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Highlights the first-person narratives of key stakeholders of the landmark Lau v. Nichols case.
This book employs a narrative policy portraiture approach to recenter the stories of the Chinese community involved in the Lau v. Nichols court case of 1974. This seminal Supreme Court case ruled that the failure to provide adequate and accessible instruction to approximately 1800 students of Chinese ancestry denied them the opportunity to participate in public education and constituted a discrimination on the basis of national origin.
While much has been written on language education policy changes for emergent bilinguals in the US, the perspectives of the key actors involved in the case are rarely heard. This book brings Chinese and Chinese American voices to the forefront, placing the participants within the retrospective social context as they reach their own conclusions about the process and outcomes of the case. It draws upon research in language policy and Asian American studies and invites readers to imagine the social futures and possibilities for what Lau v. Nichols means for the 21st century and beyond.
The volume fills a significant gap in narration, representation and retrospective research and will be of interest to graduate students and researchers in Asian American studies, bilingual education, educational policy and leadership, as well as teachers, school administrators and policymakers.
What Morita-Mullaney has done here is monumental. She has systematically and thoroughly tracked down the people, documents, and events that were key to this pivotal moment in the history of bilingual education in the US and brought them together to tell the story. We share their joys and frustrations, admire their creativity and wisdom, see their strength and courage. This book is a treasure, documenting a history that may have otherwise been lost to time and change.
Morita-Mullaney humanizes the sociopolitical history that has laid the foundation for present day education for multilingual learners. By centering the narratives and voices of San Francisco’s Chinatown communities, allies, advocates, and educators this book offers a much needed perspective on the origins and legacy of Lau.
This book is well-researched and provides a comprehensive dive into the multiple, nuanced layers of language policy and practice. With clear visuals and tables, the volume does not feel burdensome or “heavy,” but rather presents the content in accessible, succinct sections and chapters [...] this book is fitting for graduate students in education as well as undergraduates or senior high school students within an ethnic studies curriculum. Attention to the historical underpinnings and thorough analyses allow the reader to gain awareness about bilingual education as it intersects with various educational stakeholders.
Many educational stakeholders will find this book useful in bilingual education policy, research, and practice [...] Most importantly, this book can help educators cultivate Chinese American students as cultural bridges between two of the most powerful nations that are increasingly at odds with each other to encourage productive dialogues, mutual respect, and sustainable collaborations.
This book offers critical insights for a broad range of stakeholders committed to bilingual education and educational equity. The book calls on scholars and practitioners to move beyond reductive understandings of bilingual education as merely a language issue and instead recognize its role in affirming and cultivating students’ bicultural identities, as well as its connections to broader sociopolitical issues such as racialization and civil rights. For policymakers, it presents a compelling argument for grounding language policy in historical context and the lived realities and specific needs of communities. Community leaders and parents will also find resonance in the book’s emphasis on the vital impact of Chinese community members’ sustained resistance, collective organizing, and grassroots leadership in shaping educational access.
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Introduction
Section 1: Before Lau: The Sunrises
Chapter 1. Before Lau: Chinese Exclusion
Chapter 2. Before Lau, there was Mrs. Lau
Chapter 3. Before Lau, There Was School Desegregation and Bilingual Education
Chapter 4. Before Lau: Personalized Curriculum Writers, not Publishers
Chapter 5. Before Lau, Chinese Educators Were Assigned Outside of Chinatown
Chapter 6. Before Lau, Collective Advocacy Had Many Tentacles
Chapter 7. Before Lau, Community Agencies at the Core
Chapter 8. Before Lau, a 'Reggie' Found a Way
Chapter 9. Before Lau, An Idealistic Lawyer and Public Servant is Appointed to the School Board
Chapter 10. Before Lau, There Was School Desegregation and Mandatory Busing
Section 2: After Lau: The Sunrising Quickly
Chapter 11. After Lau: Remedies and More Remedies
Chapter 12. After Lau: California’s Proposition 227 and English for the Children
Chapter 13. A Third World Rights Federation Activist in the Midst
Chapter 14. Remedies and Remediation in Higher Education
Section 3: Beyond Lau: The Sun Setting
Chapter 15. Post Lau: The Association of Chinese Teachers
Chapter 16. Post Lau: The Chinese Principals
Chapter 17. The Modified Lau Consent Decree to the Sunset
Chapter 18. Sunset and Beyond: Language as Problem, Right, Resource or Choice?
Chapter 19. Sunsetting and Choice: Co-Articulating Language Rights, Affirmative Action, and Voting Rights
References
Index