Important Events in Bilingual Education by

C. 1900: Increase in immigration rates and higher rates of xenophobia, leading to public outcry and demand for assimilation

beccavineall — 2025-10-15 02:08:51 UTC

It is crucial for educators to know that there is a cyclical link between increases of immigration rates and perceived threats and fear of immigrants from the "established" population (who are almost always the assimilated descendants of previous generations' immigrants).

1958: National Defense Education Act promotes foreign language instruction in public schools in order to adapt to an increasingly globalized world

beccavineall — 2025-10-15 02:08:53 UTC

As the Cold War began to accelerate, Americans found more value in expanding the linguistic repertoire of the population in order to promote international trade and economic potential.

1970: Lau v. Nichols declared that English language submersion for students without proficiency was unconstitutional.

beccavineall — 2025-10-15 02:09:04 UTC

This is fundamental to the history of bilingual education in the United States. Equality cannot be given to students who do not receive the effort to adapt instruction in a manner suitable to them.

1968: Bilingual Education Act authorizes use of federal funding for education programs for ELLs

beccavineall — 2025-10-15 02:09:07 UTC

This was in direct opposition of the 34 states who previously had legislation in favor of English-only instruction. Funding can be crucial for establishing quality education programs, especially in areas where there has not been a precedent.

1964: Civil Rights Act is passed

beccavineall — 2025-10-15 02:09:10 UTC

By banning discrimination based on color or race, the Civil Rights Act created a precedent for more tolerance for ethnic groups and therefore languages outside of the majority.