Teachers who work with English as a Second Language learners will find ESL/ESOL/ELL/EFL reading/writing skill-building children's books, stories, activities, ideas, strategies to help PreK-3, 4-8, and 9-12 students learn to read.
ELL Policy History
This section includes:
When studying policy related to English language learners (ELLs), it is helpful to start with some background information about U.S. language policy.
The following resources provide an introduction to key pieces of legislation, court cases, and historical issues relating to language policy.
Overview: Major Legislation and Court Cases
For a brief overview of key pieces of legislation and court cases, we recommend that you start with the A Chronology of Federal Law and Policy Impacting Language Minority Students, published by the Texas Education Agency.
U.S. Language Policy: Pre-Colonial and Early Years
Early Years: Tolerance and Repression
This excerpt from Foundations for Multilingualism in Education (Caslon, 2011) explores the wide ranging language policies in the 18th and 19th century, from colonial acceptance and encouragement of multilingualism to subsequent repression of the languages of Native Americans and African slaves.
U.S. Language Policy in the 20th Century
Immigrant Era
This excerpt from Foundations for Multilingualism in Education (Caslon, 2011) discusses the debate around language and language instruction at the beginning of the 20th century, in the midst of unprecedented waves of immigration to the U.S.
Return to Bilingual Education
This excerpt from Foundations for Multilingualism in Education (Caslon, 2011) provides an overview of the 20th-century language policies that emerged after World War II, early bilingual education programs, and the Bilingual Education Act of 1968.
Bilingual Education: The Failed Experiment?
In this excerpt from their book The Latino Education Crisis: The Consequences of Failed Social Policies (Harvard University Press, 2009), Drs. Patricia Gándara and Frances Contreras discuss the history and implications of the debate around bilingual education in the U.S. and offer an in-depth look at the research reviews that have frequently been cited in those conversations.
Landmark Court Rulings Regarding English Language Learners
This excerpt from Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice (Caslon, 2010) summarizes the landmark U.S. court cases that have had significant implications for ELLs. In particular, Wright focuses on cases relating to segregation, the right of communities to teach their native languages to children, and the linguistic and educational needs of ELLs.
U.S. Language Policy: Contemporary Policies and Movements
No Child Left Behind & Title III
This excerpt from Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice (Caslon, 2010) offers an introduction to No Child Left Behind legislation for English language learners, including information on accountability, assessments, English language proficiency standards, and implications for ELL identification and instruction.
Toward a Monolingual USA?
This excerpt from Foundations for Multilingualism in Education (Caslon, 2011) examines contemporary language policy, including No Child Left Behind and the English-Only statewide ballot initiatives in California, Arizona, and Massachusetts. In addition, de Jong explores the complexities of historic and modern attitudes towards language use and instruction throughout the U.S.
Acknowledgements
Our policy section is made possible by a generous grant from the Carnegie Corporation. The statements and views expressed are solely the responsibility of the authors.
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