Reidy, Virginia

Language and Language Development

UCSD
Professor Stephanie LaQua, M.Ed.
24 February 2016
Assignment 1A

The history of bilingual education in the United States is as rich and varied as the many
people who comprise the country. During the initial stages of the countrys development,
bilingualism was not viewed negatively, but rather a byproduct of the formation of a new nation
comprised of immigrants hailing from far-flung nations. It was not unusual for a person to speak
two languages. According to an article in U.S. Legal, French, German, Spanish and Dutch were
as commonly spoken as English. It also claims that the original Articles of the Confederation
were published in both English and German. Many children of this era were educated in their
native language or in bilingual English/Native language schools. Often these were parochial
schools, which also supported the students religion and culture. I ponder the happy, or at least
respectful, co-existence of these multiple cultures in the early stages of our nation.

With the enormous wave of immigrants in the late nineteenth/early twentieth century,
came a change in sentiment towards bilingualism. Americanization became the goal, and that
goal included leaving ones old culture behind and speaking English. This sentiment was
reflected in policy and laws governing the teaching of foreign languages in schools. In his book,

Student Cultural Diversity, Eugene Garca explains Americanization has been a prime
institutional education objective for immigrant and culturally diverse children (p.100, Garca).
He further states, Americanization schooling practices were adopted whenever the population of
culturally and linguistically diverse students rose to significant numbers in a community (p. 101
Garca). Garca argues that the government-created programs in support of these goals actually
did more harm than good, and have actually preserved the political and economic subordination
of these communities (p. 101, Garca). Between the two world wars, there was virtually no
foreign language or bilingual language instruction in schools in the United States. As a child, my
Italian immigrant grandparents told me stories of how they tried very hard to speak like
Americans, without an accent, and how they only spoke Italian at home. They did not pass down
their language to my parents in hopes of making them more American.

Mid-twentieth century events caused a shift in the nations view on the value of multilingual speakers. In Foundations of Dual Language Instruction, Judith Lessow-Hurley describes
how the successful launch of Sputnik by the Soviet Union revitalized interest in foreign
languages (p. 24). The government saw the value in understanding other languages and cultures.
Additionally, a huge influx into Florida of educated Cuban refugees resulting from the Cuban
Revolution created pressure to form a dual language school. The movement of the country was
towards civil rights, and with these rights, bilingual education and value for multiculturalism
resurfaced. As a child of the 60s I can recall the energy and excitement of this era, along with
the tumultuous and tragic events such as the Kennedy and King assassinations.

While not a legal case one piece of legislation that had major influence on education
during this era was an act of Congress by the Johnson administration called the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act (ESEA), passed in 1965. Part of President Lyndon B. Johnsons War
on Poverty, this act was the most expansive education legislation ever enacted. It provided
resources for supporting educationally deprived children and compensatory programs for poor
children. Lyndon B. Johnson, a former teacher, believed in equal access to education for all
children and said that the aid would help five million children of poor families overcome their
greatest barrier to progress: poverty. He believed that there hadnt been another single piece of
legislation that could help so many for so little cost. He said, for every one of the billion dollars
that we spend on this program, will come back tenfold as school dropouts change to school
graduates. He maintained that education would help elevate poor children to greater success. He
viewed education as an investment in human resources that would in turn strengthen the United
States.

The ESEA relied on state departments to administer the federal funds, which had the
affect of giving greater control of the spending to the states. In turn, the states expanded their role
and influence in educational decision-making. In 1968, the ESEA was amended to include the
Bilingual Education Act, which supported schools in their efforts to address the needs of children
with limited English proficiency. My parents, both progressive teachers, participated in focus
groups which helped plan how some of these funds would be spent in New York State.

The California Williams Decision, a class-action suit that was filed in San Francisco,
essentially provides for equality in facilities and materials among California schools. Research

supports the idea that teachers and students perform better in comfortable, well-equipped
environments. The case settled with the state having to provide millions of dollars for materials
for and improvements of its schools, and facilities oversight. I think that the Williams Decision is
closely tied to the civil rights of all students. Decrepit facilities, improper teacher placements,
lack of materials are typically associated with schools in poorer areas. These conditions add to
the obstacles that poor children and families already face, and are unfair. Equal education for all
should include equal access to an environment conducive to learning. Before I worked in
schools, I worked for corporate America, where a persons status was literally mirrored by the
height of the pile of their office carpet. I wondered how we could treat our adult selves to such
indulgences while children, children, were expected to spend theirs in substandard facilities.

Sources
"Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 - Social Welfare History Project." Social
Welfare History Project. 2011. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
Garca, Eugene E., and Eugene E. Garca. Student Cultural Diversity: Understanding and
Meeting the Challenge. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999. Print.
"Historical Perspective." Education Historical Perspective Comments. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
Lessow-Hurley, J. (2012). The Foundations of Dual Language instruction, sixth edition.
"The Williams Case -- An Explanation." - Williams Case (CA Dept of Education). Web. 24 Feb.
2016.