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Santa Fe School District Vs. Doe
Judges in Santa Fe School District vs. Doe conclude that iniating student-led prayer, prior to high school football games, violates the First Amendment, and the Establishment Clause. The case was brought about from two sets of parents who filed complaints with the school district after such things as prayers during graduation, religious flyers being handed out in multiple classes and finally, prayers before football games and graduation, were taking place. -
No Child Left Behind Act
Days after entering office, Gerorge Bush passes the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001. The act was proposed to close the achievement gap by providing all children with a fair and equal opportunity for education. The Act emphasized four pillars within the bill: flexibility, accountability, research-based education and parent options. -
"Intelligent Design" Ruled Unconstitutional
In the case of Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, the judge rules that Intelligent Design taught as a scientific theory for creation is a direct violation of the 1st Amendment. The decision barred Dover Area School Districts from teaching the ideas of Intelligent Design in Biology class, seeing as it was not ruled as a scientfic theory, but as a mere re-labeling of Creationism. -
Virginia Tech Massacre
On April 18th, 2007, Virginia Tech senior Seung-Hui Cho kills 33 people (himself included), and wounds more than 20 in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. The incident would draw attention to gun safety, communication systems and the importance of campus safety country-wide in the following years. -
Barack Obama Elected, Reforms NCLBA
On November 4th, 2008, Barack Obama is elected the 44th president of the United States. Prior to election, Obama had hinted at possible reformations to be made to the No Child Left Behind Act, such as college ready standards, greater principals and teachers, and a more flexible appraoch and accountable system based on measuring student growth. -
Alabama and Immigration Status
Alabama becomes the first state to require public schools to check the immigration status of incoming students. For first year students, a birth certficate (or other means of identification) must be provided within 30 days, or school will report "enrolled without birth certificate" into the state system. Students names are not reported to the state government, or denied an education, if they are unable to provide proof of citizenship. -
Sandy Hook Shooting
Twenty-six people -- twenty students, six adults -- are shot and killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The incident was the deadliest mass shooting at a high school or grade school in U.S.history, and bought up, once again, the questioning of gun safety, gun control and gun regulation laws. -
Americans Teenagers Reported To Lag Behind
Per report from the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment, American tennagers lag behind internationally in in the subjects reading, math and science. Out of the 65 countries assessed, American ranks 24th in reading, 36th in mathematics and 28th in science. -
U.S. Schooling Finds New Majority
2014 is suspected to be first school year where the number of Latino, African American and Asian students surpass the number of non-hispanic whites. The non-hispanic white percentage is suspected to be 49,7%,, while all other ethnicites round out to 50.3%. Percentages are projected to maintain a steady rise in the upcoming years for the new majority. -
City-Wide "Sick-Out" In Detroit
On January 11th, 2016, 62 schools in Detroit, Michigan, nearly two-thirds of all schools in Detroit, were forced to close for the day, due to teachers planning a city-wide "sick out" to bring attention to the poor conditions of Detroit schools. Such issues as teacher shortage, limited classroom funding and poor conditions are brought attention.
