Education Policies and Court Cases Timeline

By lisastoddard

  • Brown v. Board of Education

    This court case focused on the segregation of African American students. The ruling of the court indicates that states are responsible for providing "equal educational opportunities" for all students.
    This ruling helped in opening the door for bilingual education.

  • The Elementary & Secondary Education Act

    The ESEA was the first federal law that was passed by Congress to provide funds, policies, and procedures to help students who come from familis with a low socieoeconomic status.

  • The Bilingual Education Act, also known as Title VII

    This act entered into the federal law as Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). It provided federal funds through grants for school districts to create educational programs for students with limited english proficiency.

  • Lau v Nichols

    A landmark court case in ELL education. The court claimed that even though the school district provided equal treatment for all students, the non English speaking students were deprived of a "meaningful" education.

  • Equal Educational Oppotunities Act

    A federal law that prohibits the discrimination of faculty, staff, and students. It requires school districts to take action to overcome barriers to students' equal participation in school.

  • Castaneda v. Pickard

    This case was tried in 1978 when a father of two Mexican American children claimed that Raymondville Independent School District did not provide the proper supports to his children to help them succeed in their education. The court ruled in favor of the school district and Castaneda appealed. In 1981, the court ruled in favor of Castaneda. As a result, the courts decision led to a three part assessment to hold bilingual education programs responsible for meeting the requirements of the EEOA.

  • Plyer v. Doe 1982

    The Supreme Court determined that all children, regardless of their immigration status have the right to a free public education.

  • No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

    This policy was the reauthorization of the ESEA. NCLB drastically changed the federal policy for English language learners. It replaced the Bilingual Education Act and has become Title III, which is called "Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students."

  • ESEA Flexibility Act

    Due to a large number of states not meeting the expectations of the NCLB act, the Obama administration encouraged states to apply for ESEA Flixibility. It allows states to seek relief from the provisions set from NCLB.

  • Every Student Succeeds Act

    The ESSA is a reauthorization of the ESEA act. It replaces the NCLB act and allows states and districts to have more control over the standards students are held to.