History of Bilingual EducationHistory of Bilingual Education(Data from Ovando, 2003)(Data from Ovando, 2003)

History of Bilingual EducationHistory of Bilingual Education(Data from Ovando, 2003)(Data from Ovando, 2003)

•The colonizers came to America with a The colonizers came to America with a unified history, with unified traditions, and unified history, with unified traditions, and with a common language; with a common language; •European languages were treated with European languages were treated with respect;respect;•They wanted to preserve their ancestral They wanted to preserve their ancestral traditions –one way was maintaining their traditions –one way was maintaining their native language.native language.

Colonial TimesColonial TimesColonial TimesColonial Times

• Neither an official language nor a government-sanctioned body to regulate speech were adopted;

• Period marked by the absence of a consistent language ideology;

• However, debate over official English has been present creating resentment and a variety of pedagogical practices.

1700’s to 1880s: 1700’s to 1880s: Permissive PeriodPermissive Period1700’s to 1880s: 1700’s to 1880s:

Permissive PeriodPermissive Period

Period marked by linguistic tolerancePeriod marked by linguistic tolerance

•inconsistency regarding language ideology;inconsistency regarding language ideology;•““Defensive Pluralism” (Havinghurst, 1978), Defensive Pluralism” (Havinghurst, 1978), preservation of maternal language and cultures;preservation of maternal language and cultures;•Czech was taught in Texas, French in Louisiana, Czech was taught in Texas, French in Louisiana, and Spanish in the Southwest; German, and Spanish in the Southwest; German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish in the northern Swedish, Norwegian, Danish in the northern statesstates•1900: 600,000 children, 4% of the elementary 1900: 600,000 children, 4% of the elementary school population received instruction in school population received instruction in German;German;

1880s to 1960s: 1880s to 1960s: Restrictive PeriodRestrictive Period1880s to 1960s: 1880s to 1960s:

Restrictive PeriodRestrictive Period

Linguistic and immigration restrictionism; Linguistic and immigration restrictionism; repressive policiesrepressive policies

•1889, 1889, American Protective AssociationAmerican Protective Association promoted English-only schools; promoted English-only schools;

•1906 Naturalization Act: English required for 1906 Naturalization Act: English required for naturalization;naturalization;

•1918 to 1920, the Bureau of Naturalization and 1918 to 1920, the Bureau of Naturalization and the Bureau of Education of the US provided the Bureau of Education of the US provided funds for the teaching of English skills;funds for the teaching of English skills;

• 1923, English-only instruction was offered in 34 states;

• War World I: Anti-German hostility during resulted in push for monolingualism; teaching of German was eliminated in most districts;

• Americanization of classes and English-only curriculum were the rule to prepare immigrants for assimilation to the mainstream society;

• Language was used as a unifying force;

• Submersion/swim or sink practices were the rule in language teaching;

• Students themselves had to make all linguistic, academic and cultural adjustments

• 1923, Meyer v. Nebraska decreed that the prohibition to teach foreign languages was unconstitutional; law had no effect on promoting bilingual education;

• English-only measures were a means to maintain colonial domination; however, the debate over the role of the mother tongue continued;

• Linguistic and cognitive theories and research findings blamed bilingualism for academic failure and mental retardation;

• English was the language of the educated;

• Ignorance of English was attributed to inferior intelligence.

Period marked by the need to create bilingual programs and by laws enforcing bilingual education

• Massive school failure prompted bilingual education. Isolated bilingual programs were created with the following characteristics:– English and the students’ native language was

used in all grades for language and content instruction;

– Some included English-speakers;– Programs were examples of excellence.

1960s to 1980s: 1960s to 1980s: Opportunist PeriodOpportunist Period

1960s to 1980s: 1960s to 1980s: Opportunist PeriodOpportunist Period

•World War II: after the war, the government saw the need to foreign language education; 1958, National Defense Education Act: promoted foreign-language education in the US;

•1964 Civil Right Act; fostered linguistic diversity; rebirth of instruction in other languages brought changes in immigration laws;

•1965 Immigration Act: ended the Naturalization Acts of 1906 and the 1924 national origin quota system, allowing Asians and Latin American to enter the country--more language-minority students appeared in US classroom.

• 1963, first two-way bilingual education program at Coral Way Elementary School in Dade County, FL;

• 1968, Bilingual Education Act --Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act:– it constituted a significant step in moving away from

English-only measures and Darwinian sink-or-swim practices;

– Schools receiving funding were accountable for academic progress of their LEP population;

– Act began to undermine English-only laws.

• Many elementary and some secondary BE programs and ESL programs were initiated, especially in the Southwest;

• Many states reversed the English-only laws enacting enacted transitional bilingual education.

• Bilingual Program characteristics:– Native language was used to initiate instruction;

English was taught as a second language, and later introduced in instruction;

– Bilingual education was an educational strategy to address the needs of the ELL– the native and the mainstream language did not have the same status.

• 1974, Lau v. Nichols: – verdict abolished the sink-or-swim practices of the

past;– Led to the 1974, Equal Educational Opportunities

Act expanding bilingual practices to all schools;

• 1975 Lau Remedies: provided guidelines for bilingual education, suitable pedagogical strategies and the importance of moving ELL’s into mainstream classrooms in a timely fashion:– recommended bilingual education as the best approach

for elementary education;– law contained instructions for identification,

assessment, and mainstreaming of students;– Program was to be implemented at districts with 20 or

more LEP at the same grade level representing the same language;

– BE programs must be based on sound theoretical approach;

– BE aimed at biliteracy and biliculturalism.

• 1981, Castañeda v. Pickard: verdict established a 3-step test for determining whether school districts were taking the appropriate action to educate ELL’s;– Program must be based on sound educational

theory anchoring school plan;– adequate resources and personnel;– program must reflect sound practices and

language and academic results.

• 1972, US Commission of Civil Rights found that only a small percentage of LEP’s were receiving bilingual instruction violating legislature

1980 to Present1980 to Present1980 to Present1980 to Present

•Under construction Under construction