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The Nationality Act
The Nationality Act in Texas stated that English was officially
designated as the only language to be taught in schools. In addition the Nationality Act required that immigrants were to speak English in order to begin the process of becoming naturalized. This lead in helping to legitimize the use of language as a mode of exclusion and discrimination. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The U.S Supreme court ruled in favor of Brown v. Board of Education, that segregated schools were unconstitutional. -
Civil Rights Act
In 1964, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act. It stated that "No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance". The Civil Rights Act was a vital time in history that helped to protect the educational rights of emergent bilinguals in the United States. -
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
The U.S Congress reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act did not require bilingual education. However, It was a step forward in encouraging schools to offer "imaginative elementary and secondary school programs designed to meet special educational needs" (Sec. 702) Title VII of (ESEA) targeted primarily on low-income and non-English speaking populations or students considered " limited-English-speaking". -
Re-authorization of the Bilingual Education Act
Eligibility for educational services under the Act was expanded to all students regardless of their socioeconomic status who had limited-English-speaking ability. For the first time Bilingual Education was defined as "instruction given in, and study of, English and the native language of the children of limited English speaking ability". -
Re-authorization of the Bilingual Education Act
This re-authorization expanded services to students with limited English proficiency (LEP). This re-authorization was to focus that students needing bilingual education services were indeed receiving them. -
Re-authorization of the Bilingual Education Act
(1984-1988) In the revisions done during this time, funding was expanded in order to ensure that programs were moving English language learners to fluency in English, giving schools a 3-year limit. -
Improving America's Schools Act
In 1994, under the Improving America’s Schools Act, the Bilingual Education Act was reauthorized. For the first time Bilingual Education was not only seen as a resource but also as a potential asset. This revision helped to establish and promote "two-way" bilingual programs. -
California Proposition 227
Arguably one of the greatest attacks on bilingual education was Proposition 227 lead by millionaire Ron Unz. This ended the bilingual education programs throughout the state of California, which were substituted with English-only instruction models (Crawford, 2004). Similar propositions that eliminated instruction in any language other than English were approved in the year 2000 in Arizona and in 2001 in Colorado (Crawford, 2001, 2004). -
No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
NCLB set a standard that by a goal year all students would be considered "proficient". It required schools and districts to keep track of students progress and give assessments determining that progress. Schools who did not meet the score targets could be penalized. -
Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
In 2009, the CCSS were released. This outlined what students were expected to know by the end of each school year. However less then 3 pages focused on English Language learners. Texas, which is the 2nd largest state with the highest number of emergent bilinguals has never adopted the CCSS. The problem is that the theory of CCSS does not have a clear understanding when it comes to language. -
Effects of NCLB
By 2010 the faults in NCLB were noticeable. States either lowered standards so that more students would be considered proficient or schools that missed score targets were given a bad rep. This one-size fits all instruction was not beneficial in the way it thought it would be. Teachers were focused on testing taking away from additional classroom instruction. -
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
ESSA was signed into law by President Barack Obama on December 10, 2015. The purpose of this act was to replace and update the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). ESSA reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Act. -
Seals of Biliteracy
Seals of Biliteracy are awarded to students during graduation from secondary schools. The Seals recognize that students have studied and attained proficiency in more than one language. By 2017, 27 states and the District of Columbia had approved the Seal of Biliteracy, and 11 states were in the early stages of implementation. The Seal of Biliteracy helps to prove to policy makers and educators that the languages that emergent bilinguals bring to the classroom are beneficial. -
References for Timeline
-Educating Emergent Bilinguals (Policies, programs, and practices for English learners) Ofelia Garcia and Jo Anne Kleifgen
- file:///C:/Users/madeline18/Downloads/A_Brief_History_of_Bilingual_Education_i.pdf
