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Coral Way Elementary School
In reaction to the Cuban Revolution the number of Cuban immigrants grows in Miama, Floridia. The first bilingual and bicultural public school is created to better serve these Cuban immigrants. This was an incredible moment for multiculturalism in the classroom as school policy responded to student need and encouraged a melding of cultures. Fights continue across America today on the topic of teaching classes in langauges other than English. -
Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights Act made segregation in public places illegal, including schools, and banned employment discrimination. This bill originally stated that forced busing was not a solution to the segregation problem. However, forced bussing still became a reality only two years later. The Civil Rights Act was important for multiculturalism in education because it made it illegal to have seperate schools based on race. It encouraged integration. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
ESEA becomes the nation's federal education law and was most recently reauthorized by President Obama as the Every Student Succeeds Act. It is important because it allocated federal funds to bilingual education and helping bilingual students succeed. -
PARC v. Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens v. Pennsylvania case rules that students with mental retardation are entitled to a free public education. This ruling leads to similar rulings enabling all students with special needs to receive a free public education. This is a valuable moment in multicultural history as those students with exceptionalities are now being given an equal right to the classroom and creating a greater level of diversity in schools. -
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
Title IX promises that no student will be denied any benefit of public education on the basis of sex. Title IX is largely associated with women's sports but it does specify all publicly funded programs and activities. -
Equal Educational Opportunities Act
This law not only prohibits schools from intentionally discriminating based on race, color, sex, or national orgin but also requires them to actively remedy any deliberate segregation. This applies to faculty, staff, and students. -
Plyler v. Doe
This Supreme Court case ruled that undocumented children have a right to a public education and they should not have to pay any tution to recieve such education. This ensures that all children have access to free education regardless of their immigration status. -
Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA)
IDEA provides provisions to ensure that all students regardless of exceptionalities and special needs receives a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). IDEA is vital to our nations public school system as it battles ableism and encourages the inclusion of children. -
Improving Americas Schools Act (IASA)
IASA is signed into law by President Clinton and reauthorizes ESEA. It provides even further provisions for bilingual and immigrant education. This is still an important issue as more and more students are learning English as a second language. -
Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 and Meredith v. Jefferson County Board of Education
These two cases received the same rulling, that schools could not use race to determine high school placement. Both school districts allowed students to pick the school they wanted to attend, when schools could not accomidate all the students that selected that school officials used race (in an effort to maintain racial integration) as a selection criteria. The ruling of the case actually makes intentional integration harder for schools and de facto segregation a growing reality.
