Título: Lyndon B. Johnson
Seção: Federal funding for education
Background: Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908 - January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th President of the United States from 1963 to 1969, assuming the office after having served as the 37th Vice President of the United States from 1961 to 1963. A Democrat from Texas, he also served as a United States Representative and as the Majority Leader in the United States Senate. Johnson is one of only four people who have served in all four federal elected positions.

Conteúdo: Johnson, whose own ticket out of poverty was a public education in Texas, fervently believed that education was a cure for ignorance and poverty, and was an essential component of the American dream, especially for minorities who endured poor facilities and tight-fisted budgets from local taxes. He made education the top priority of the Great Society agenda, with an emphasis on helping poor children. After the 1964 landslide brought in many new liberal Congressmen, LBJ launched a legislative effort which took the name of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. The bill sought to double federal spending on education from $4 billion to $8 billion.; with considerable facilitating by the White House, it passed the House by a vote of 263 to 153 on March 26 and then it remarkably passed without change in the Senate, by 73 to 8, without going through the usual conference committee. This was an historic accomplishment by the president, with the billion dollar bill passing as introduced just 87 days before.  For the first time, large amounts of federal money went to public schools. In practice ESEA meant helping all public school districts, with more money going to districts that had large proportions of students from poor families (which included all the big cities). For the first time private schools (most of them Catholic schools in the inner cities) received services, such as library funding, comprising about 12 percent of the ESEA budget. Though federal funds w

user: What was his view on federal funding for education?

assistant: He made education the top priority of the Great Society agenda, with an emphasis on helping poor children.

user: Was this important to him?

assistant: fervently believed that education was a cure for ignorance and poverty, and was an essential component of the American dream,

user: Did he put any bills in place for this funding?

assistant: Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965.

user: How did this help the children living at poverty levels?

assistant: large amounts of federal money went to public schools.

user: How much funding did the ESEA receive ?

assistant: double federal spending on education from $4 billion to $8 billion.;

user: So the bill passed ?

assistant: it passed the House by a vote of 263 to 153 on March 26 and then it remarkably passed without change in the Senate, by 73 to 8,

user: Did he pass any other BILL for education during this time frame?

assistant: In 1967, Johnson signed the Public Broadcasting Act

user: What was the public broadcasting act?

assistant: create educational television programs to supplement the broadcast networks.

user: Would this also benefit children in poor communities?

assistant: Higher Education Act of 1965, which focused on funding for lower income students, including grants, work-study money, and government loans.