Historial Context of Bilingual Education: Colonial Times

1
Historial Context of Bilingual EducationColonial
Times

• Colonizers, unified history, with unified
  traditions, and with a common language
• European languages were treated with respect.

2
Colonial Times

• Neither an official language nor a
  government-sanctioned body to regulate speech was
  adopted
• Absence of a consistent language ideology
• Debate over official English has been present
  creating resentment and a variety of pedagogical
  practices.

3
1700s to 1880s

• 18th 19th c., inconsistency regarding language
  ideology
• Defensive Pluralism (Havinghurst, 1978),
  preservation of maternal language and cultures
• Laws were passed authorizing bilingual education.
  

4
1700s to 1880s

• Czech was taught in Texas, French in Louisiana,
  and Spanish in the Southwest
• 1900, 600,000 children, 4 of the elementary
  school population received instruction in German
• Southwest, beginning of 20th c. Spanish or
  English was the language of the school
  curriculum.

5
1880s to 1960

• 1889, American Protective Association promoted
  English-only schools
• 1918 to 1920, the Bureau of Naturalization and
  the Bureau of Education of the US
• 1923, English only instruction in 34 states

6
1880s to 1960

• Anti-German hostility during War World I
• Americanization classes and English-only
  curriculum to prepare immigrants

7
1880s to 1960

• The debate over the role of the mother tongue
  continued
• 1923, Meyer v. Nebraska, prohibition to teach
  foreign languages was unconstitutional
• The case had little effect in promoting BE.

8
1880s to 1960

• 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.

9
1880s to 1960

• Ethnocentric attitude American culture more
  desirable
• Adoption of the sink-or-swim method also known as
  submersion.
• ESL classes served only adults.

10
1960 to 1980

• 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.

11
1960 to 1980

• National Defense Education Act of 1958 aimed at
  raising the level of foreign-language education
  in the US
• 1964 Civil Right Act fostered linguistic
  diversity
• 1965 Immigration Act, Asians and Latin American
  began to enter the country more
  language-minority students appeared in US
  classroom.

12
1960-1980

• Fidel Castros Cuban Revolution of 1959 fostered
  BE to prepare children for their return home
• 1963, Cuban community established a highly
  successful two-way bilingual education program at
  Coral Way Elementary School in Dade County, FL.

13
1960-1980

• 1968 creation of the Bilingual Education Act
  --Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary
  Education Act
• Act strove to help language minority students as
  an offshoot of President Lyndon B. Johnsons War
  on Poverty

14
1960-1980

• Title VII was unclear with regards to bilingual
  education original goal was the maintenance of
  bilingualism, later replaced by the use of home
  language to facilitate the acquisition of English
  only.
• Significant step in moving away from English-only.

15
1960-1980

• As a result of Title VII, many elementary and
  some secondary BE programs and ESL programs were
  initiated, especially in the Southwest.
• Many states reversed the English-only laws
  Massachusetts enacted its Transitional Bilingual
  Education Act (1971) more than 20 other states
  followed.

16
1960-1980

• Program characteristics
• Native language was to be 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 main language did not have the same status.

17
1960-1980

• 1974, Lau v. Nichols (414 US 5637) case
• Lau v. Nichols verdict
• abolish the sink-or-swim practices of the past
• August 1974, Equal Educational Opportunities Act
  expanded bilingual practices to all schools.

18
1960-1980

• 1975 Lau Remedies (Office for Civil Rights)
• The law recommended bilingual education as the
  best approach for elementary education
• Law contained instructions for identification,
  assessment, and mainstreaming of students.

19
1960-1980

• 1975 Lau Remedies
• BE should recommended for school districts with
  at least 20 ELLs of same language
• BE programs must be based on sound theoretical
  approach
• BE aimed at biliteracy and biliculturalism.

20
1960-1980

• Research studies supporting bilingual education
• Pearl and Lamberts (1962), Ben_Zeev (1977),
  Ianco-Worrall (1972), Segalowitz (1977)
  demonstrated cognitive flexibility, higher verbal
  and non-verbal ability, and increased ability to
  analyze syntax by bilingual speakers
• Ability to differentiate between two languages is
  not an impediment.

21
1960-1980

• Research studies supporting bilingual education
• Pearl and Lamberts (1962), Ben_Zeev (1977),
  Ianco-Worrall (1972), Segalowitz (1977)
  demonstrated cognitive flexibility, higher verbal
  and non-verbal ability, and increased ability to
  analyze syntax by bilingual speakers
• Ability to differentiate between two languages is
  not an impediment.

22
1960-1980

• 1981, Castañeda v. Pickard in a case of
  violation of civil rights under the Equal
  Education Opportunities Act of 1974
• Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals verdict
• sound educational theory anchoring school plan
• adequate resources and personnel
• program reflecting sound practices and language
  and academic results.

23
1960-1980

• 1981, Castañeda v. Pickard in a case of
  violation of civil rights under the Equal
  Education Opportunities Act of 1974
• Court verdict
• Emphasis on English language ability did not
  violate appropriate implementation
• sound educational theory anchoring school plan
• adequate resources and personnel
• program reflecting sound practices and language
  and academic results.

24
1980 to Present

• Reagan preservation of native languages was
  anti-American--funds for English immersion
  programs increased
• Laus regulations were terminated as were
  compliance reviews
• US English (1983), English Only, and English
  First began to gain support

25
1980-Present

• CA Proposition 187 was approved restricting
  services to illegal immigrants
• CA Proposition 227 passed English became the
  primary medium of instruction for
  language-minority students
• Ron Unz, initiator of the proposition bilingual
  programs failed to teach children English
• Other states followed the CA example, including
  AZ, CO, WA, and MA.

26
1980-Present

• 1999, President Clintons administration
• restored funding for BE programs
• dropped a bill article allowing only 2 years to
  learn English, increasing funding for
  English-only immersion programs, and hindering
  the implementation of two-way BE programs.
• 2001, President GW Bush proposed the No Child
  Left Behind Act, replacing the Bilingual
  Education Act (1968-2001)

27
1980-Present

• 1999, President Clintons administration
• restored funding for BE programs
• dropped a bill article allowing only 2 years to
  learn English, increasing funding for
  English-only immersion programs, and hindering
  the implementation of two-way BE programs.
• 2001, President GW Bush proposed the No Child
  Left Behind Act to replace the Bilingual
  Education Act (1968-2001)

28
1980-Present

• Creation of the Office of English Language
  Acquisition, Language Enhancement and Academic
  Achievement for Limited English Proficient
  students (OELA) in charge of administering Title
  III of the NCLB Act of 2001.