Civil Rights and Education in the United States

Hispanic Americans

Largest minority, Identify with the Democratic Party, Longoria Affair: Felix Longoria was a Mex-American soldier that died during the WW2, Mrs. Longoria asked Tom Kennedy if the burial home can be used for Felix but was denied due to segregation. Dr. Hector Garcia, a Vet from WW2 and founder of American G.I., reached out to Senator Lyndon Johnson to secure the funeral for Felix at the Arlington National Cemetery  (news went nationwide) which lead to the turning point of Mexican American civil right movement due to Lyndon Johnson becoming President he was able to pass the Civil right Act and Voting Right Act.

American Indians

Begun to reassert their sovereignty and rights to self-government. Strained relations with state and local governments. Under Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988, Reservations are suppose to negotiate with states for gambling rights however some have ignored this. States don’t do anything “They don’t want another war with the seminoles”…

Unequal distribution of resources in Education

School funding based on property taxes leads to unequal distribution of funding… Edgewood ISD v. Kirby (1989) used Texas Constitution to ask whether or not the financing plan that they were using at the time was constitutional or not: state's reliance on local property taxes to finance its system of public education, contending that this method was intrinsically unequal because property values varied greatly from district to district, thus creating an imbalance in funds available to educate students on an equal basis throughout the state.) was not constitutional… Robin Hood Plan: Came out of Edgewood case, wealth is redistributed among the school districts in the states, Wealthy to less wealthy districts to make it more equitable… 2011 Lawsuit: ⅔  of the School districts sued the state because of budget cuts and raise in academic standards… 2016 TX Supreme Court Decision Supreme court said school funding system wasn’t unconstitutional but it still needed to be fixed… Local School Boards: Elected, normally people in the education profession, Issues surrounding- board members normally come from highly educated backgrounds, don’t represent the population… TX State Board of Education: Set standards for education, Lots of criticism over what should and shouldn't be taught… Education & Religion - Engel v. Vitale (1962) - A case in which the Court found that a short school prayer authorized by New York public school officials is unconstitutional due to the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, Schools must remain neutral toward religion…

Social Security

Compulsory social insurance program that gives individuals legal right to benefits in the event of certain occurrences that cause a reduction in their income, problems with it: Major social welfare issue of our time, Creating generational conflicts between the young and the old…

Welfare Reform

Officially (TANF) enacted in 1996, which included the devolution of responsibility for cash assistance programs to the states, Conflicts of reform: Clash of values over individual responsibility and social compassion, The work disincentives created by the pyramiding of multiple forms of public assistance, The long-term social dependency that welfare seemed to encourage, The adverse effects welfare assistance appeared to have on families, difficult to reform: Conservatives in congress implanted tough minded “strings” on the reform but Liberals removed some of those strings…

SCHIP (children’s healthcare plan)

Federal grants to the state to extend health insurance to children who cannot qualify for Medicaid: The program is generally targeted toward families with incomes below 200% of the poverty level, States can set its own eligibility, Big healthcare issue…

Affordable Care Act

Requires individuals to obtain health insurance or pay a penalty; and it expands Medicaid, A majority of the states challenged this, Supreme Court Case in 2012 upheld the tax penalty; states can not be coerced to expand Medicaid… Individual Mandate: Requires that people purchase insurance unless their employer provides it or are eligible for medicaid, If they don't have it, they pay a fine, Gap between not having to buy insurance or not being eligible for medicaid