My epic padlet by Justin Seebald

1906 The Nationality Act

justin596 — 2025-10-15 20:44:27 UTC

The Nationality Act of 1906 was a significant event due to its approach to assimilation. It was the first federal law in the United States with an emphasis upon naturalization. The act was a sign of times to come, where immigration and citizenship would be more comprehensively controlled by government oversight. This act would require the ability to utilize the English language as a prerequisite to citizenship. Despite the paranoia involved in this type of legislation, it would lay the groundwork for modern attempts at a single national language. According to Baker & Wright, " A demand for Americanization was made, with competence in English becoming associated with loyalty to the United States. The Nationality Act of 1906 required immigrants to speak English to become naturalized Americans." (Baker & Wright, 2021, p.183).

Baker, C., & Wright, W. E. (2021). Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism (7th ed.). Multilingual Matters.

1964 Civil Rights Act

justin596 — 2025-10-15 20:44:32 UTC

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination against American citizens based upon color, race, or national origin (Baker & Wright, 2021, p.184). This act reversed damaging social laws and regulations that encouraged segregation, including Jim Crow laws. This is significant for Bilingual education as a first step to opposing language discrimination and would become the basis for Lau v. Nichols in 1974. According to the text, "This Act symbolized a less negative attitude to ethnic groups and possibilities for increased tolerance of ethnic languages, at least at the federal level." (Baker & Wright, 2021, p. 184).

Baker, C., & Wright, W. E. (2021). Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism (7th ed.). Multilingual Matters.

Lau V. Nichols

justin596 — 2025-10-15 20:45:09 UTC

Lau V. Nichols was a landmark court case which would help to shape modern Bilingual Education. In the San Francisco school district in the 1970's it became apparent that students were not receiving an equal education due to instruction being in a language they could not understand. For these Chinese-speaking students, it was proven in court that by not providing instruction in a manner that allowed students to learn in an equal manner to English-speaking students, it violated both the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (Baker & Wright, 2021). This was also significant for Bilingual Education by outlawing submersion programs for students who hadn't yet achieved English proficiency.

Baker, C., & Wright, W. E. (2021). Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism (7th ed.). Multilingual Matters.

The Bilingual Education Act (1968)

justin596 — 2025-10-15 20:59:51 UTC

The Bilingual Education Act of 1968 was a significant step towards modern Bilingual Education. The act provided federal funding and support to programs with students who speak little or no English. This was the first federal act that recognized that students with minimal English required special support and programs to develop language learning. The act recognized further steps concerning civil rights and equality in education by supporting immigrant and minority groups within language learning. Essentially, it meant that if you're a student in the United States who doesn't possess a comprehensive command of English, you should be supported and not suffer for it.

Baker, C., & Wright, W. E. (2021). Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism (7th ed.). Multilingual Matters.

Every Student Succeeds Act (2015)

justin596 — 2025-10-15 21:12:46 UTC

The Every Student Succeeds Act marks another substantial addition to legislation impacting Bilingual Education. Not only did the act encourage Bilingual and Dual language programs, more significantly it designated ELLs as a separate accountability group whose progress must be tracked throughout their educational career. The act additionally offered an expansion of funding to help English Language Learners while simultaneously allowing for flexibility within how states designed their transitional programs. Finally this act made it necessary for materials int he classroom to be available in languages that the student and their families can understand. Another important aspect highlighted in the text was that ESSA, " removed requirements that teacher evaluations be tied to student test scores. This change may help relive pressure on teachers who were being held accountable for ELL test scores of questionable validity." (Baker & Wright, 2021, p.196).

Baker, C., & Wright, W. E. (2021). Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism (7th ed.). Multilingual Matters.