Which law was instrumental in advocating for non-English speaking students' rights?

Lau v. Nichols was a landmark Supreme Court case that specifically addressed the rights of non-English speaking students within the educational system. The case arose in San Francisco, where Chinese-speaking students were denied meaningful access to education because instruction was not provided in their language. The Supreme Court ruled that the school district's failure to provide English language instruction constituted discrimination, thus violating the civil rights of these students.

This ruling established that schools must take affirmative steps to ensure that non-English speaking students receive appropriate language assistance to facilitate their full participation in the educational environment. The decision reinforced the idea that equal access to education includes linguistic considerations, requiring schools to provide adequate support for students whose primary language is not English. This case significantly influenced educational policies regarding language instruction and the rights of English learners across the United States.