School: 1950-1980

    The public schools of America were full of promise with the new postwar generation of students in the 1950s which over half of them would graduate and move on to college. There was still the problem of educational equality though as all of the other minorities received a biased education that was segregated and lacked vital resources. The education system faced many challenges in the 1960s and 70s as teachers had to fight for civil rights all while the end of the Vietnam War was going on. Native American and Latino women education started becoming even more of an issue and unions began to argue over school funding and benefits. The people started to believe that American public schools were failing and the teachers were to blame of it towards the 1980s but the American public schools have experienced radical changes throughout these decades.

    The separate but equal law stated that segregation was legal as long as both schools were equal but the truth of the matter is that black schools were very poor in comparison to white schools. The Brown v. Board of Education was about Linda Brown trying to enroll in a white school for better educational resources but was denied. Thurgood Marshall challenged these inequalities in court and Brown won claiming that education should be available to everyone. The Civil Rights Act banned racial discrimination in federally funded activities and would remove the federal funding from schools that chose to continue segregating. President Lyndon B. Johnson also started to approve more funding to disadvantaged students so all American students can be united in every public school with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The Title IX Amendment prohibited discrimination based on sex allowing female students to be offered advanced classes. By 1980, over 50% of African Americans obtained diplomas and 40% of student athletes were women with 30% of Law and Medical degrees also held by women.