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Civil Rights Act
In 1964, the Civil Rights act was signed into law. The act dictates that no one should be discriminated against because of race, gender, religion, etc. This impacted multicultural education because schools could no longer legally segregate by race. Children were now free to go to school with children of other races. -
Martin Luther King is Assassinated
The leader of the Civil Rights Movement was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. There is now a national holiday every January in his memory. Martin Luther King is known for his "I Have a Dream" speech that greatly affected the way people see racial issues in the United States. In turn, it affected how racial differences were treated in education. -
Indian Education Act
The Indian Education Act focuses on the education of Native American students in the United States. Changes were made to respect the different ways in which Native Americans approach their education due to their culture. It is meant to promote diversity in education. By putting national attention on the act, the government's responsibility towards education of all races is reaffirmed. -
Equal Educational Opportunities Act
This act was passed in 1974. The rights of students with learning disabilities or limited English proficiency are protected. Schools are no longer allowed to discriminate against students. Schools are also legally required to take action when they see discrimination happening within their systems. -
Wallace v. Jaffree
In this case, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that Alabama statutes authorizing silent prayer and voluntary, teacher-led prayer circles was a violation of the First Amendment. The case came around when one of the students at the school was made fun of by peers for not joining in with the voluntary prayers. Jaffree claimed that it was unfair that students be ostracized for not participating in the prayers. It was decided that religion should be left out of schools. -
Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act
This act, signed by President Bill Clinton, prohibits higher education benefits (such as in-state tuition) from being available to undocumented illegal immigrants, unless that benefit is also available to documented citizens. The act conflicts with many state laws. The act was an attempt to strengthen border control and illegal immigration. Employment eligibility verification is also a part of the act. -
California Proposition 227
This proposition that was passed in California required all public schools to teach in English. The act had a large effect on students with limited English ability. The supporters of the proposition only spent roughly one million dollars compared to the opponents' 4.8 million dollars. Short-term placement for students with poor English was not to exceed more than one year. The proposition had a large impact on students who did not speak English as their primary language. -
Patriot Act
The Patriot Act, signed by President George W. Bush in 2001, was a result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The act was put in place to prevent further terrorist activity. However, because of the trauma of 9/11, many foreign individuals who has nothing to do with the terrorism experienced personal attacks to their safety and well-being. These hate crimes have had a lasting effect on racism in the United States, including in the sphere of education. -
Schools v. Seattle School District No 1 and Meredith v. Jefferson County Board of Education
Due to these similar cases in Seattle and Louisville, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that children could not be assigned to high schools based on race. Integration plans to do so in these cities were thus rejected. Had the Supreme Court ruled otherwise, it would have turned into another form of educational segregation. This of course would have affected multicultural education much in the way that the segregation prior to the Civil Rights Act had. -
Civil Rights Project
This report published in 2014 details the decline of non-Hispanic white students compared to the increasing numbers of Hispanic students. It also reports how many schools have begun segregating based on race and poverty, especially in areas with a high concentration oh Hispanic and Latino students. There is a direct link between race and poverty that affects colored students' access to education.
