of certain groups of students, such as English-language learners, students in special education, and poor and minority children, whose achievement on average, is not as good as their peers. States did not have to comply with the new requirements, but if they did not, they risked losing federal money.
