Which act, signed into law in 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, aimed to ensure full educational opportunity and became a civil rights law?

• A. Elementary and Secondary Education Act
• B. No Child Left Behind Act
• C. Civil Rights Act
• D. Higher Education Act

Answer: (A)

The question is about a law from the 1960s that expanded opportunity in education and is recognized as a civil rights statute. The act signed by President Johnson in 1965 that fits this description is the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. It established a significant federal role in funding K–12 education, aimed at closing the achievement gap by directing resources to schools serving large numbers of low-income students. By prioritizing equal access to quality education and tying funding to efforts to improve disadvantaged schools, it became a landmark civil rights measure in education, rather than just a general education funding bill.

Other options don’t fit as neatly: the Civil Rights Act was enacted in 1964 and targets discrimination across many areas, not specifically education funding and access in K–12. The Higher Education Act, though also from the 1960s, focuses on funding and student aid for colleges and universities rather than broad primary and secondary education access. No Child Left Behind is a 2001 reform act centered on accountability, testing, and school performance, not the original expansion of educational opportunity in the 1960s.