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Bilingual Education
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First Bilingual Education Program in the United States Created
"The first bilingual education program was created in 1963 in Dade County, Florida, as a response to large numbers of Cuban refugees arriving. The Miami Dade School District, with Ford Foundation monies, designed an experimental bilingual program.(Flores and Murillo)
This is a photo of a first grade Spanish language reading class at Coral Way Elementary School in 1964. -
Bilingual Education Act Passes
The Bilingual Education Act was the first bilingual education program at the federal level. Among other things, it provided funding for school districts interested in setting up programs to meet the needs of English language learners. (http://www.umich.edu/~ac213/student_projects05/be/legislation.html) -
Lau v. Nichols decision from the U.S. Supreme Court
Under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the San Francisco school district "must provide non-English-speaking students with instruction in the English language to ensure that they receive an equal education." Chinese-American parents sued the school because their children were not getting help they needed. britannica.com/topic/Lau-v-Nichols Read View History Edit Feedback Lau v. Nichols, case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on January 21, 1974, ruled (9–0) that, under the Civil -
Senator Hayakawa introduces constitutional amendment to make English the U.S.'s official language
The Califonria Republican's amendment ultimately failed, but a similar amendment has been introduced every year since then, and Hayakawa went on to found the group U.S. English, which led the English-only movement.
(Lewis) -
Proposition 63 passes
California's Prop. 63 passes, "declaring that English is the official language of the State of California. It directed the California State Legislature to enact legislation to preserve the role of English as the state's common language." It also prohibits the Legislature from "passing laws which diminish or ignore the role of English as the state's common language."
http://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_63,_English_is_the_Official_Language_Amendment_(1986) -
Proposition 187 Passes
The California proposition denied health and education services to undocumented immigrants, but a federal judge blocked its implementation saying it was unconstitutional. -
Proposition 209 Passes
Prop. 209 eliminated affirmative action in housing, employment and admission to institutions of high education. -
Bilingual Education Banned
Proposition 227 stated that “all children in California public schools shall be taught English by being taught in English. In particular, this shall require that all children be placed in English language classrooms” (California Primary Election Voter Information Guide, 1998,
The proposition's sponsor, Rob Unz, had run unsuccessfully for governor in 1994.para. 7). -
Prop. 227 Passes
Prop. 227 sought the support of Spanish-Speakers -
Not surprisingly, bilingual education goes way down
"Despite the positive intentions of voters who believed they were acting in the best interests of English learners, Proposition 227 was written and promoted by individuals and groups that had previously participated in anti-bilingual education and anti-immigrant movements. Propositions 63, 187 and 209 were instrumental in paving the way for Prop. 227, as they set the stage for the push toward monolingual education in California." (Matas and Rodriguez) Graph source: Educationnext.org -
Bilingual Education Act Eliminated by NCLB
"The Act, which transformed the way languageminority children are taught in the United States - promoting equal access to the curriculum, training a generation of educators, and fostering achievement among students - expired quietly on Jan. 8, 2002. The law was 34 years old."
-Rethinkingschools.org -
Californians Vote on Initiative to Repeal Prop. 227
The California Multilingual Education Act (Senate Bill 1174) is on the November 8, 2016 ballot in California as a legislatively-referred state statute. The proposed measure, upon voter approval, would repeal most of the 1998 Proposition 227, the "English in Public Schools" Initiative, thus effectively allowing non-English languages to be used in public educational instruction.1
State Senator Ricardo Lara sponsored the bill.
