The author reports on state and independent reviews that cite shortcomings in four urban systems. According to the reviews of those school systems over the past two years, four urban districts--in Boston, Massachusetts; Buffalo, New York; Portland, Oregon; and Seattle, Washington--did not provide special help to learn English to all students entitled to it under federal law. The reviews come as the Obama administration steps up enforcement of civil rights laws in schools. Directors of programs for English-language learners in the four districts, who say they are trying to fix the problem, maintain that part of the issue is confusion over how to apply federal civil rights laws to the education of such students. In their defense, educators say more federal guidance is needed on how to apply civil rights laws to programs for English-language learners. The U.S. Department of Justice and Department of Education are expected to bring some clarity to the challenge of upholding the civil rights of ELLs as they undertake investigations of programs around the country. In a written statement, Thomas E. Perez, the assistant attorney general for the civil rights division of the Justice Department, laid out some guidance for districts.