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The Nationality Act (Texas)
This act ruled that all immigrants must learn to speak English in order to become naturalized. In the perspective of a teacher to bilingual students this law would make it very hard for bilingual students to be able to fit in. Knowing another language would not be seen as an asset, but more as a deficit.
http://www.umich.edu/~ac213/student_projects05/be/legislation.html -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title 1 mandated that the United States Department of Education provide funding to all schools that have low income families. This would be a positive because we know that bilingual students come from low income families.
Also part of the Act was Title VII which would bring assistance programs to meet the needs of students with Limited English Proficiency. -
Bilingual Education Act of 1968
This act was the first federal legislation signed into law. This act recognized students who had limited English proficiency. It was a step in the right direction as it showed that bilingual education was just as important as general education students. More federal funding would be provided to schools in order to create bilingual education programs. -
Serna VS Portales 1974
This court case presented evidence that bilingual students were not making the same academic achievements as non bilingual students. The case demanded that changes be made towards bilingual education. Portales Municipal Schools were to look at their test scores and make the proper changes to their bilingual programs. Also they would have to hire more bilingual teachers and assistants. -
Lau vs. Nichols
Lau found that under the Civil Rights of 1964 bilingual students needs were not being addressed. There was not an opportunity for an equal education. Lau did not want students to be blamed for their English language deficiency. Schools would need to take responsibility for students learning despite their situation. -
Cintron VS Brentwood 1978
This court case was rejected by the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of New York. This case wanted to change the bilingual program that was in place. The court found that the plan that was being proposed did not cater to bilingual students needs. It was a very positive decision to reject this plan. -
Rios VS Reed
The Federal District Court for the Eastern District of New York found Pastchogue-Medford School District’s transitional bilingual program to be not up to standards. Many aspects of the program were found to be insufficient. The teachers were not well educated on bilingual education. The procedures, curriculum, assessments, and instruction did not meet the standards. Sadly the program was not where it was supposed to be, but I was glad to see this ruling. -
Castaneda VS Prichard
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals made a test to ensure that schools for following the Equal Education Opportunities Act. The test would make sure that schools were following educational theories. Schools must implement these theories using the correct resources. The school must also only continue to use the theories if they are producing positive results.
http://www.idra.org/South_Central_Collaborative_for_Equity/National_Origin_Desegregation/Laws_and_Court_Cases/ -
Senator S. I. Hayakawa
In 1981 Senator S. I. Hayakawa proposed that the official language of the United States be English. I feel that this proposal ignores all of the other languages that are spoken in the US. Languages other than English are not taken into consideration and I honestly feel that they are depreciated. All languages should be looked at as being important. Spanish is spoken almost as much as English in the US now. -
Plyler VS Doe 1982
Public schools could not deny undocumented immigrants from a free public education. This policy was a positive for all immigrant children that deserve the same education as legal students. Schools are not allowed to ask students about their legal status. Students must all receive the same education even if they were believed to be illegal. "Immigrant Students: Their Legal Right of Access to Public Schools. A Guide for Advocates and Educators" by John Willshire Carrera, Esq. National Coalition -
Gomez VS Illinois State Board of Education
This ruling found that local and state educational agencies are required to ensure that the needs of students with Limited English Proficiency are being met. The positive to this is that all of the proper tools need to be in place for the bilingual programs to succeed. Students need to always be put first and teachers need the right tools to make their students education a top priority. Wright, W. E. (2010). Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Pra -
English Only
The Utah State House of Representatives Voted to Oppose the English-Only Initiative. This initiative would make English the “sole language of the government”. This can be very tricky because if it was passed then states would not be able to provide services for non English speakers, including educational services. Also discussed were issues about whether there would be multicultural events or if they would be canceled. It is important to show ELLs that their culture is important. -
English for the Children
Ron Unz began a campaign in California that would eliminate bilingual programs. Many Hispanic parents agreed with Unz and voted to get rid of the programs. In 1998 Ron was able to eliminate at least 1/3 of bilingual programs. “English for the Children” calls for English immersion. While I don’t agree with these proposals the statistics show that test scores have gone up since getting rid of bilingual programs. http://www.onenation.org/unz.html -
No Child Left Behind
No Child Left Behind is another attempt at holding teachers responsible to student learning. Under this law, teachers are mandated to test students from 3-8 grade in math and reading. They would have to report the results as well. The main goal under this law was to close the academic achievement gap between students. This law was meant to be a positive change, but there are many aspects that do not allow it to be successful including all of the standardized testing.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/se -
Anti-Bilingual Initiative in Colorado
Like California and Arizona, Colorado also wanted to only have an English immersion program instead of a bilingual program. In this program, students would only be in it for one year. Students would be taught in English only and any of their needs would not be taken into consideration. The negative impact is that students lose their native language when they are forced into English only classrooms.
http://www.languagepolicy.net/archives/co-unz.htm