Kevin R. Kosar
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History of Federal Education Policy Website
I created this web page in order to assist those who desire to learn more about the history of federal K-12 education policy. Here you will find copies of the major federal laws, landmark court cases, and lists of helpful research materials on the federal role in education. If you would like to suggest or contribute materials, please contact me at kevinrkosar [at] gmail [dot] com. Laws (Current) The major corpus of federal education laws and policies may be found in Title 20 of the U.S. Code (Note: education policies can be found elsewhere in the U.S. Code. Federal Regulations (Current) To locate education regulations, see the Code of Federal Regulations Code of Federal Regulations (especially Title 34). The Major Federal Laws As Originally Signed Into Law Act to Establish a Department of Education Act (1867) (14 Stat. 434), March 2, 1867. Vocational Education Promotion (Smith-Hughes) Act (P.L. 64-347; 39 Stat. 929), February 23, 1917. National School Lunch Act (P.L. 79-396; 60 Stat. 230), June 4, 1946 Impact Aid Act of 1950 National Defense Education Act of 1958 (P.L. 85-864; 72 Stat. 1580), September 2, 1958. Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (P.L. 89-10; 79 Stat. 27), April 11, 1965. No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-110; 114 Stat. 1425), January 8, 2002. Landmark Supreme Court and Federal Cases Pierce v. Society of Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (268 U.S. 510 (1925)) Minersville School District v. Gobitis (310 U.S. 586 (1940)) Everson v. Board of Education of Ewing Township (330 U.S. 1 (1947)) Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (347 U.S. 483 (1954)) Wisconsin v. Yoder (406 U.S. 205 (1972)) San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez (411 U.S. 1 (1973)) Plyler v. Doe (457 U.S. 202 (1982)) Recommended Articles, Chapters, and Studies of Federal Education Policy Kevin R. Kosar, "Government Role in Schooling," in Sandra Mathison and E. Wayne Ross, eds., Battleground Schools (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, December 2007). National Commission on Excellence in Education, A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform (Washington: GPO, 1983). Items of Historical Interest
Andrew Rotherham, "Toward Performance-Based Federal Education Funding," Public Policy Institute, April 1999. "National Education Standards...They're Back!" History News Network, March 13, 2006. "National Education Standards: Here They Come Again!" History News Network, March 2, 2009. The peculiar decision in Everson v. Board of Education of Ewing Township (330 U.S. 1 (1947)) is discussed here. Good Books on the Federal Role in Education David L. Angus and Jeffrey E. Mirel, The Failed Promise of the American High School, 1890-1995 (New York: Teachers College Press, April 1999). Susan Levine, School Lunch Politics: The Surprising History of America's Favorite Welfare Program (Princeton University Press, 2008). Read review.
Kevin R. Kosar, Failing Grades: The Federal Politics of Education Standards (Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2005).
Lawrence J. McAndrews, The Era of Education: The Presidents and the Schools, 1965-2001 (Urbana-Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2006). Read review.
Chester E. Finn, Jr., Troublemaker: A Personal History of School Reform Since Sputnik (Princeton University Press, 2008). Read review.
Diane Ravitch, Left Back: A Century of Failed School Reforms (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000).
Diane Ravitch, The Troubled Crusade: American Education, 1945-1980 (New York: Basic Books, 1985).
Beryl A. Radin and Willis D. Hawley, Politics of Federal Reorganization: Creating the U.S. Department of Education (New York: Pergamon Books Inc., 1988).
Robert V. Heffernan, Cabinetmakers: Story of the Three-Year Battle to Establish the U.S. Department of Education (Iuniverse, 2001).
Joseph P. Viteritti, Choosing Equality : School Choice, the Constitution, and Civil Society (Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press: 1999). Websites U.S. Department of Education (Current education policies and information.) U.S. National Education Standards Education Week newspaper (Current education policies and information.) Education Sector (Research on current policies and practices.) Education Next journal (Current policy issues and research.) |
