Asian American Research Journal

To many immigrant students and students who speak a language other than English athome, ESL (English as a second language) programs are all too familiar. There is muchconversation surrounding the benefits and drawbacks of ESL programs but, historically, theestablishment of programs aiming to provide supplemental English resources to public schoolstudents has overturned students’ equal opportunity for education. Specifically, the 1974 Lau v.Nichols case reinforced the ruling of the Brown v. Board of Education and placed AsianAmericans at the forefront of education. This case occurred during a complex time: theChinatown community was struggling to balance cultural and language preservation with thedesegregation of schools and integration of Chinese students into majority-white schools. Thispaper examines the historical significance of the Lau v. Nichols case and its effects on Englishlanguage programs and Asian American stereotypes.