This document discusses the history and evolution of legislation supporting English Language Learners (ELL) in the United States. It outlines major laws like the Bilingual Education Act of 1968, Lau v. Nichols Supreme Court decision, and Equal Opportunity Act of 1974 that established rights for ELL students to receive language support services. More recent legislation like Every Student Succeeds Act continues advocating for the education and success of ELLs. The presentation concludes by discussing the ongoing impact of this legislation in schools through teacher training, use of student data, and preserving student culture.

1. English Language Learners:
Equity and Education
The Effects of Legislation on ELL Education
Emily Bond
SPED 6275
May 2, 2021

2. “
Without language, one cannot talk
to people and understand them;
one cannot share their hopes and
aspirations, grasp their history,
appreciate their poetry, or savour
their songs.
- Nelson Mandela
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3. Today’s Agenda
1) History Language in Education
2) A brief introduce of legislation that began ELL
education
3) Discuss the changes over time to ELL law
4) What this looks like in legislation today
5) What it looks like in your school
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4. 4
Brief History of Bilingual Education in America
◂ Colonial America - schools reflected the language of the community in which they served.
◂ Post - Civil War - Heavy racism, primarily focused on Black Americans, led to resentments and
discrimination of all “non-whites” including those who had non-english home langauges.
◂ 1910 - Strong opposition to education in any language except English
◂ American Indians and African “slave” culture were heavily suppressed forced to lose
language and culture
◂ 1954 - Brown v. Board of Education was the first step in student civil rights
◂ National Defense Act of 1958 - The government's reaction to Sputnik and other Cold War
ideas was to fund foriegn language instruction in schools, in 1960 the first bilingual pilot
program was launched, not designed for students to learn English

5. Bilingual Education
Act of 1968
◂ The first official recognition of the needs of students with Limited
English speaking ability (LESA)
◂ Students with LESA should be offered bilingual programs that
support english language acquisition and content knowledge
(Stewner-Manzanares, 1988).
◂ This bill supported the teaching of English as a second language,
and programs that were specifically designed to give
Spanish-speaking students an appreciation of their native
language, access to meaningful content, and an appreciation of
their native culture.
◂ This led to the creation of 37 other bills throughout the United
States, for multiple languages, which were eventually merged
into the Title VII section of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act (ESEA). 5

6. Evolution of The Bilingual Act of 1968
Lau vs. Nichols
◂ Was a case where a Chinese student
was failing school due to limited
English
◂ The supreme court ruled that these
students were being denied access to
language support services
The Equal Opportunity Act of 1974
◂ Extended the Lau ruling to all districts
across the united states, not limited to
those at received federal funding
6
1974 Amendments to The Bilingual Act of 1968
1. define "Bilingual Education Program" as one that provided instruction in English and in
the native language of the student to allow the student to progress effectively through the
educational system
2. define the program's goal to prepare LESA students to participate effectively in the regular
classroom as quickly as possible while simultaneously maintaining the native language
and culture of the student
3. create regional support centers of consultants and trainers to provide support to school
systems
4. stipulate capacity-building efforts by providing funds to school districts' efforts to expand
curricula, staff and research for bilingual programs

7. ELL Legislation Today
Every Student Succeeds Act (2015)
◂ advancing equity for the disadvantaged and high needs students
◂ annual state testing to ensure academic achievement and adds
that the information collected by achievement tests is shared with
educators, families, students, and communities
◂ funding to support local innovations in education including
evidence-based interventions that are developed by local leaders
and educators
7
ESSA stems from ESEA including the Title VII
Bilingual Education Act, which are inherently civil
rights laws and promote the education and
success of English language learners.

8. 8
What this means for our schools
◂ Continued teacher training on
meaningful ways to support
ELLs
◂ Continued Advocacy for laws
and funding that support
programs for English language
learners
◂ Collection and use of data to
drive instruction and
programing for English
language learners.
◂ Recognizing and preserving
the culture of all students.

9. Take the Quiz
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https://forms.gle/UpD8G4jZPWHhnAtV9

10. Resources
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Brown, B. (1992). The History of Bilingual Education in America (Rep.). Retrieved May 1,
2021, from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED350874. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED350874)
Carlos J. Ovando (2003) Bilingual Education in the United States: Historical Development and
Current Issues, Bilingual Research Journal, 27:1, 1-24, DOI: 10.1080/15235882.2003.10162589
Cortiella, C. (2006). NCLB and IDEA: What Parents of Students with Disabilities Need to Know
and Do. National Center on Educational Outcomes, University of Minnesota.
Sosa, A. S. (1995, January). Civil Rights in Education, Revisiting the Lau Decision. IDRA
Focus. IDRA Newsletter, 22, 2.
De Jong, E. (2011). Language Policy in the United States. In Foundations for Multilingualism in
Education. Retrieved April 26, 2021, from https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/return-bilingual-education
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). (n.d.). Retrieved April 26, 2021, from
https://www.ed.gov/essa?src=rn
Lyons, J. (1990). The Past and Future Directions of Federal Bilingual-Education Policy. The
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 508, 66-80. Retrieved May 2, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1047619
Orr, A. J. (n.d.). Bilingual Education Act of 1968. Retrieved from
https://immigrationtounitedstates.org/379-bilingual-education-act-of-1968.html
Stewner-Manzanares, G. (1988). The Bilingual Education Act: Twenty Years Later. The National
Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education, (6). Retrieved April 22, 2021.
Teitelbaum, H. and Hiller, R.J. Bilingual Education: The Legal 1977 Mandate. Harvard
Educational Review: 4(2) 138-170.