-
1963 - U. S. Supreme Court reaffirms Engel v. Vitale by ruling that "no state law or school board may require that passages from the Bible be read or that the Lord's Prayer be recited in the public schools..."
This event occurred to me as one of the most influential to multicultural education, due to the fact that our First Amendment weighs in so heavily on not forcing any person to participate in church related activities. Schools are and should always be non-secular, and this Supreme Court ruling struck me as a crucial ruling in that. -
1964 - The Civil Rights Act becomes law. It prohibits discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion or national origin.
Of all events included in this timeline, this will undoubtedly be the one with most impact to not only multicultural education, but to the world. The Civil Rights Movement overall, enacted by JFK before his death, is one of (if not the most) groundbreaking pieces of legislation that our country had ever seen. In today's world, it seems trivial and like something that we should never have gone without, but it most definitely set the ground work for the world that we are continuing to build today. -
1972 - The case of Mills v. the Board of Education of Washington, D.C... students with disabilities and requires the provision of "adequate alternative educational services suited to the child's needs, which may include special education . . ."
This event is extremely relevant to multicultural education, as it fought for the rights of students with disabilities, and the inclusion of their needs in public schools. Keeping all students of all abilities and backgrounds in school and making sure their needs are met is so important, and this was the beginning of many cases like it. -
1985 - Microsoft Windows 1.0, the first independent version of Windows, is released, setting the stage for subsequent versions that make MS-DOS obsolete
While this may seem trivial to some, especially those from slightly older generations, Microsoft Windows paved the way for many later generations' educational careers. I know that personally my education would not have been the same without Windows, along with Internet Explorer, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and many more. -
1989 - The University of Phoenix establishes their "online campus," the first to offer online bachelor's and master's degrees. It becomes the "largest private university in North America."
Another event that may occur to some as trivial, online schooling opened up education to so many- and has made a huge impact on multicultural education. Especially for those of us who would not be able to finish college without programs like ASU online, this event paved the way for all of our educations to be possible. -
1998 - California voters pass Proposition 227, requiring that all public school instruction be in English. This time the law withstands legal challenges.
This struck me as a huge step back in multicultural education, as America is supposed to be a melting pot welcoming those from all backgrounds. It would be one thing if legislation had been passed to vow to teach children English, but this seemed counter intuitive and anything but helpful. -
2008 - Barack Obama defeats John McCain and is elected the 44th President of the United States.
This even is one that proved to come with many positive changes for multicultural education. Barack Obama had the highest intentions for those of different backgrounds and for supporting education, and did a lot for the education in our country. In my opinion; more than any other president aside from John F. Kennedy -
2015 - President Obama joins the "too-much-testing" movement as his new plan calls for limiting "standardized testing to no more than 2% of class time."
This move by President Obama not only made educational success more accessible to more cultures, but showed support to educators and schools everywhere. Obama did many positive things for multicultural education during his presidency, and this is just one of them. -
2016 - On May 13, the federal government tells school districts "to allow transgender students to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity."
One of the last great things Obama was able to try and do for schools, this has unfortunately been rescinded by the Trump administration. Having a younger sibling who is transgender, I know how important this directive was, and can only hope future leaders understand it as well. -
2016 - Donald Trump defeats Hillary Clinton and is elected President of the United States. One can only wonder what this means for American education.
This event is very likely to pave an uncertain future for multicultural education. Trump has already begun undoing some of the very important educational rulings put into place by his predecessors, and his being elected is truly scary- especially for educators and students.
