Politics and Policies Influencing America’s Education of Bilingual Students

More young americans nowadays are being raised in homes speaking non-English, but these students are falling behind in schools where there is not a bilingual program available. According to the U.S. Department of Education, in schools without a bilingual education program, 71% of English speakers are at or above the basic requirements for fourth grade reading while merely 30% of non-English speakers reach this level. 35% of English and 8% of non-English speakers reach proficient reading levels while only 9% of English and 1% of non-English speakers perform at advanced levels. It’s evident that the availability of a bilingual program is crucial to the success of an individual who needs the resources that can be given to them through the use of bilingual education. The percentages of the non-English speaking students previously mentioned could undoubtedly be comparable to those percentages of the English speaking students if the education they were being provided with was cohesive to their comfortability, and the material being taught was in a language they could better understand.

It is important in the United States to have a competitive workforce, and a great way to do that is to have a society of learners that can communicate with people of other cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Although there are efforts for teaching school children other languages, most programs are primitive at best, left to be forgotten before the skills reach the point of relevancy. Dual language programs should be established in the US wherever feasible to give parents, at the very least, the choice to expand the minds of their children. Recent years have seen the inclusion of voluntary language immersion programs in places such as Athens, Georgia, in which students are taught from Kindergarten in two languages. These are steps in the right

The primary goal of any school district’s English Language Learner policy should be to ensure that all students receive equitable access to the curriculum. The Office of Civil Rights memorandum (May 25, 1970) requires school districts to take affirmative steps to provide equal access to instructional program for students with limited English proficiency. The Illinois Constitution guarantees every child from kindergarten through grade 12, access to a free public education; which means, regardless of a child’s home language, he/she deserves a free and appropriate education (Illinois State Board of Education, 1998).

In the article, Speak Spanish, You’re in America!: El Huracan over language and Culture, Juan Gonzalez, a journalist and broadcaster of the daily show, Democracy Now, describes how bilingualism has impacted the United States’ modern education system. He describes an amendment that would constitute English as the official in the United States, which he believes can be a potential threat to the educational system. Gonzalez suggests that instead of having an amendment that constitutes English as the national language, American schools should implement Spanish to highlight the importance of being bilingualism in the American educational system. A constitutional amendment declaring English as the national language would be damaging to bilingual students because it would limit their capability of communicating in English or their native language, and therefore they have would fall behind in classes and will not succeed in the American educational system. To highlight the importance of bilingualism, even more the educational system should implement a variety of languages.

In determining my position on this complex ballot offering, I first reviewed the opinions of people who learned in multilingual classrooms, prior to Proposition 227. In general, it seemed like many of them considered their placement in Non-English speaker classes a source of shame and segregation. Many noted that there was a sentiment among teachers and other students that they were different, and even un-American because they did not speak English fluently.

Bilingual Education where Supporters feel that students miss a great deal by not being taught in their family’s language. That children that retain their family’s language will retain a sense of individuality. Their ethnic heritage & cultural ties. Helping Students acquire the skills of a classroom crucial for public success. Rodriguez also discusses the use of teaching and using a single language.

However, as we see in the studies regarding the impact of bilingual education students began to see vast improvements to their education and conditions in which they were taught. Chicano students went from being completely segregated to demanding the equal educational opportunity bilingual schools could provide. This all led to the advancement of the Chicano and their education, proving that the language and knowledge children brought with them at the beginning of their education was not a detriment to their education but an

It is no secret that the debate over what is the best course of action to educate our non-native English language students across the country is a highly charged topic that runs from the classroom to Capitol Hill. There have been many shifts in direction and focus of educational programs for English Language Learning (ELL) students during the past century in our nation's history. In 1968, with the passage of the Bilingual Education Act (Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act) legislation was

The purpose of this paper is to examine how the Federal Bilingual Education Act of 1968, ended the War on Poverty. Bilingual education is the use of more than one language to deliver curriculum content. The bilingual education system is designed for students to become proficient in English, and also encourage students to become bi-cultural; and function in two, or more linguistic and cultural groups. The policy expressed U.S commitment to the needs of the growing number of children in the public schools, whose first language was not English. In 1968, the government passed the Bilingual Education Act, which required language minority students to be taught in both their native language and English. I myself had to undergo English as a

555). Buenrostro (2017) concludes that “the intent of the law is for schools to be responsive to the preferences of parents or guardians in their decision-making process”(p. 2). This amendment provides a wonderful opportunity for school districts to provide dual language programs to their students. Dual language programs provide students with long-term academic success, and could potentially better prepare them for the globally connected world we live in(Buenrostro, 2017, p.

Florida is a state composed of diverse cultures and languages. Prior to 1990 there were not any modifications or accommodations in the classroom for English Language Learners (ELL), which had become an increasing issue. During this decade Florida was the third largest state with residents that were not native-born. Historically, Florida has become the home for many individuals who migrated from Central and Latin America (MacDonald, 2004). According to the Consent Decree (n.d.), the Florida English speakers of other languages (ESOL) Consent Decree was a result of the case, LULAC et. al v. State Board of Education, August 14, 1990. This case addresses the civil rights of English Language Learners (ELLs). The plaintiffs in this case were LULAC and Multicultural Education, Training and Advocacy (META) and the defendant were Florida Board of Education. LULAC and META came together to bring justice to students whose native language was not English. The plaintiffs’ sought to implement policies to protect students whose native language was not English in order to create an equal learning environment. For example, English was the only means of communication in the classrooms and students who did not speak or understand the language would find themselves at a disadvantage. Due to the lack of modifications in place, students would eventually fall through the cracks of the school system. This case brought

The author, Melinda D. Anderson, sheds light on a growing problem in America. Today, thousands of students are experiencing difficulties when trying to earn an education because of the language barriers that prohibit them. Additionally, educators are ignoring this dilemma and making matters worse by enforcing English-only policies. The author believes that educators should discover a way to intertwine languages in order to help struggling students to overcome their language barriers.

The Supreme Court case Lau v. Nichols is truly a landmark case when it comes to public education, the rights of language learners and, in a bigger picture, the treatment of immigrants. Chinese American students residing in San Francisco and attending public schools there were responsible for this truly momentous case. These students, native Chinese speakers, and knowing very little English, were placed in standard classrooms where English proficiency/fluency was required and left to struggle for their own survival (Wright, 2010). The public school district of San Francisco defended their actions, arguing that these students were receiving the exact same treatment as other students (Wright, 2010). This was of course true aside from the grotesque inequality that all the native English speakers in the classroom could understand everything that was presented, and to the Chinese American students, it was largely unfathomable.

Nichols ruling mandated public school systems to address language barriers that prevent their students from accessing the curriculum. As a result, schools now identify students with Limited English Proficiency (LEP), provide them with bilingual education or English as a Second Language (ESL) services, and monitor their programming and progress through beginning, middle, and end of year Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC) meetings. In response to the current demographics and continual increase in diversity, there exists a greater need for educators to be culturally proficient, value differences, and foster caring relationships in order to meet the individual needs of all students, provide them with equal educational opportunities, and reduce the gap in their educational outcomes. The use of multicultural teaching strategies also empowers students and teachers, improving education

In the Alabama Jackson v. Birmingham Board of Education case, a basketball coach complained about unequal treatment of the girls’ basketball team. The case reached the U.S. Supreme Court where a violation to Title IX was identified. Under Title IX, unequal treatment based on gender is prohibited. In the Lau v. Nichols case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled under Title IV that students who do not speak English and who are only taught in English receive inequitable education. In this case, Chinese students living in San Francisco were granted the opportunity to receive an education that would adjust to their linguistic needs, which gave rise to bilingual education. Individuals with disabilities denied an education in the early 1970s, but the enactment of what we currently know as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act enabled them to receive a free appropriate public education that would prepare them for future education, employment and living (p. 352). These three equity issues and their respective rulings and law enactments require teachers and educational institutions to treat students equally and to differentiate lessons for students with limited English proficiency and for students with disabilities. All students are entitled to equal treatment and to an education that will enhance