The history of

ell in the united

states
 Objectives
✘ Students will be able to comprehend how the standard
for ELL/ESL education in the United States came
about.
✘ Students will be able to recall important acts that set
the modern standards for ELL/ESL education in the
United States.

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 1.
Colonial America
 “Like England, the
united states has adopted
neither an official
language nor a
government-sanctioned
body to regulate speech”
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Was there a need for an official language?
✘ In 1644, New Netherland was given to the British and
renamed New York.
✘ Not counting the Native languages, 18 languages
were spoken on the island of Manhattan alone.
✘ The working class and the educated upper class spoke
more than one language.

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 In 1812, Louisiana entered the union
1803
The Louisiana Purchase doubled
the territory of the US, and
annexed the French/Spanish
speakers, and the many Native
tribes.
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Louisiana was the first (and last)
state to enter the Union with a non-
English speaking majority.
Louisiana was asked to write their
laws “in the language of the
Constitution” (English) but nothing
stopped them from writing laws in
other languages.
SO what does this have to
do with the history of ell?
Bilingualism was heavily
prevalent in early
American history!
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 Non-English education on the rise in the
1830’s
An Ohio law in 1839 In 1847, Louisiana did the New Mexico authorized
authorized instruction in same, except it substituted bilingual Spanish-English
English, German or even French for German. education in 1848.
both if the parents
requested it.

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 More than a
dozen.
That’s how many states had explicit laws authorizing bilingual
education in the 19th century.

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 Quick Review!
Does the United States
have an official
language?

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 The answer is….
No! There is no official
language in the united
States!

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 2.
Decline in
Bilingualism
 The decline
✘ Nativist feelings surged again in the late 19th century.
✘ The American Protective Association (APA) began to
mandate that English be the sole language of
instruction in schools.
✘ Most schools pushed back against this mandate.

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Bilingual education
was on the decline
By 1900, approximately
600,000 elementary school
students (4%) received
education either in part or
exclusively in German.

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 “New” Immigrants
✘ Waves of new immigrant groups came into the US,
and brought with them their language and culture.
✘ English became synonymous with loyalty. “Good”
Americans spoke English.
✘ Many states began passing laws that restricted foreign
language instruction.

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 Meyer v. Nebraska
The first case to go to the Supreme Court over foreign
language instruction was Meyer v. Nebraska (1923).
- In 1919, Nebraska passed a law restricting foreign language instruction.
- The case made its way to the Supreme Court, which ruled that the law
violated the 14th Amendment.

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 3.
english as a
“civilizing”
influence
 Indian self-determination
✘ In the 1830’s, the Indian Removal Act forcibly
removed many Native Americans from their lands.
✘ The Cherokee Nation developed a writing system and
90% of tribe members became literate.

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 Indian self-determination
✘ However, this was not enough to keep assimilation at
bay. Native children were sent to state run schools,
where there was the speak-English-only rule.
✘ Native children were not allowed to speak their home
languages, and were required to speak only English.

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Jim Thorpe was one of those
children. He was born a
member of the Sac and Fox
nation and educated at the
Carlisle Industrial Indian
School.

This Photo by Unknown

20 Author is licensed under
CC BY-SA
 Assimilation in the southwest
✘ In 1870’s New Mexico, only 5% of the schools taught
in English 60% taught in Spanish and 26% taught
bilingually.
✘ Texas, however, commonly segregated Mexican-
American children in inferior schools.

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 Assimilation in the southwest
✘ In 1919, Texas passed a law that criminalized
teaching in a language other than English.
✘ Children were punished if they spoke a language
other than English on school grounds.
✘ “Spanish detention” was a punishment that was used
well into the 1960’s.

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LBJ the teacher
Before he was a politician,
Texas born Lyndon Baines
Johnson was a teacher.

This Photo by Unknown

Author is licensed under
CC BY-SA
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 Assimilationist schooling
✘ English as a Second Language (ESL) began to gain
traction in the 1930’s.
✘ But, it was not available everywhere. In 1968-69,
only 5.5% of Mexican American children were
enrolled in ESL classes in the Southwest.

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 Assimilationist schooling
✘ ESL classrooms excluded minority cultures and
provided fantasy stereotypes of cultures.
✘ Some students were mislabeled as being special
education students.
✘ ”As late at 1980, Hispanic children in Texas were
overrepresented by 315% in the learning disabled
category.” (Crawford, p.100, 2004)
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 Quick Review!
Where did Jim Thorpe go
to school?

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 The answer is…
Carlisle Industrial Indian
school

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 4.
Bilingual
education is
reborn
 Heading to modernity
✘ In 1961, Dade County Public Schools initiated the
Spanish-for-Spanish-speakers program.
✘ Two years later, the county initiated a fully bilingual
program, the nation’s first since the 1920’s.
✘ By 1967, bilingual education was introduced in
different places all around the country.

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 The federal government steps in
✘ The Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned race, sex, and
national origin discrimination in public places.
✘ Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
(ESEA) addressed the academic needs of poor
children.

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 The federal government steps in
✘ 1968, President Johnson signed the Bilingual
Education Act into law, which committed schools to
assisting students with limited English skills.
✘ Title VII, as it is known, authorized federal funds to
support English Language Leaners.

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 Lau v. Nichols
✘ SCOTUS ruled in 1974 that schools receiving federal
funds must provide non-English speaking students
instruction in the English language to ensure that they
receive an equal education.

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 Lau v. Nichols
✘ Why is the Lau decision so important?

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 No child left behind
✘ Passed in 2001 under the Bush administration, this
was meant to reauthorize the ESEA of 1965.
✘ Required that ELL students receive quality in both
English and grade-level academic content.

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 No child left behind
✘ Proficiency must be tested at least once a year, and
ELL students who have been in the US for at least 3
years must take state tests in English.
✘ ELL teachers must be English language certified.
✘ Parents must be notified and have a right to remove
their children if they want to.

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 Every Student Succeeds Act
✘ Passed in 2015 under the Obama administration.
✘ Replaced NCLB.
✘ States are holding schools accountable for the
progress of ELL students.
✘ The performance of ELL students MUST count in the
school rating.

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 Quick Review!
What law passed in 2001
stated that the
proficiency of ELL
students must be tested
every year?
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 The answer is….
No child left behind
(2001)

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 Timeline of ell
4%-7% of all American
elementary students
Louisiana enters the receive either part or all Bilingual Education
New Netherland Union with a non- of their education in Act and Title VII No Child Left Behind
becomes New York English majority. German. Meyer v. Nebraska passed is passed.

1644 1787 1812 1839/47 1900 1919 1923 1965 1968 1974 2001 2015

The US Constitution is Ohio (and later 34 states have English ESEA is passed Lau v. Nichols ESSA is passed.
ratified, with no Louisiana) enacts a only instruction laws.
official language state law allowing
provisions. bilingual education.

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 Timeline of ell

1644 1787 1812 1839/47 1900 1919 1923 1965 1968 1974 2001 2015

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 References
✘ Crawford, J., & Crawford, J. (2004). Educating English learners: Language diversity in the classroom.
Bilingual Educational Services.
✘ Lenhoff, S. (2019, March 19). Setting new accountability for English-Learner Outcomes in ESSA plans.
Students Can't Wait. Retrieved February 16, 2022, from https://studentscantwait.edtrust.org/resource/setting-
new-accountability-english-learner-outcomes-essa-plans/
✘ Department of Education. (n.d.). Non-regulatory guidance: English learners and title ... - ed. Retrieved
February 16, 2022, from https://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/essa/essatitleiiiguidenglishlearners92016.pdf
✘ The importance of Ell Strategies - YouTube. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2022, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6HUv2eFdLg
✘ Lbreiseth. (2016, February 26). Every student succeeds act (ESSA) and English language learners. Colorín
Colorado. Retrieved February 16, 2022, from https://www.colorincolorado.org/ell-basics/ell-policy-
research/ell-laws-regulations/essa-ells

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 How different Learning styles were
addressed
✘ Visual learners were targeted through the use of
visuals, such as the PowerPoint and an online video.
✘ Auditory learners were targeted through periodic
questioning.

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