The Equal Education Opportunities Act of 1974 and its impacts on English Language Learners

Equal Education Opportunities Act

Education, as the Guinness Encyclopedia puts, is the process that allows each one to learn and sometimes challenge the knowledge, skills, values and behavior that have been developed by previous generations. Education may be acquired formally, in educational institutions like schools, colleges, universities, and workplaces, or informally, in the home and/or through everyday personal experiences (the Guinness Encyclopedia, 1992).

Such is the importance of education that according to Arial and Will Durant, "Education is the transmission of civilization." An educated citizenry do not only breed civilized people, it also produces a class of elites that will be the innovators who would not be scared to take on calculated risks for the sake of development and progress. Education for the most part would also raise the skills and other potentials of a nation's people. The people of the United States of America would no doubt demand for an educated statesman who is definite, determined, knows what to do, and sure of what he or she is talking about. For Nelson Mandela, the significance of education reaches a point that it becomes a tool for survival. According to him, "education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

Education plays a huge role in the personal growth and development of any individual, as well as in the growth and development of economies and whole nations (Gylfason, 2000). More than learning different skills like reading and writing, or acquiring knowledge on math, science, history, and others, or experiencing various venues for the development of a well-rounded personality like involvement in sports, drama, and others, or even providing an avenue for individuals to meet, interact, and establish social networks; our educational institutions especially those that pursue public education allow individuals to be oriented to the fact that education is essential not only for one's self, but more so with the promotion of economic growth in a country. In fact, no country in history has ever reproduced sustained economic growth without also achieving near complete basic education.

It is just fortunate that the significance of education is recognized in the U.S. In fact, no matter how much of a cliche it has become, the statement still holds true: education in the United States of America is a right, not a privilege. This was strengthened by the so-called Equal Education Opportunities Act of 1974.

What do this act signifies? What are its impacts to the overall educational system in the U.S. What about for the English Language Learners, can it provide significant changes to the concerned students?

The Equal Education Opportunities Act of 1974

In the U.S., people are provided with public schools -- elementary and secondary schools maintained by taxes, supervised by local authorities, and offering education to children of the district free of charge (the New Lexicon Webster's Dictionary, 1987). There are numerous public schools provided by the government, and anyone can enter school, as the Equal Education Opportunities Act of 1974 states.

It is this promise and national policy that citizens can and should claim.

It should be noted that this act states a federal law that codifies standards set by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1974 Lau vs. Nichols decision. Lau required states and school districts "to take appropriate action to overcome language barriers that impede equal participation in instructional programs." Families are then given the chance to choose among a menu of programs that best suited their child (ren). This act further states that the court rules that school districts must provide remedies for non-English-speaking children so that they can have access to meaningful education.

Equal Education Opportunities Act of 1974 provides that no state shall deny equal educational opportunity on the basis of race, color, sex, or national origin." http://www.archives.nysed.gov/edpolicy/altformats/ed_research_chronology.pdf.

Because of this, it is very clear that the U.S. educational system is not only concerned with the continuing access of its citizen to education. Because, as stated in the Equal Opportunities Act of 1974, the U.S. government is also very much concerned with they way the U.S. born students as well as the immigrant or non-U.S. born students learns and/or adopts the universal language in the U.S.

Conclusion

The Equal Education Opportunities Act of 1974 paved the way for more amendments developments in the U.S. educational system. The impact of such law is very noticeable among teachers, students and even to the school administrators. However, there are a number of issues that have been continuously arising as people try to avail of their rights to education.

State legislatures attempting to comply with state Supreme Court mandates to reform their education finance systems should strive to meet the demands of both adequacy and equity. The experiences of some schools and/or states regarding the influx of enrollees suggest that regardless of the catalyst for reform, education reform can and should include elements of both equity and adequacy.

More so, it should be noted that whether a state is in the initial stages of implementing court-mandated reform, like the Equal Education Opportunities Act, or whether it has been in the process for decades, modern reform should incorporate the lessons of the last thirty years of reform efforts in sister states. Those areas that are looking to their experiences for guidance, should experiment with district consolidation, attachment, attendance credits, and contracting with students from other districts. They should also take steps to alleviate "local control" issues by allowing districts to choose the method by which they will contribute to equalized state education funds.

As for adequacy, increasing state-guaranteed per-pupil expenditures is one way to ensure that schools have access to the funds they need to retain quality teachers, implement curriculum reform and accountability measures, construct and maintain schools, and meet the expenses of students with special needs. Generating additional funds in the form of new or increased taxes, as well as earmarking those funds raised for education, are also necessary reform measures.

States have always regarded education as an essential component of a successful democratic system of government. However, in most states, it took judicial efforts to catalyze legislative reform efforts and encourage legislators to reiterate their states' commitment to education. Though most states required judicial efforts to catalyze legislative reform and encourage legislators to reiterate their states' commitment to education, successful reform requires state legislatures' continued dedication.