Type: Exhibition section
Name: Education
Detail: "In life today, learning can no longer be limited to the classroom between ages six and the mid-twenties. It must begin at birth and continue through life. The lifelong student must be able to change his career both to accommodate his talents and to fill the manpower needs of the time." Harrison A. Williams, Jr., Crossroads U.S.A., 1968.
Equality of economic opportunity was essential for full inclusion in a Great Society that valued individual initiative and achievement. Education was the critical ingredient in leveling this economic playing field, or at least providing a path for raising low income individuals from poverty. Further, education was the means by which each individual, and the nation collectively, could adapt and achieve their highest capability in a technologically complex and ever-changing world. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 was the federal government's first significant initiative in providing funding to local schools. The legislation required periodic reauthorizations, providing built-in opportunities for debate at the federal level about the nation's educational system. Continuing into the twenty-first century, these reauthorizations included the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Other legislation sponsored or co-sponsored by Williams was aimed at supporting innovative educational possibilities—such as Head Start for pre-school age children, federal funding for two-year community colleges, and vocational training through the Job Corps for adults—and at expanding access to education in terms of both numbers of students and the demographic groups served.