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Carter G. Woodson
A leading scholar of the early 20th century ethnic studies movement, he helped found the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. This association, and the ethnic studies movement, helped to challenge the negative images and stereotypes of African-Americans at this time (StateUniversity.com, n.d.). Link text -
Mendez vs. Westminster
This landmark case ruled that it was unconstitutional to educate children of Mexican descent in separate school facilities. This case against the California Board of Education would set the precedent for Brown v. Board of Education almost 10 years later.
Read more about this important case involving school segregation at the link below.
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Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka
The landmark Supreme Court case that determined that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. The court declared that "Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal" and helped to break the hold of segregation on our public schools. This case also helped to spark the Civil Rights movement (History.com, 2009),
For a video, and to read more click on the link below. Link text -
Little Rock Nine
Nine African-American students attempted to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Gov. Orval Faubus used the National Guard to block the students. An injunction was given against the blockade, and the students entered with police escorts but left later out of fear for their safety. Under pressure from Dr. King, Pres. Eisenhower sent in federal troops to integrate the school (Little Rock School Desegregation (1957), n.d).
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First Bilingual and Bicultural School Established
In a response to an increase in Cuban refugees, Coral Way Elementary School opened in Dade County, Florida. It was the first bicultural and bilingual school in America. The students were taught in their native language, with English as a second language. They were also instructed in their Cuban history and culture (Everett-Haynes, 2008).
Read this story about Coral Way Elementary in Florida.
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Elementary and Secondary Education Act
This legislation was a vital part of President Johnson's War on Poverty. This act brought education to the forefront of the fight against poverty, and was the first national legislative commitment to "equal access to quality education" (Social Welfare History Project, 2016) for all students. -
Bilingual Education Act
The Bilingual Education Act mandated that schools provided bilingual education programs. This was the first legislation where Congress provided federal funding for bilingual education. Prior to WWI, it was commonplace to educate students in their native language. There was a wave of anti-German sentiment during the war, and speaking in languages other than English was discouraged. This common education practice ended (Schugurensky, 2002). -
Lau vs. NIchols
One of the most important cases regarding bilingual education. The parents of Chinese students sued the San Francisco Unified School District for not discrimination because they were not providing the same educational opportunities for all students. Chinese students were instructed using English only materials. The Supreme Court rules that SFUSD violated the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by denying equal opportunities to Chinese-American students (Bon, n.d.) -
James Banks
Publishes Multicultural Education: Transformative Knowledge and Action, one of the most influential books on multicultural education. Dr. Banks is seen as the founder of the multicultural education movement that began in the late 1990's.
This book would go on to inspire others in the field of multicultural education, and has had a huge impact on how public schools and universities handle cultural diversity (Center for Multicultural Education, n.d.). Link text -
Public Education Demographic Milestone
Minority students enrolled in public schools outnumber non-Hispanic Caucasians for first time. This will require a major shift in the way public education serves non-white students (Maxwell, 2014).. The multicultural education movement has been laying the foundation for this milestone.
