The Bilingual Research Journal: Dreams, possibilities, and necessity

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), signed in 1965, was a pivotal civil rights law to address the dream of equitable education for all children on the mainland and in U.S. territories. The ESEA was followed by the Bilingual Education Act (BEA), signed by President Johnson in 1968. The BEA specifically addressed the necessities of students whose dominant language was not English. Together these two Acts passed in the 1960s offered new government attention in the form of grants and programs for the purpose of providing bilingual education. Both Acts were reauthorized in their 50-year-plus history. Rather than dwell on the government documents themselves, this article examines the question: In what ways do research studies published in the Bilingual Research Journal inform and hold us accountable to the dream of equity—a dream that mandates equitable access to and opportunities for successful learning outcomes for children from all communities including immigrant communities? A qualitative analysis is used to address the question.