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Meyer v. Nebraska
The Court declared that the banning of teaching foreign languages to children was unconstitutional. This allowed states to determine the languages of instruction in their public schools, but also allowed parents to teach their children their heritage language. This impacted ELL's because it was the first step towards a more accepting community to bilingual students. -
Farrington v. Tokushige
In this case, Hawaii legislature had a law that was dictating the amount of time and resources used on teaching students in their native language. It was decided that this was unreasonable, and parents had a right to control how their children were being educated. This was a decision that would set the foundation to accept programs and resources that help students become proficient in their native language as well as English. -
Brown v. Board of Education
This is one of the most historical cases regarding education. It was decided that segregation of children in schools was unconstitutional. This would lead to states having to provide ALL students, including ELL's, to equal educational opportunities. -
The Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights Act set a standard for educational systems that students will not be discriminating against on the basis of race, sex, color, or national origin in federally assisted program. This impacted ELL's because this allowed schools to communicate with parents and students in a language they can understand. -
ESEA - The Elementary Education & Secondary Act
The ESEA was a national educational law that strives to improve the equitable education of low income students. This impacts the English Language Learner population because there are higher number of ELL students in areas of poverty, which qualify for funding under the ESEA. -
Title VII - The Bilingual Education Act
This was the first federal policy that focused on English Language Learners. This policy recognized the importance of bilingualism, but focused more on aiding English Language Learners to achieve proficiency in English. -
Lau v. Nichols
There was a lack of supplemental language instruction in public schools. This was a violation of the rights of students with limited English proficiency. It led to English Language Learners to get a meaningful education and the "sink or swim" approach would no longer be legal. This would lead to the passing of the Equal Educational Opportunities Act. This would have a huge impact on ELL's moving forward, allowing them to receive the education they deserve. -
EEOA - The Equal Educational Opportunities Act
This was a law that was passed to protect any discrimination against faculty or students, including racial segregation. This law required school districts to be more aware of barriers that students may face that may inhibit their opportunity to equal participation. The schools were required to take action to prevent these barriers from taking the education away from students. This impacted ELL's because it made schools more aware of the language barrier that was hindering their progress. -
Castaneda v. Pickard
A father felt that his children were not receiving the proper support for the language barriers they had, which he believed were ethnically and racially discriminating. After the case was appealed, the ruling that impacted ELL's was that bilingual education programs would be held accountable to see if schools were appropriately addressing the needs of English Language Learners. The Castaneda standard became in effect. -
Gomez v. Illinois State Board of Education
In this case, it was argued that the tests the schools were using did not measure language proficiency accurately, therefore these students were not classified correctly and not receiving the education they deserved. It was decided that schools would use the Castaneda standard to make sure English Language Learners were enrolled in adequate programs. -
Flores v. Arizona
In this case, it was argued that the state was failing to regard programs for students with limited English proficiency, which was a violation of the Equal Educational Opportunities Act. Programs were being used in schools that did not meet EEOA standards. The state was to allocate funding for ELL programs that would cover the cost of those programs. This would lead to the protection of inadequate programs for English Language Learners. -
NCLB - No Child Left Behind
This act was a re authorization of the ESEA (see in timeline) that not only replaced Title VII with Title III and Title I, but also made schools accountable for the learning of ALL students, including the English Language Learners. The funds were tied to yearly progress made by the students and increases in the number of children attaining English proficiency at the end of each school year. -
Title III - Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient & Immigrant Students
Title III is money, in the form of grants, that is provided to schools that have programs that focus on teaching English and academic content. It highlights the English-only approach and holds schools accountable by requiring English language proficiency standards and assessments. -
Title I - Improving the Achievement of the Economically Disadvantaged
Title I strives to allow students to have "a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high quality education." Funds are attached to state assessments that require schools to make adequate yearly progress for all students, including the English Language Learners. Because ALL students are required to make progress, this brought the focus to the English Language Learners. -
Race to the Top
Race to the Top provided grants to schools to start looking into accepting benchmark standards, hiring effective teachers and administration, and using data systems to track students' performances. By monitoring this data, it allowed for effective intervention placements and strategies. This impacted the ELL's because their data, in theory, was closely monitored and proper interventions were given to any struggling students. -
ARRA - American Recovery Reinvestment Act
In an attempt to help reform education, this act provided funding for education, which was estimated to be 44 billion dollars. This impacted ELL's because some of these funds were allocated for ESL programs, which would ensure the resources and support were provided. -
ESEA Act Flexibility
This act allowed states the opportunity to be relieved from some of the accountability of Title I if they can provide an alternative system that displayed reform and accountability. This impacted ELL's because it allowed a state to focus on other measurable aspects, such as growth, instead of a score at the end of the school year. -
ESSA - The Every Student Succeeds Act
This act, which is the most recent authorization of the ESEA, started in the 2017-2018 school year. This act is tied to federal funds that hold states accountable for these funds. Unlike NCLB, ESSA allows states to set their own goals, and consequences for schools that do not meet these goals. It also takes into consideration academic growth verses an end of the year score on an assessment.