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First law passed allowing Bilingual Education
Ohio passes the first law to officially allow Bilingual Education.
The law permitted German-English instruction upon the request of the parent.Cincinnati's first bilingual school was founded to aid the large German population. -
Native American language prohibited in school
Congress passes a law that prohibits Native Americans from being taught in their own languages -
Native American separation
Federal policy begins separating many Native American students from their families.Native American students are sent to boarding schools and punished when caught speaking in their native language -
Naturalization Act
Congress' first federal language law requiring that all immigrants seeking naturalization speak English. The law theoretically should have solved the Bilingual Education issue -
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs rescinds its federal policy of repressing the use of Native American languages.
This repression, however, continues illegally into the 1940's and 1950's. -
National Defense Education Act
This act provided aid to both public and private schools at all levels to advance the areas of science, math, and modern foreign languages.
The act also provided aid to English as a Second Language programs -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
This act was passed by President Johnson.
The act outlined and provided funds for educational programs that were considered essential for children and public education. Bilingual Education was one such program that received funding -
Bilingual Education Act
The act mandated that schools provide Bilingual Education programs. The act was passed during an era of growing immigration and an energized Civil Rights movement. The act provided federal funding to encourage local school districts to try approaches incorporating native-language instruction. This was the first time U.S. Congress had endorsed funding for Bilingual Education. -
Prop 227
California students must be taught in English as rapidly as possible.
The proposition places non-English speaking students in a short-term English immersion program. Students generally do not spend more than one year in the program. The proposition requires that all public education must be conducted in English and severely restricts the use of their native language for the instruction of English learners. The proposition was marketed as the "English for the Children" movement. -
No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
The act was originally the Bilingual Education/Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1964-5.
The act mandates that each state must measure every public school student's progress in reading and math from the third grade through the eighth grade. Further progress must be measured at least once between the tenth and twelfth grades.
The act requires that all teachers teaching in Bilingual Education programs be fluent in English and any other language used in the classroom.
