Our History
When the Education Law Center opened a Pennsylvania office in 1975, a small staff began to develop an ambitious mission — to ensure that all children in Pennsylvania have access to quality public education.
Fifty years later, we are making an impact for students across Pennsylvania — and proudly celebrating our achievements while envisioning new strategies for the future.
Today, ELC is a nationally recognized leader working for educational equity, supporting over 1,000 individual families and child-serving professionals each year and impacting thousands more through our systemic advocacy. From securing legal firsts for students with disabilities to sparking reforms for multilingual students, from rewriting racially discriminatory dress codes to successfully challenging the constitutionality of the state’s school funding system, ELC has had a profound impact on policies and education law over our first half-century.
Milestones from our first 50 years
Each month in 2025, we are highlighting an ELC milestone or success in our e-newsletter as we mark our 50th anniversary. Please click here to subscribe to our mailing list.
1975: A Notable Year in Education Law
In our first year, our small Pennsylvania office played a crucial role in shaping the implementation of a landmark federal education law and quickly demonstrated its expertise in special-education litigation.
1985: Class Action Wins Improvements for Asian Immigrant Students
In 1985, the Education Law Center brought a class action lawsuit, Y.S. v. School District of Philadelphia, with the aim of securing an adequate educational program for thousands of students who were immigrants from Asia.
1987: Winning Accommodations for Students With Disabilities
1992: State Ordered to Eliminate Gaps in Services for Students With Disabilities
1994: LeGare Case Leads to New Admissions Process for Selective Public Schools
In the early 1990s, frustrated parents in Philadelphia complained to the Education Law Center that their children, who had been identified as having disabilities, missed out on serious consideration for admission to the city’s selective schools.
2004: ELC Challenges Racial Inequities in Qualified-Teacher Placement
Two decades ago, Education Law Center turned its attention to the issue of racial inequities in students’ access to qualified teachers in Philadelphia schools – initially by filing a federal civil rights complaint.
From our video library
How the Helpline Started
In this clip from our interview about ELC history with Janet Stotland and Len Rieser, former ELC co-directors, Janet speaks about ELC’s work after the passage of the law now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 1975. Educators had to be educated about the new legal environment and its implications.
ELC Litigation Has Brought Systemic Change
ELC senior attorney Margie Wakelin talks about how the skillful work of ELC attorneys on cases over the past 50 years has again and again led to lasting institutional changes, expanding the rights of children.
Educating the Educators
In this clip from our interview about ELC history with Janet Stotland and Len Rieser, former ELC co-directors, Janet speaks about ELC’s work after the passage of the law now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 1975. Educators had to be educated about the new legal environment and its implications.
Laying Groundwork for Statewide Advocacy, Fair Funding Case
Len Rieser, former ELC co-director, talks about the increased outreach and networking ELC did starting in the 1990s that helped kickstart a statewide movement for fair funding.
Building Upon the Strength of the Disability Rights Movement
Janet Stotland, former ELC executive director, describes how, from the organization’s earliest days, ELC worked to connect parents who were advocating for students with disabilities to other education battles beyond the issues of special education.
Taking on Difficult Issues
Education organizer and former ELC board member, Rochelle Nichols Solomon, talks about Education Law Center’s long-term commitment to the fight for fair funding.