Six years after the 1968 law was enacted, the Supreme Court reaffirmed the special needs of language-minority children. This approach allowed the students to progress in subject areas-math, science, social studies, etc.-without having to wait until they gained proficiency in English. In the case of non-English-speaking children, this guidance involved regular classroom instruction in their dominant language while at the same time helping them gain fluency in English. The theory underlining this legislation held that children could be guided from the known to the unknown. To help meet the special educational needs of language-minority children, Congress in 1968 enacted the Bilingual Education Act. No matter how quickly he or she learned English, it was always a struggle to catch up to the other children.
But this “melting pot” approach put the non-English-speaking child at a severe disadvantage. It was hoped that they would learn English quickly and move into the mainstream of American life. In the past these children were thrust into school with little or no consideration given to their ethnic backgrounds or language difficulties. Others have foreign-born parents or come from homes where English is spoken with a heavy accent. Some of these children are recent immigrants to the United States. schools with little or no understanding of the English language. Renaissance in Bilingual Teaching Recognition of Language Minorities in SchoolĮach year thousands of children enter U.S.