This case illustrates the importance for school leaders and teachers to be knowledgeable about current legal precedent when creating district and school policies. We describe a legal battle that occurred in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in which a school district instituted a policy affecting English learners that was in violation of two federal laws. Then, we analyze the case to explain the barriers school leaders encounter that prevent them from operationalizing federal laws and policies. We conclude by arguing the need for the legal literacy of school leaders to create district and school policies and train the teachers working under their direction.
BallS.MaguireM.BraunA.HoskinsK.PerrymanJ. (2012). How schools do policy: Policy enactments in secondary schools. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
4.
BullB.McCarthyM. (1995). Reflections on the knowledge base in law and ethics for educational leaders. Educational Administration Quarterly, 31, 613-631.
5.
CalderónM.SlavinR.SánchezM. (2011). Effective instruction for English learners. The Future of Children, 21, 103-127. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41229013
6.
Castañeda v. Pickard, 648 F.2d 989 (5th Cir. 1981).
7.
CohenD.MoffittS.GoldinS. (2007). Policy and practice: The Dilemma. American Journal of Education, 113, 515-548.
8.
DeckerJ. (2014). Legal literacy in education: An ideal time to increase research, advocacy, and action. West’s Education Law Reporter, 304 Ed. Law Rep. 679.
9.
EchevarriaJ.VogtM. E.ShortD. (2012). Making content comprehensible for English learners: The SIOP model (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
10.
Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974, 20 U.S.C. §1703(f).
FreemanY.FreemanD. (2002). Closing the achievement gap: How to reach limited-formal-schooling and long-term English learners. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
13.
Hansen-ThomasH.Grosso RichinsL.KakkarK.OkeyoC. (2016). I do not feel I am properly trained to help them! Rural teachers’ perceptions of challenges and needs with English-language learners. Professional Development in Education, 42, 308-324. doi:10.1080/19415257.2014.973528
14.
Issa v. Sch. Dist. of Lancaster, 847 F.3d 121, 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 1595 (3d Cir. Pa. January 30, 2017).
15.
LhamonC. E.GuptaV. (2015). Dear colleague letter: English learner students and limited English proficient parents. Washington, DC: Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice & Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education.
SchulzM. (2009). Effective writing assessment and instruction for young English language learners. Early Childhood Education Journal, 37, 57-62. doi:10.1007/s10643-009-0317-0
27.
SpillaneJ. P.ReiserB. J.ReimerT. (2002). Policy implementation and cognition: Reframing and refocusing implementation research. Review of Educational Research, 72, 387-431.
28.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.
