AllMovie

Actress Meryl Streep narrates this four-part series about America's development of its public school systems since 1770. Each video includes interviews with past teachers, students, and parents as it reflects on how different educational programs have benefited various communities. Diary excerpts and archival footage help bring to life some of the most important moments in educational history. Volume three starts with the year 1950 when issues like segregation, busing, and civil rights were forcing administrators to rethink how they were putting school districts together and designing programs within each school. Other critical events are covered, including the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka in 1954 and President Lyndon B. Johnson's Elementary and Secondary Education Acts, and the passage of Title IX.