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Meyer v. Nebraska
A professor unlawfully taught a reading class in the German Language. The plaintiff wanted his student to be successful and pass the eighth grade. In his mind, the only way to do that, is to teach him in a language he understands. This particular court case is very relevant to how we currently teach our students in our classrooms. Our students benefit from hearing something in their native language and then again in English. They are able to make the connection of the information. -
Farrington v. Tokushige
The United States Supreme Court unanimously voted to move forward with the Territory of Hawaii's Law. This law forced schools to obtain a permit to teach foreign language Having our students know more than on language is very beneficial. Currently, students are able to take a foreign language as an elective. By doing this, it shows that we embrace other languages, understand the importance and the high impact. -
ESEA: The Elementary & Secondary Education Act
This national law was reauthorized eight times, since first put into affect by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Through this law, every student has an equal opportunity to exceptional education. It also takes a look at the funding allocated to each of the school districts.
This law is very relevant because it does not allow any student to fall behind. The federal funding received, is then used to help close gaps for schools, communities, and the students within. -
Title Vll: The Bilingual Education Act (1968- 2002)
Title Vll was a huge step for English learners. This was the first federal educational policy. By law, the federal government had to acknowledge the amount of English Language Learners and the need to value bilingual education programs. Without this act, our schools and the students within, would severely suffer. With this law, we are able to support language leaners on their level and provide programs to meet their educational needs. -
EEOA: Equal Educational Opportunities Act
A Federal law designed to make sure that students, faculty and staff prohibits discrimination. This law also requires school districts to take appropriate actions, to make sure this does not occur. This law plays an important role with the present dynamics of our schools. Each child, no matter their color or race, should be discriminated against. All of students deserve equal access to a high quality education. -
Lau v. Nichols
This court case stated that there was lack of compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. They argued that there was a lack of supplemental language in the United States public school districts.
Our English Language learners would greatly suffer from lack of supplemental materials, in teaching them current content. -
Castaneda v. Pickard
Initially, a father believed his children were being discriminated against. Their argument stated that the students were being segregated into different classrooms. As a result of the ruling, There is a 3-step criteria that school districts must follow with their English Language learners.
Students need to be grouped by their ability level and not by the color of their skin. We should group the students by where they need assistance, to be able to better support them. -
Plyer v. Doe
The Supreme Court of the United States denied funding for education of undocumented immigrant children. Every student deserves the right to an exceptional education. Regardless of where the student has come from, he or she is still a person that needs to receive an education. -
Gomez v. Illinois State Board of Education
This case was another one that focused on inequality for English Language Learners. They argued that many children did not receive the correct services, which in turn, put them at an academic disadvantage. Again, we find that our children are not receiving adequate services, In turn, they are falling more and more behind. -
CA Proposition 227
Under this law, California public schools were required to eliminate bilingual classes. It also would shorten the time that English Language Learner spend in an alternative classroom and increase their time in a "regular" classroom. The method of "sink or swim" is never ideal for any school district to implement. The students feel lost and the teachers feel frustrated. In my current district, it would be unfair for our students to not have an opportunity to receive additional supports. -
Flores v. Arizona
One party argued that English Language Learners did not receive adequate language acquisition for students that are at a high risk. They argued that they received funding that was supposed to be used for these programs and be able to grow.
My students highly benefit with their time in a small group setting. Sometimes students do not like to speak when they are in front of everyone. These programs allow for us to individually look at the students, and then provide instruction on their needs. -
AZ Proposition 203
They believe that English Language Learners should go through immersion programs, which should not exceed a year. Some districts followed this, where others applied for waivers to continue teaching bilingually. After this implementation, fewer than 11% of EL students received a proficiency score. My students would highly suffer from this take on how to understand English. Our students need the support and cannot just be expected to learn English by sitting in the mainstream classroom. -
Title III
Title III is apart of the NCLB Act, but has focus on English Language Leaners. Grant money is given to improve education and have ELs meet the same academic standards as English speakers.
The funding, unfortunately, does not seem substantial enough. Our ELs need additional support and time to learn the language. Without being proficient in English, our students struggle to complete the standardized tests, mandated by NCLB. -
No Child Left Behind (2001-2015)
A Federal law that replaced Title Vll and Bilingual Education Act with Title III and Title l. This law mandates state standardized testing and high accountability for school districts, nationally. For English Language Learners, it also requires an increase in English proficiency each year..NCLB has completely changed our school structure. Our focus has been narrowed down to teaching to the test. ELs are still required to take the grade level test, regardless of the English proficiency. . -
MA Question 2
This ballot supported that "all public school children must be taught all subjects in English." An educator would be able to minimally use the student's native language. Currently, our students are receiving services that allow them to grow academically. They have opportunities to share their knowledge, even if it is in their native language. -
ESEA Flexibility
School districts have an opportunity to receive flexibility from Title 1. However, in exchange for rigorous plans to benefit educational outcomes. According to the Department of Education website, any states filed for this and only 4 states chose not to. -
ESSA
ESSA became operational in the 2017-2018 academic school year. ESSA analyzes the student's growth over a school year, rather than one rigorous test at the end. ESSA allows for us to showcase each student's growth in content areas. With the NCLB act, students have one opportunity to show what knowledge they have. There is a lot of emphasis on doing well and most students struggle. There are a lot of variables that go into just looking at one test to measure their knowledge.
