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April 11, 1965: President Lyndon B. Johnson, seated with his childhood schoolteacher, Kate Deadrich Loney, delivers remarks after signing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act at the former Junction Elementary School near Stonewall, Texas

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The first federal legislation in the U.S. to recognize the needs of multilingual students with limited English proficiency. Programs were funded and set in place in order to provide equal educational opportunities that offered the necessary instruction in both English and students’ native languages. The act acknowledged the challenges faced by these students and worked to support them.

This act marked a significant shift in U.S. education policy by promoting bilingualism, working to provide the necessary opportunities for this otherwise ignored group of students. Today, its legacy continues to influence programs and policies that aim to ensure access to education for English language learners across the country.

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Six Chinese children who had recently arrived in New York City in 1964 with their teacher. The placards show their Chinese names, in ideographs and in transliteration, and the names to be entered in official school records.

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A landmark U.S. Supreme Court case in which the court ruled that the San Francisco school district violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by failing to provide adequate support for Chinese-speaking students. The U.S. Supreme Court determined that simply offering the same materials and curriculum to all students was not enough if language barriers prevented meaningful access to learning.

This decision required schools to take an active role in helping MLs, laying a proper foundation for bilingual education and these language programs. It established that students with limited English proficiency must be given meaningful access to education, reinforcing the idea that language barriers can be a form of discrimination. It continues to influence laws and policies that require schools to provide language support services that benefit students and their individual needs.

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Marchers protest two initiatives on the ballot in California -- Proposition 226, which would have hampered unions from collecting money from members for use in political campaigns, and Proposition 227, which prohibited bilingual education.

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After passing in California it heavily impacted the state’s approach to educating English language learners by largely eliminating bilingual education in favor of English instruction. The law required that most students be taught in English through structured English immersion programs, and heavily reduced bilingual programs. Supporters argued it would help students learn English more quickly, while critics claimed it restricted educational opportunities and ignored the benefits of bilingualism.

Prop 227 is relevant to bilingual education today because it brought attention to both the political and public tensions surrounding how English language learners should be taught. Its attempts to mandate these restrictive policies led to a decline in bilingual programs and shaped how schools approached language instruction. The eventual repeal of Prop 227 reflects a shift toward valuing bilingualism and has reopened the door for more inclusive, multilingual education policies.

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President George W. Bush signs the No Child Left Behind Act at Hamilton High School in Hamilton, Ohio, on Jan. 8, 2002.

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The NCLB was a major federal education reform law that put emphasis on accountability, standardized testing, and closing achievement gaps among student groups, including multilingual learners. It replaced the Bilingual Education Act and required that ELLs be tested in English and make annual progress in both language proficiency and academic achievement. NCLB aimed to hold schools accountable for the performance of all students, but at the same time reduced flexibility in how schools could support bilingual education.

NCLB brought national attention to the academic performance of English language learners, ensuring they were no longer overlooked in school accountability systems. However, its emphasis on English testing and rapid language acquisition often sidelined bilingual education programs; creating new issues among students. Today, its continues to influence current policies, reminding educators of the need to balance accountability with culturally and linguistically responsive instruction.

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Prop 58, passed in California in 2016, repealed key parts of Proposition 227 and restored the ability of public schools to utilize and support bilingual education. This allowed for the implementation of dual-language immersion and other multilingual programs based on local community needs. Prop 58 recognized the value of multilingualism and gave school districts more flexibility to design programs that support both English learners and native English speakers in their linguistic abilities.

Prop 58 marked a shift toward embracing and promoting bilingual education rather than restricting it. It empowers schools to create programs that value students' native languages while still supporting English acquisition. This law reflects a broader recognition of the cognitive, cultural, and economic benefits of bilingualism in today’s global society- emphasizing the growth from prop 227.