Introduction
Education is a routine part of life for many people. Today, it is considered one of the most fundamental human rights and cannot be withheld from individuals on the basis of their age, gender, race, cultural background or origin, disability, or other factors. Nevertheless, throughout the history of the United States, it has not always been the case, and numerous laws that prevented equal access to education for specific populations were in place. This paper examines landmark court cases that shaped the education system in the United States through the change of outdated and discriminatory laws.
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Brown v. the Board of Education is a breakthrough case that concluded with the prohibition of racial segregation in schools. The Supreme Court found segregation based on race and ethnicity within the education system unconstitutional, overruling the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision and the “separate but equal” doctrine (National Archives, 2021). The Brown case was a culmination of prior cases that failed to gain success in lower courts, including Belton v. Gebhart (1952), Briggs v. Elliot (1952), and Bolling v. Sharp (1954) (National Archives, 2021). The case highlighted that providing high-quality education to all citizens is the basic function of the government. According to Hill (2021), the case set a baseline “for addressing systems of inequality and injustice” in the education system and other institutions (p. 37). Brown v. the Board of Education carried several crucial implications, including the necessity for social cooperation in integrating efforts aimed at inclusive and equitable education (Hill, 2021). The ruling can be considered among the most critical in the history of the United States, and it played a crucial role in shaping education in the country by insisting on the desegregation of schools.
Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (1971)
The Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens (PARC) v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is another landmark court case that led to considerable changes being made to the U.S. education system. PARC sued the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on behalf of several children with mental disabilities who were refused admission into the state’s public schools (Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse, 2023). The refusal was supported by the state law claiming that individuals with mental disabilities should not receive publicly funded education (Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse, 2023). The district court ruled in favor of PARC, declaring the Pennsylvania state law unconstitutional. The court noted that the law violated the Equal Protection clause by infringing on the rights of people with mental and physical disabilities (Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse, 2023). Overall, the case furthered inclusive education and equal access to education in the country by barring schools from discriminating against potential students based on their disability status. Furthermore, it mandated that schools carry out thorough evaluations and provide appropriate resources for students with disabilities.
Robinson v. Cahill (1973)
Funding of schools has a significant impact on the quality of the offered education. Therefore, it is vital to ensure that all schools receive adequate financing and are supported by the government. Numerous court cases addressed the issue of unequal funding in different districts, including the 1973 Robinson v. Cahill case. In Robinson v. Cahill, the Governor of New Jersey was sued for failing to provide equal financing to schools due to funding being collected from property taxes in the state districts (Edwards, 2019). Thus, schools in neighborhoods with low property taxes received a minimal budget per student, leading to substantial disparities. The Supreme Court of the state ruled in favor of the plaintiff, stating that financing inequality violated the state’s constitution and led to subpar education being provided to students (Edwards, 2019). Robinson v. Cahill was the first court case to introduce equity in education as a legal concept (Peurach et al., 2019). It resulted in the state providing additional funding to schools in areas with low property taxes.
Plyler v. Doe (1982)
The 1982 Plyler v. Doe case addressed the Texas law that allowed the state government to refuse to fund the education of undocumented migrants. The Supreme Court ruled that the state could not deny education to children living within its borders as their immigrant status was a factor beyond their control (Kooragayala, 2019). The case forced the Supreme Court to consider whether the Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection clause applied to children of undocumented migrants, concluding that it did and should, therefore, be respected (Olivas, 2022). In recent years, the decision served as a precedent for similar decisions and legislations, including the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Olivas, 2022). Overall, Plyler v. Doe is a landmark case that guaranteed access to education to all children, regardless of their origin, immigration, and citizenship status.
Conclusion
In summary, the education system in the United States has been shaped by numerous court cases that asked for equal treatment and access to education for different populations that continue to impact the field to date. Thus, Brown v. Board of Education ended racial segregation in schools, while Plyler v. Doe allowed for the education of undocumented children, ensuring all children, regardless of race, ethnicity, and origin, had access to education. Whereas PARC v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania safeguarded access to free public education for children with mental and physical disabilities, with Robinson v. Cahill warranting equal funding for public schools.
References
Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse. (2023). Parc v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Web.
Edwards, N. (2019). The impact of landmark court cases on funding in American public education systems: The legal system and the financial structure of educational institutions. The Asian Conference on Education. Web.
Hill, J. B. (2021). Culture and conversation: Rethinking Brown v. Board of education a postponed commitment to educational equality. Journal of Education and Learning, 10(2), 37–52. Web.
Kooragayala, S. (2019). Preschool for all: Plyler v. Doe in the context of early childhood education. Northwestern Journal of Law and Social Policy, 15, 98–120. Web.
National Archives. (2021). Brown v. Board of education (1954). Web.
Olivas, M. A. (2022). Plyler v. Doe. Texas State Historical Association. Web.
Peurach, D. J., Cohen, D. K., Yurkofsky, M. M., & Spillane, J. P. (2019). From mass schooling to education systems: Changing patterns in the organization and management of instruction. Review of Research in Education, 43(1), 32–67. Web.