The Legal and Historical Rationale of Bilingual Education

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The legal and historical rationale of Bilingual Education has been around for quite some time and appears to a continuous issue with educators and political figures. Numerous articles have been written in favor and against Bilingual Education. The articles I read and summarized relate to some of the issues that have evolved from various proponents and opponents of how education should be presented to ELs in the United States. Summaries and a brief timeline of legislation up to the passage of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) follow. In 1965, the Secondary Education Act (ESEA) passed by President Lyndon B. Johnson even though there was concern prior to that date. It outlined and provided funds for educational programs that were considered essential for public education. The ESEA was followed in 1967 by Title VII providing federal funding for the Bilingual Education Act of 1968. Following this Act was the 1982 amendment to the Bilingual Education Act of 1968, making guidelines more flexible. Then in 1994, California, introduced and passed Proposition 187 denying illegal immigrants health care, social services, and public education. It was challenged and the U.S. District Court confirmed that the federal government has exclusive authority of immigration policies and thus, the law was unconstitutional. So in 1998, California responded by passing Proposition 227 stating that all California students must be taught in English placing all non-English speaking students in a short-term English immersion program. The government, noting that student scores were declining, passed the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001 mandating each state to measure every public school student's progress in reading and math from the third grade through the ei... ... middle of paper ... ...1977:20) Works Cited Attinasi, John J.. English Only for California Children and the Aftermath of Proposition 227 http://web.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=16&hid=113&sid=b5096a5c-07c8-4938-8fe4-c940edfedf01%40sessionmgr104 OLNECK, MICHAEL R. What Have Immigrants Wanted from American Schools? What Do They Want Now? Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on Immigrants, Language, and American Schooling. http://web.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=19&hid=113&sid=b5096a5c-07c8-4938-8fe4-c940edfedf01%40sessionmgr104 San Miguel Jr., Guadalupe CONFLICT AND CONTROVERSY IN THE EVOLUTION OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES--AN INTERPRETATION http://web.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=22&hid=113&sid=b5096a5c-07c8-4938-8fe4-c940edfedf01%40sessionmgr104

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