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Lau v Nichols
Considered one of the most significant reauthorization of the Bilingual Education Act. During 1971 there were 2,800 non-English speaking Chinese students in San Fransico. With only 1,000 of them given the proper educational language instruction. The Equal Education Opportunities Act of 1974 was established as a response to this. It still remains in effect today. -
What is the Disimissive Period?
The disimissive period start in the 1980's and is still present today. This is were there was and is a movement against the full immersion of bilingual education in the United States public schools. -
Castañeda v. Pickard
Castañeda v. Pickard was a court case in the Raymondville Indpendent School Distric (RISD) in Texas. Roy Castañeda was the father of two Mexican-American children who felt that the RISD was discriminating against his children for being Mexican-Americans. He felt this way because becuase his children were being taught using group systems for classrooms based on ethicity and the school did not have sufficient bilingual education programs that should have helped children overcome language barriers -
Castañeda v. Pickard Cont.
Although the court ruled in the RISD favor it did create a basis for addressing Limited English Profiecney Studnets. It required that districs have a plan for helping LEP students. This made school provide qualified staff to implement the plan and the district to develop an effective evaluation protocal for the program. It created more structed but it did not require bilingual education programs to meet these same standards. It only required to have actions to overcome language barriers. -
Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter signed the United States Department of Education into law. This was to "establish policy for, administer and coordinate most federal assistance to education, collect data on us schools, and to enforce federal educational laws regrading privacy and civil righs". It is important to understand that this law does not establish schoold or colleges. -
President Reagan
In 1981, President Reagan said, "It is absolutely wrong and against American concepts to have a bilingual education program that is now openly, admittedly dedicated to preserving their native language and never getting them adequate in English so they can go out into the job market and participate." (Ovando) (Note: uncertain of exact date, so I put January 1st) Ovando, Carlos J. "Bilingual Education in the United States: Historical Development and Current Issues." Bilingual Research Journal -
Plyler V Doe
Plyler v. Doe was influential to ELL students of this time period because school were no longer allowed to deny free public education to illegal immigrants. The decision was made by the Supreme Court because denying free public schooling violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. ELL students could become educated and seen as equals with legal and illegal immigrants. -
Equal Acesss Act
The Equal Access Act is a United States federal law to compel federally funded secondary schools to provide equal access to extracurricular clubs. This was lobbied for by Christian groups who wanted to ensure students the right to conduct Bible study programs during lunch and after school, it is also essential in litigation regarding the right of students to form gay–straight alliances, and to form groups focused on any religion or on any issue. -
Gomez v Illinois
This made sure that the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974 was being met with limited English proficient children. Since Jorge Gomez claimed that the Board of Education failed to provide local districts with the proper tools. -
Immigration and the U.S
Immigration in the U.S increased in 1990 due to the passing of the Immigration Act. President Bush signed this into effect on November 29. This Act more than double the amount of Visa's given out each year. In addition to this 12% of additional Visa issued each year to 'undeserved' countries -
Executive Order 12900
This was signed and approved by President Bill Clinton, and it states that the progress made by Hispanic Americans were to be reported to the National Educational Goals. -
California - Proposition 227
California voters approved proposition 227, which was meant to rapidly improve LEP's proficiency by teaching them in special classes that instruct them in mostly English for one year. Ron Unz, the initiator of prop 227, believed that schools kept students in the program too long & that it was ineffective. (Ovando) Sources: Ballotpedia and an article by Carlos J Ovando called Bilingual Education in the United States: Historical Development and Current Issues. -
Social Impacts
Dora the Explorer first aired. This was a huge milestone in relation to what was going on in the U.S. Only a small percentage of Latino children in comparison to other ethinicities actually watch the bilingual Dora and her adventures today. America had a need for awareness and this made it impossible to ignore. sources: umich.edu -
Arizona - Proposition 203
In 2000, Arizona passed Proposition 203 63% to 37%, which, modeled after California's proposition 227, requires all students be taught in English only classrooms. The only exception are students with limited proficiency. These students begin a English immersion program in which they are instructed in mostly English and it is intended that they transfer to regular classes in one year. Sources: Ballotpedia & Eagleforum.org (http://www.eagleforum.org/educate/2000/dec00/prop203.shtml) -
No Child Left Behind Act
In 2001 President George W. Bush began working on this act. This impacting law changed the federal policy for language minority students. Title III focuses on the instruction, proficiency and academic progress of a limited English proficient child. This Created Federal Deadlines of accountability for each state's school's. They established Anual Mesurable Achievement Objectives however, discovered the inconsistency of acurately testing knowledge and skills of the secondary language. -
Massachusetts English Language Education in Public Schools Initiative
In 2002, voters in Massachusetts passed similar legislation to Proposition 227 in California and 203 in Arizona. Basically, the initiative required all students to be placed in English language classrooms. For students that are classified as English learners, they are placed in classrooms that, while are still mostly taught in English, do allow minimal instruction in their native language. They expected most students to transition to regular English language classrooms in a year. (Ballotpedia) -
Colorado - Initiative 31
In 2002, Colorado rejected an initiatve that would require all students be taught in English language classes with the exception of students that are placed in an English immersion program, intended for one year.
