ESEA history

[George Sheridan <learn@jps.net>]

 Members of this list are familiar with this history, but may find having it
summarized in one page is useful background information to share with others.

April 11, 1965             President Lyndon B. Johnson signed ESEA into law as
part of his war on poverty. The law focused primarily on delivering federal aid
to help level the educational playing field for poor and minority children.

REAUTHORIZATIONS

1968                           Congress expands ESEA with new programs for
migrant, neglected or delinquent children and the Bilingual Education Act is
added.

1969 President Nixon demands that the federal aid ?supplement not supplant? money
spent by states and districts.

1978                           President Carter signs reauthorization permitting
Title 1 money ?schoolwide? if at least 75% of children are eligible for the aid.

1981                           President Reagan pushes hard for rewrite of ESEA
consolidating many programs into a block grant but maintains Title 1 (Chapter I)
as separate program. This is the start of a period of depressed spending under
federal law.

1985                           Supreme Court (5-4) vote rules that practice of
sending public school teachers into religious schools violates First Amendment
ban on government establishment of religion, consequently students from religious
schools must travel to mobile vans, public schools, or other neutral sites to
receive Title 1 services.

1988                           Law takes important steps toward the kind of
student testing and accountability later expanded by NCLB. Districts must
annually assess effectiveness of Chapter I programs in schools. Program
Improvement Action Plans (PIAP) required for each school that does not make
substantial progress toward raising student achievement.

1994                           President Bill Clinton signs ?Improving America?s
Schools Act? requiring states to develop standards and aligned assessments for
all students. Districts must identify schools not making ?adequate yearly
progress? and take steps to improve them. This reauthorization also introduced
the voluntary Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration project.

1997                           The Supreme Court (5-4 vote) overturns its 1985
ruling.

2001 The ESEA reauthorization bill passes 381 ? 41 in the House and 87 ? 10 in
the Senate.

2002                           President Bush signs the ESEA - expanding testing
requirements and introducing an aggressive federal role in holding states and
school districts accountable for showing improved student performance on test
scores.

George Sheridan