Evol licy and Implications of No Child Left Behind For Language Minority Students Policy Brief

This brief details the history of the federal government’s stance with language minority students, and analyzes the implications of changes to its guiding principles made by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. With every federal re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act prior to 2001, the importance of bilingual education had progressively appreciated. It had evolved into a program that, while giving schools greater flexibility in terms of types of programs offered, provided greater recognition of the societal benefits of bilingualism for all students, and increased support for developmental bilingual and dual-language immersion programs. The act also increasingly recognized the need to impart knowledge of the history and culture associated with the languages of language minority students. The word “bilingual ” was removed entirely from NCLB, marking a dramatic shift in the guiding principles of the federal government toward these students, which they labeled, “limited English proficient, ” or LEP. Under NCLB, test scores are the indicator by which schools are held accountable. To avoid sanctions and potential state or corporate takeover, schools are expected t