History of Multicultural Education

  • First English settlement in Jamestown settlement in Virginia

    First English settlement in Jamestown settlement in Virginia
    The settlement of Jamestown was the first official settlement in the New World by the English. However many people from different cultures were coming to the New World for a fresh start.
  • First "Free Public School" is opened in Virginia

    First "Free Public School" is opened in Virginia
    Most children were still getting education at home from their parents of tutors, however this is the first recorded "Free Public School" in America. This was the first free public school to be opened which lead the way for children to be educated in America with no cost.
  • The New England Primer is printed in Boston

    The New England Primer is printed in Boston
    The New England Primer was a school book used by students in New England and in the Northern colonies. It was the intention that all children should learn how to read.
  • Noah Webster writes A Grammatical Institute of the English Language

    Noah Webster writes A Grammatical Institute of the English Language
    Noah Webster was dissatisfied with English textbooks of the day so he wrote A Grammatical Institute of the English Language which consisted of three volumes; a spelling book, a grammar book, and a reader. They became widely used in the United States.
  • The Connecticut Asylum at Hartford for the Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons opens

    The Connecticut Asylum at Hartford for the Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons opens
    Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet is the school's co-founder, whose son went on to start Gallaudet University (the first college specifically for deaf students).
  • Boston English High School Opens

    Boston English High School Opens
    The first public high school opened for students. A few years later a law is passed in Massachusetts that any town with more than 500 families to have a public high school open for all students.
  • The first bilingual and bicultural public school in the United States opens

    The first bilingual and bicultural public school in the United States opens
    In response to the large number of Cuban immigrants coming to Miami after the Cuban Revolution, the first bilingual and bicultural public school is opened to English and Spanish speaking students.
  • Lyndon Johnson signs the Immigration Act of 1965

     Lyndon Johnson signs the Immigration Act of 1965
    This abolished the National Origins Formula and results in a mass influx of Asian and Latin American immigrants ultimately making America's classrooms more diverse.
  • Busing of African American students

     Busing of African American students
    Judge Arthur Garrity orders busing of African American students to predominantly white schools in order to achieve racial integration of public schools in Boston.
  • Multicultural Education: Transformative Knowledge and Action

     Multicultural Education: Transformative Knowledge and Action
    James Bank's book makes an important contribution to the growing body of evidence regarding multiculturalism in education. Shows the importance and value of multicultural education in schools.