Multicultural education and the ESEA: the ebbs and flows of policy alignment between 1965-2015

ABSTRACT Since its ratification in 1965, the ESEA and its reauthorizations have shaped educational policy and funding in the US. However, while the ESEA has been positioned as a fundamental system of educational governance to ensure quality in the nation’s education system, it has been criticized for inconsistent support of diversity and the promotion of Americanization. This article utilizes discourse analysis methodology to analyse several key iterations of the ESEA through the lens of critical multicultural education to examine the policy’s commitment to the multicultural education agenda over that of the goal of Americanization. Findings reveal that the commitment to multicultural education has vacillated over time, and Americanization still influences policy framing. Recommendations include employing a critical approach by promoting meaningful inclusion of multiple stakeholders to interrogate and dismantle the conservative foundation upon which the US education system is built.