Legislative Events and Issues

Legislative Events and Issues
Directions: Complete the template using 100-150 words for each of the four sections: Legal Cases, Federal Laws and Requirements, State Laws and Policies, and Current Societal Trends and Issues.
Legal Cases


Lau v. Nichols

Castaneda v. Pickard

Flores v. Arizona

Plyler v. Doe

How did the legal case affect the policies and laws governing language instruction?

The case ended with a common decision to allow bilingual directions for non-native English speakers. This would help the student improve their English fluency and competency. Further, the case made the transition into education easier for students whose first language is not English.

The case ended by establishing that learners have the rights to be placed in a bilingual education system if the education system understands the student has special needs despite their English level proficiency.

The case was held in Arizona in which it was accused of violating an English-only immersion program. It was deemed as a violation as the Equal Educational Act of 1994 allows equal education for all. Thus, the court ruled that all English Learners have the right to access language support services using their native language to enhance educational equality.

The case contributed to many reforms in terms of law and policies that direct language instructions in the USA. Notably, the case ruled that all children are entitled to free public education regardless of their status, race, or ethnicity. The ruling led to various reforms in how schools provided language instructions to the children. Some schools adopted the bilingual program or English as a Second Langauge ( ESL).

How will knowledge of these cases affect your future professional practice?

The knowledge of these cases will help me plan my lessons in a way that accommodates all students. This is because failure to accommodate acknowledge and respect all the students is a violation of the law, which can lead to imprisonment ( Mora,2010). Also, now that I know about the ruling, it will enhance my integrity and ethics in my practice.

Federal Laws and Requirements


Every Student Succeeds Acts (ESSA)

Title III

Title VI

Office for Civil Rights/Department of Justice Resolutions

How did the federal law/requirement affect accountability, assessment, funding, and identification in ELL education in Arizona?

Local and state school districts are required to examine students from grades three through eight in maths and English. Also, it requires ELL students to be assessed in English and must be given equal chances with English native peers. This will enhance accountability and mastery of English as a subject

Title III, No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), is a federal requirement that all schools receiving federal funding provide a high-quality education for all students. In Arizona, the Department of Education ( ADE) identifies ELL students and enrolls them in a consistency assessment program, a program that uses the same metric and benchmark used for children in other grades.

Title VI prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin...