History of Bilingual Education in the US

This book traces a history of bilingual education in the US, unveiling the pervasive role of politics and its influence on integrity of policy implementation. It introduces readers to once nationwide, systemic supports for diverse bilingual educational programs and situates particular instances and phases of its expansion and decline within related sociopolitical backdrops. The book includes overlooked details about key leaders and developments that affected programs under the Bilingual Education Act. It delves deeply into a past infrastructure: what it entailed, how it worked, and who was involved. This volume is essential reading for researchers, students, administrators, education leaders, bilingual advocates and related stakeholders invested in understanding the history of language education in the US for future planning, expansion, and enhancement of bilingual educational programs and promotion of equity and access in schooling.

This book provides a detailed, historical, and comprehensive overview of bilingual education efforts in the US. By centering the voices of scholars, advocates, and the media in each chapter, Moore reminds us of what educational equity requires of educators and policymakers. The book is an outstanding resource for teacher educators, scholars, and bilingual teachers., Moore’s richly contextualized excavation of the history of federal bilingual education policy can help combat the erasure of language rights struggles so prevalent in today’s discourse of dual-language education and neoliberal multilingual interests. The book paves a path for more critically conscientious language education policymaking., Moore's book boldly addresses the ideological and sociopolitical struggles and triumphs of bilingual education from both a historical and contemporary perspective. It brings to the forefront the essential and foundational components for launching and sustaining efficacious bilingual programs – by honoring the legacy of decades of research and policies necessary to pass the torch from one generation to the next., [This] is a thorough, well-researched, and carefully planned book [...] definitely a must-read for those who would benefit from learning how bilingual education in the United States arose and how we got to our current situation. Educators, advocates, administrators, and even those curious about bilingual education among the general public would all benefit from reading this volume.

Sarah C.K. Moore is Assistant Clinical Professor of Applied Linguistics and Language Education in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership in the College of Education at the University of Maryland College Park. Her research interests include language policy and planning, education policy implementation, language educator preparation, language program development, and provision of virtual education. She has extensively studied restrictive language policies and their impact on minoritized language communities, with emphasis on educators’ roles as interpreters and agents for advocacy.