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The Nationality act was a direct result of the increased amount of immigrants in the turn of the 20th century. Many Americans where fearful of the new foreigners and called for their assimilation into American culture. The community demanded that the immigrants became Americanized by being competent in the English language. To them, the language was tied to loyalty of the state and patriotism towards America.

The Nationality Act of 1906 required immigrants to speak English in order to become nationalized. Added to The Nationality Act in 1950, was the requirement to write in English as well.  America had many bilingual school prior to the 20th century. However, The Nationality Act led a belief in a common language for schooling.

Pushed by The Nationality Act and the stirring of World War II, Anti-german feelings in the United States spread. These feelings put extra pressure on the monolingual education. Linguistic intolerance quickly grew. Schools became a tool in political schemes to assimilate and integrate diverse languages and cultures into the majority. The Nationality act spurred on the elimination of languages from schools and plummeted the interest of learning a foreign language.

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In 1957, the Russians launched their Sputnik satellite into space. This frightened the US public and politicians. If the Russians were able to launch something into space, then what is stopping them from sending missiles up there too? Thus the space race was on.

Politicians debated about the quality of education, scientific creativity and competence to compete in the international world. New ideas started arising around the need for foreign language instruction in the classroom. A year later, in 1958, The National Defense Education Act was passed. This law supported foreign language learning in elementary schools, high schools, and universities.

The National Defense Act allowed schools to reintroduce foreign language into education again. Although the curriculum was a far cry from being bilingual and heavily favored English, the law was an important stepping stone to bring bilingualism back into the classroom.

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The 1960s was a tumultuous time for the world. The civil rights movement brought forward a tolerance of ethnic languages and culture within the United States. The tolerance set the stage for the Coral Way Elementary School’s bilingual program in Dade County in South Florida.

In 1963 there was a large exile of Cuban citizens. They believed they were only in exile for a short period. Using their trained professional teachers, the middle-class Cubans were able to set up a Spanish-English bilingual school. Likely because of their goal of educating in English, the exiled Cubans were seen as unquestionably loyal to US policies. The Cubans gained sympathy from the community. All of these circumstances amalgamated in receiving political support and funding for Dade county for their bilingual program

In the mid-1960s the National Education Association reported on the dire educational needs of the Mexican- American students. The NEA called for legislation supporting bilingual education. The NEA set up schools in many cities with a high Spanish-speaking population. These school benefited from the example set by Coral Way Elementary. The establishment of Coral Way shows the beginnings of laws and legislation to support bilingual education.

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Improving America's Schools Act- Reauthorization of ESEA and Title VII Bilingual Education Act (1994) 

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Improving America's Schools Act- Reauthorization of ESEA and Title VII Bilingual Education Act (1994) 

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In 1974, Title VII was revised and provided a clear definition of Bilingual Education and required schools that were receiving grants to include teaching in a student’s home language. This re-authorization stressed transitional bilingual education over maintenance bilingual programs, and did not allow dual language programs. Only four years later the US Congress again re-authorized the ESEA. Congress finally lifted restrictions on the dual language program, but the political climate still heavily favored transitional bilingual education to achieve competence in the English language. In 1984/1988 re-authorization allowed support for developmental and maintenance programs.

In the 1980s and early 90s the ESEA took a back seat in the Reagan and Bush administrations. They believed that it was wrong to have an open bilingual education program. They wanted American citizens to learn English so that they could get a job in the job market. To them, bilingual education was taking away from English language competence. They favored submersion and transitional programs.

In 1994 Bill Clinton re-authorized the ESEA as the Improving America’s Schools Act (IASA). This reform aimed to provide children with an enriched educational program. The new Title VII provided additional funds for specific groups such as immigrants. Proficiency in bilingualism became a desirable goal when it brought economic benefits to individuals and to the nation.

In 1994 full bilingual proficiency was recognized as an educational goal. The Act recognized speakers of different Native American languages. It sought to bring bilingual students into the mainstream, making their needs difficult to be ignored in policy making.

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In 2011 California began recognizing their students' bilingual skills. Upon graduating, the students were presented with the Seal of Biliteracy attached to their diplomas. The Seal quickly went national when it gained support of the National Association for Bilingual Education and the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages. The goal of the program was to help the students recognize the value of their academic success and see the tangible benefits of being bilingual (sealofbiliteracy.com). It is believed that having the Seal on your diplomat would be valued by employers looking to hire bilingual employees.

However, the requirements to earn the Seal vary across states, districts, and schools. ELL students are able to earn their Seal by reaching the proficiency level on several English exams. English speaking students can attain marginal skills in a second language and still be awarded the Seal of Biliteracy. Regardless of the method to obtain the Seal, the award recognizes the benefits of fluency in two languages. The students are being praised for their bilingualism for the first time rather than being marginalized for it.