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Coral Way Elementary Breaks Boundaries
During the 1960's, Cuban immigration started to boom due to the Cuban Revolution and with that came Spanish speaking students. Coral Way Elementary was the first in the nation to incorporate bilingual and bicultural curriculum to their school. They were some of the first to show America, that by incorporating a dual education, both immigrants and citizens could learn in harmony. http://www.eds-resources.com/educationhistorytimeline.html#1900 -
President Johnson's Initiative
During his "War on Poverty" initiative, President Johnson passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The ESEA aimed on closing the gap between children from lower income families, such as immigrants and those of high socioeconomic statuses. By providing more federal funding to schools in need, equal opportunity was given to all students. https://www.ed.gov/essa?src=ft -
Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens (PARC) v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
When the federal court ruled in favor of PARC, children with disabilities were given an equal chance for the first time. It laid out the foundation for children with disabilities to receive and equal and fair education, that is individualized and accommodates their condition. This case led to many other laws, that continue to protect those with disabilities. http://www.pilcop.org/pennsylvania-association-for-retarded-citizens-parc-v-commonwealth-of-pennsylvania/ -
Indian Education Act
The Indian Education Act was a step towards meeting the needs of American Indian and Alaska Native students. The act provided funds for Alaska Native and American Indian students' education. It also encouraged and allowed parents to become involved on the education advisory board. Overall, the act helped give the students the proper education they had a right to. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oese/oie/history.html -
Equal Education Opportunity Act
The act was signed by President Nixon and stated that no student could be discriminated against for their gender, race, or nationality. Any and all students, regardless of those factors were to be given the same equal opportunity for education. If a student was not proficient in english, it was the school's responsibility to teach and accommodate them.This act helped unify our school system and pushed back on segregation. www.justice.gov/crt/types-educational-opportunities-discrimination -
Plyler v. Doe
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Plyler in a 5-4 vote. The case was made against a Texas law that denied and even charged undocumented children for school. The case stated that denying students enrollment in school based on their immigration status was unconstitutional and against the 14th amendment. Students regardless of being undocumented immigrants had an equal right to education. https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/457/202 -
Board of Education v. Pico
The Island Trees School District was challenged by several students for removing several books from the libraries. According to the school district, the books were "anti American," and "anti-christian." The students argued that the district cannot ban books that do not agree with a group's social or political views. The Supreme Court sided with the students and stated that the First Amendment protected their right to the books and their ideas. https://www.oyez.org/cases/1981/80-2043 -
Multicultural Education Backtracking
The Patriot Act was passed after the attack on September 9, 2001 by Al-Qaeda. The Twin Towers and the Pentagon were hit with commercial flight planes, killing thousands. Ever since then, a strong sense of patriotism has been emphasised, along with a critical and hateful view towards Muslim Americans; which has taken multicultural education back several steps due to the anti muslim backlash and racism. thenotebook.org/articles/2002/09/25/multicultural-education-after-september-11 -
Alabama Passes Controversial Law
Alabama legislature passed a law that allowed public schools to check the immigration status of students. The law was approved despite Plyler v. Doe, due to claiming student will not be denied enrollment. It created fear of being reported or denied enrollment in families with undocumented immigrants.The majority of the community was afraid the education board were becoming immigration officers. abcnews.go.com/US/alabama-immigration-law-leaves-schools-gripped-uncertainty/story?id=14641343 -
Minnesota High School Creates History
Minnesota becomes the 33rd states to officially adopt a law regarding transgender students joining sports teams. A majority of the board, voted in favor of allowing transgendered students joining the high school female sports team. This has been a great victory for the transgender community and puts forth an example for the rest of the nation. Through this school law, students will have an equal opportunity and feel safe in their own community. http://www.mfc.org/mshsl-transgender-policy/
