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Event: Meyer v. Nebraska Supreme Court Case

Date: 1923

Summary of this event: In Meyer v. Nebraska, the U.S Supreme Court declared that a Nebraska State Law that prohibited the teaching of any foreign languages to children in private language classes, unconstitutional. The court believed that this law violated the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment (Meyer v. Nebraska, 1923). This was due to the belief that a foreign language was “not injurious to the health, morals, or understanding of the ordinary child.” The court observed the desire of a state legislature to foster a homogeneous people was "easy to appreciate"  (Baker & Wright, 2021, p. 184).

Why this is important to bilingual education: This case is important to bilingual education because it established a legal precedent that protected the right to learn and teach foreign languages. It supports the principle of bilingual education and highlights the cultural importance behind it. This case showed that restricting language education could negatively affect individuals, families, and cultural traditions. It was a turning point in history that supported the growth of bilingual programs.

References:

Baker, C., & Wright, W. E. (2021). Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism (7th ed.). Multilingual Matters.

Meyer v. Nebraska, 262 U.S. 390 (1923). Retrieved from https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/262/390/

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Event: Farrington v. Tokushinge

Date: 1927

Summary of this event: This court case ruled that attempts by Hawaiian education authorities to put restrictions on after-school community based Japanese and Chinese heritage language programs was unconstitutional (Baker & Wright, 2021, p. 184).The court recognized that these programs were essential for preserving cultural heritage and languages that were significant to family traditions. It also highlighted that learning is not just about school, but about keeping a culture alive and passing it down generations.

Why this is important to bilingual education: This court case upheld the right of the state government to dictate the language of instruction in schools (Baker & Wright, 2021, p. 184). This court ruling protected the ability of minority communities to maintain bilingual and heritage instructions. It set an important examples for supporting language diversity and cultural identity in education.

References:
Baker, C., & Wright, W. E. (2021). Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism (7th ed.). Multilingual Matters.

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Event: Bilingual Education Act

Date:1967

Summary of this event: This legislation was originally conceptualized to help mother-tongue Spanish-speakers who were seen as failing in the school system, but ultimately was expanded to include all students for whom English was not their native language (Baker & Wright, 2021, p. 185). This act eventually indicated that bilingual educational programs were to be seen as a part of the federal education policy. It allocated funds for such minorirty language speakers while they shifted to working though English in the classroom.

Why this is important to bilingual education: The Bilingual Education Act was a major step for supporting students who spoke languages other than English and pushing for programs that supported those students. It highlighted that students are able to learn to the best of their abilities when they can grow and prosper in both their native language and English. This act helped schools create programs to meet the need of diverse learners and carve the path for bilingual education.

References:

Baker, C., & Wright, W. E. (2021). Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism (7th ed.). Multilingual Matters.

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Event: The Title VII Bilingual Education Act

Date: 1968

Summary of this event:  The Title VII Bilingual Education Act provided a compensatory "poverty program” for the educationally disadvantaged among language minorities. This act allowed schools to bring students' home language into the classroom rather than exclude them and isolate their cultural background (Baker & Wright, 2021, p. 186). This act made clear expectations for bilingual education and what was required of schools who were receiving grants. In 1974 it was re-authorized to stress traditional bilingual education. This marked the beginning of the ESEA lifting the restrictions of the dual language program under Title VII.

Why this is important to bilingual education: The act was a major step in highlighting the value of student native languages in education and how to value them in the classroom. It allowed students to participate using the native language and use it as a way to help them develop English language skills. This was a big step considering there was once a stereotype that students should leave their culture behind once entered into the classroom. By providing funding and more strict guidelines, it helped bilingual programs across the country.

References:

Baker, C., & Wright, W. E. (2021). Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism (7th ed.). Multilingual Matters.

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Event: Every Student Succeeds Act (2015)

Date: 2015

Summary of this event: This act was signed into law on December 10th, 2015 and brought the No Child Left Behind Act to an end. This allowed states to consider factors other than test scores to set goals and had more flexibility than ever before. This opened space foe students' English proficiency to be considered when setting achievement targets and interpreting test scores (Baker & Wright, 2021, p. 195).

Why this is important to bilingual education: This is an important act before it recognizes that standardized tests do not fully represent and demonstrate a student's full language potential. It allows schools and districts to consider language development in different ways. This helped make sure that bilingual students were getting the support, programs, and services that they need that includes both their native language and English. Since this, there had been more opportunities to update and advance bilingual programs.

References:

Baker, C., & Wright, W. E. (2021). Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism (7th ed.). Multilingual Matters.