This article considers the impact of the "Lau v. Nichols" Supreme Court decision on the education of English learners in Washington State, US In particular, we focus on the most popular educational program in the state, Sheltered English Instruction. We first examine how intertextual links to various policy texts and discourses shape…

In 1974, the Supreme Court drew on the 1954 Brown decision in "Lau v Nichols," placing English learner (EL) students' right to a meaningful education at the forefront of educational policy. Subsequent federal decisions and legislation (i.e., Castañeda; Equal Educational Opportunities Act [EEOA], No Child Left Behind [NCLB], and Every…

How to address the educational needs of students with limited English proficiency (LEP) is a particularly challenging and often controversial endeavor. Failure to address the needs of students with LEP often results in denial of meaningful educational opportunities and leads to disproportionate representation in special education programs. This…

Is the U.S. Supreme Court inviting litigants to take aim at unraveling injunctions in institutional reform litigation--especially consent decrees in the schools? In "Horne v. Flores" (2009), the court remanded a 17-year-old school reform case to a federal judge with orders to look beyond consent decrees on financing, reducing class…

Online education has become an accepted part of the educational landscape over the past two decades. Digital resources are the norm in classrooms. The expectation is that all students will benefit from technology some way. In order for that to be the case, however, sometimes more overt action is needed to ensure that all students do in fact get…

This article is an analysis of the educational implications of the Supreme Court (USSC) decision in "Horne v. Flores" (2009). The USSC remanded the Arizona case to the lower court, requiring a rehearing of petitioners' request for relief from the court's oversight of AZ's "structured English immersion" (SEI) program mandated…

Lau vs Nichols is a 1974 Supreme Court decision which charged that the San Francisco Unified School District had denied equal educational opportunity to non-English-speaking students by failing to provide them with any special language instruction. The court decision was based on Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which provides against…

The purpose of this guide is to inform Colorado school districts of their responsibilities in providing equal educational opportunities to all students. By following the directions outlined here, a district can comply with state and federal regulations regarding sex discrimination, civil rights discrimination, and the rights of non-English…

There are a variety of different approaches to providing virtual education and significant program differences. This Issues Brief describes a process all virtual education programs should undertake to help best ensure all students have access to the educational opportunities provided by the program. The focus of this Issues Brief is to…

Educating limited-English-proficient students (LEP) in the nation's public schools is an unmet educational need with national impact and a history of minimal compliance with Federal laws. The Lau v. Nichols decision of 1974 placed responsibility on school districts to ensure that LEP students were identified and provided with a language response…

This report focuses on issues relating to the development and implementation of educational programs for and placement of national origin minority students identified as having limited English proficiency. It examines the present-day barriers that prevent students with limited English proficiency from having an equal opportunity to participate in…

Language minority students are legally entitled to a baseline opportunity for an adequate, affirmative, appropriate, and effective education, allowing them an "equally fair shot" at a high school diploma. Certain absolute legal standards for this baseline educational entitlement are posited to exist; this claim is supported by…

In a question and answer format, this booklet describes the Lau v. Nichols decision in which the Supreme Court ruled that the San Francisco Unified School District was guilty of discrimination because non-English speaking students were not given special language instruction. The booklet presents the basis for the Lau decision, describing a…

An analysis of the judicial and educational issues surrounding the Lau V. Nichols case in which suit was brought on behalf of 1800 Chinese-American students attending San Francisco public schools on the basis that they are being denied equal educational opportunity because they do not speak English. This case commentary argues for the plaintiffs…

This document provides a detailed discussion of two laws and three court cases affecting the education of non-English speaking children. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 addresses equal education opportunities for all Americans. The Four Point Memorandum issued by the Department of Health, Education and Welfare specifically deals with…