-
Engel v. Vitale
The supreme court rules that prayer used in schools in New York is a violation of the first amendment. The ruling decision states that "state officials may not compose an official state prayer and require that it be recited in the public schools of the State at the beginning of each school day. . . " This helped shape multiculturalism in our education system by not forcing a specific belief system on everyone, regardless of their own preset cultural practices. -
The Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 becomes a law and makes it illegal to discriminate anyone based on race, sex, religion, or national origin. If this law would never have come to pass, the entire education system could very likely still be segregated, with no diversity. -
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act
The ESEA was a part of Lyndon Johnson's "War on Poverty" plan. It allowed for the use of federal funds to help low income students. It is believed that this act lead to the creation of bilingual education and Title 1. -
The Equal Educational Opportunities Act
This act not only prohibits discrimination, but holds schools accountable to overcome any barriers that prevent equal protection. -
The Education of All Handicapped Children Act
Passed in 1975, but not required to be implemented until 1981, this act required that free, unrestrictive, and appropriate public education be provided for all "handicapped" students. -
The Refugee Act of 1980
Signed into law by Jimmy Carter, this act builds upon the Immigration Act of 1965 and allows refugees to be admitted for humanitarian reasons. This brings over many children, which increases multicultural diversity in the classrooms. -
Plyler v. Doe
The Supreme Court rules that it is unconstitutional to deny access of public education to undocumented children, or charge them tuition fees. Specifically, it is a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment -
Public Law 101-476 of IDEA
This law, also called the "Person First Law" changed the term "handicapped" to "disability". It added autism and traumatic brain injury to the list, and mandated transition services, -
The Improving America's Schools Act (IASA)
IASA is signed into law by Bill Clinton, reauthorizing the ESEA of 1965. It also includes reforms for Title 1, such as increased funding for bilingual education, drop out prevention, and technology education. -
Demographic Milestone
As schools started up, it was found that minority students outnumbered non-Hispanic Caucasion students in public schools. This influences multiculturalism in education by having students from many different backgrounds and ethnicities all learning together, and exposing fellow students to different cultural norms.
