Education Court Cases, Legislation, And Federal Documents Flashcards
A nation at risk
A Nation at Risk is a 1983 report put out by the Reagan administration that described how America’s educational system was failing to educate students well. Among other things, it recommended that schools become more rigorous, that they adopt new standards, and that teacher preparation and pay be evaluated. Over 30 years later, many of the report’s recommendations have taken effect. However, there have been many critiques of the report, including a famous book titled The Manufactured Crisis, which questions statistics used in A Nation at Risk
Education For All Handicapped Children Act
The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 outlined six mandates that schools must follow with regards to educating special needs students:
Zero reject, including providing free and appropriate public education, or FAPE
Nondiscriminatory identification and evaluation of special education students
Individualized educational program, or IEP, to outline how each student would be educated
The least restrictive environment, which provided students the opportunity to be educated in the mainstream classroom if it met their need
Due process for families who feel their child’s needs aren’t being met
Parental participation in the process
The impact of the act was far-reaching and changed things for the better for students, parents, and educators.
Educate America Act
The Educate America Act, or Goals 2000, was a federal law set in 1994 that set nationwide educational goals to be met by the year 2000. The eight goals set were:
Every child will start school ready to learn.
High school graduation rate will be at least 90%.
Schools will help students learn to use their minds well.
Teachers will have professional development opportunities.
U.S. students will be the first in the world in science and mathematics.
Every adult American will be literate.
Schools will provide an environment conducive to learning.
Schools will partner with parents to provide to the whole child.
The Educate America Act had a large impact on American education, as it was the first time the federal government had set goals for schools. It led to many reforms in schools and districts across the country and opened the door for the comprehensive No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
In summary, the 2004 version of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that public schools provide specialized services to children who have disabilities that affect their educational performance, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability.
There are six main principles included in the act. The first is the requirement of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for each student with a disability. The second is the requirement that each student be educated in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) possible. The third and fourth principles are that each student with a disability receives a free appropriate public education and an appropriate evaluation. The fifth is the requirement to include parents and students in decision making, and the final principle is procedural safeguards, which protects the rights and privacy of the student and his or her parents.
The Morill Acts of 1862 and 1890
The Morrill Land-Grant Acts provided land and money to states to found colleges that focused on agriculture, engineering, and military tactics. The Morrill Act of 1862 offered states land to form colleges that included agriculture, engineering, and military tactics in their course offerings. It led to the establishment of many universities and opened the door for public college education in America. The Morrill Act of 1890 gave money to states to provide education for racial minorities. As a result, many historically black colleges and universities were formed, offering all Americans the chance to attend college.
No Child Left Behind
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 focused on accountability, assessment, and standards. It was closely linked to Title I Funding, which is federal money that goes to schools with many poor students. There are many good things that have come out of NCLB, including improvement of test scores, more qualified teachers, extra help for students who need it, and more clarity for parents on how their child and their child’s school is doing. However, critics point out that improvement of test scores might not be due to NCLB, it leads to teaching to the test and cuts due to focus and underfunding of the law, and it puts an unfair burden on poor schools.
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District
The First Amendment of the United States protects people’s right to expression. However, there are limits on that expression, and for many years, one of the limits was on students. But in the 1960s, that changed with the Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District. In that case, the Supreme Court sided with John Tinker and Christopher Eckhardt, saying that the school could not prevent them from wearing armbands to protest the Vietnam War. Since then, schools’ censorship of students is held up to the Tinker Test, which states that schools can only prevent students’ expression if there is evidence that it will disrupt education or infringe upon the rights of others.
Title IX
Gender discrimination involves treating people differently based on their gender. For many years, gender discrimination was legal in U.S. schools. But Title IX of the United States Education Amendments made it illegal for federally funded schools to discriminate based on gender.
Among the areas addressed by Title IX were sex segregation and stereotypes, pregnant and parenting teen rights, gender-based violence, and athletics. Since the passage of Title IX in 1972, many positive changes have occurred, including an increase in self-esteem in girls and higher college graduation rates for women. However, there are still some areas for improvement, particularly in the area of gender-based violence on school campuses.
