Your voice in Washington

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• Your voice in Washington

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Legislative Overview

• 53 bills dealing with languages and international
  education introduced during 1st Session of 110th
  Congress
• Foreign Language partnerships
• America COMPETES signed into law
• College Cost Reduction and Access Act signed
  into law
• National Security Language Act
• Equal numbers of English as the Official Language
  English Plus legislation
• Already a dozen bills introduced during 2nd
  Session of 110th Congress

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Higher Education Act Reauthorization

• Reintroduction of Senators Kennedy Enzis
  S.1614 amendments from 109th Congress
• Goals include strengthening
• International Education Programs (Title VI)
• Teacher Quality Enhancement (Title II)
• Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary
  Education (FIPSE) (Title VII)

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Congressionally Mandated Study of Title VI
Fulbright/Hays

• Conducted by National Research Council of the
  National Academies
• Generally conclude that programs are doing a good
  job
• Make 12 recommendations for improvement
• Conclude that these programs should be under
  direction of an executive-level position
  requiring Presidential appointment and Senate
  confirmation
• possible Assistant Secretary of International and
  Foreign Language Education in ED

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Higher Education Act Reauthorization

• Senate passed bill containing
• provisions to very broadly define critical
  foreign languages in Title I
• Adds foreign languages to Title II Teacher
  Quality and Enhancement and Title VII Areas of
  National Need
• Title VI, Foreign Language and International
  Education, provisions that would
• Increase outreach
• Provide undergraduate scholarships
• Improve study abroad
• Increase minority participation

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Higher Education Act Reauthorization

• House bill
• Renews all Title VI programs for 6 years
• Includes a broad definition of critical foreign
  language
• Authorizes new activities for NRC grant funds
• Reinstates undergraduate eligibility of FLAS
  fellowships
• Adds grant provision in Research Studies
  program for systematic collection, analysis,
  dissemination of data
• Improves the International Public Policy Program
• Includes foreign languages in at least 3 grant
  programs under Title II
• Incorporates Foreign Language Specialists in loan
  forgiveness (Title IV)
• Directs Secretary of Education to establish
  foreign language marketing campaign

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Framing Higher Education Act No Child Left
Behind Reauthorizations

• Several stand-alone bills that may be included as
  part of HEA or NCLB reauthorizations
• Rep. Holts H.R. 2111 Foreign Language
  Education Partnership Program ? NCLB in Foreign
  Language Assistance Program
• Rep. Holts H.R. 5179 - International Education
  Leadership Act ? HEA
• Would create and Assistant Secretary of Foreign
  Language and International Education and an
  office for this position

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No Child Left Behind Reauthorization
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Elementary and Secondary Education Act

• House and Senate held hearings are considering
  legislation to reauthorize NCLB
• Both committees have released discussion drafts
• Significant new provisions impacting languages
• Creating support for articulated K-12/13-16
  programs
• Language partnerships (H.R. 2111)
• Loan forgiveness for language majors/teachers

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House Committee on Education and LaborSix Majors
Focuses of NCLB Reauthorization

• Providing much-needed fairness and flexibility.
• Encouraging a rich and challenging learning
  environment and promoting best practices and
  innovation taking place in schools throughout the
  country.
• Supporting teachers and principals.
• Continuing to hold schools accountable for
  students progress.
• Joining the effort to improve Americas high
  schools.
• Investing in our schools.

http//edworkforce.house.gov/micro/nclb.shtml
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Senate NCLB Reauthorization Draft

• Similar to House draft in many respects
• Avoids addressing controversial issues, such as
  accountability and teacher pay
• "Chairman Kennedy is pleased that progress has
  been made, working with committee members, on
  many issues related to this reauthorization. The
  draft legislative language released yesterday
  includes many improvements to current law, but
  much remains to be done on key issues, including
  accountability and teacher quality.Melissa
  Wagoner, HELP Committee Spokesperson

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Foreign Language Partnerships in NCLB Drafts

• Both drafts make changes to FLAP legislation that
  include a foreign language LEA/IHE partnership
  provision
• Partnerships differ in scope and flexibility, and
  also differ from partnership that passed in
  America COMPETES
• Possible uses of funds differs greatly FLEPP
  least restricted

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Partnership Comparison
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Partnership Comparison
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Appropriations FY 2008Omnibus Spending Bill
signed 12/26/2007

• President Bush vetoed the Congressional
  Labor/HHS/Education appropriations bill
• Administration and Congress agreed to compromise
  on an omnibus bill to fund the federal government
  for FY 2008
• FLAP received an increase from 23.8M to 25.7M
• Advancing America Through Foreign Language
  Partnerships (NSLI) was not approved
• FIPSE grew from 22M to 120.3M, with many
  earmarks
• International Education and Foreign Language
  Studies 109M (increased by 3.3M)
• Civic Education grew by almost 3M
• Baccalaureate and Masters STEM Grants were
  funded at 1M each
• SMART Grants increased from 850M to 1,445M
• TEACH Grants 58M
• NEH received 144.7M
• Star Schools were eliminated
• Education and Cultural Exchange Programs (State
  Dept.) 505.4M
• NSEP increased from 16M to 44.7M

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Presidents Request for FY 2009

• Administration zero-funded a number of the
  programs dealing with languages and international
  education
• Byrd Honors Scholarships
• Teacher Quality Enhancement
• Civic Education programs
• Newly created STEM grant programs under America
  COMPETES
• Secretary Spellings at ED press conference
  Unfunded programs were mostly duplicative and
  more money is requested for the larger programs,
  such as Pell, to consolidate the spending
• Request aims to put money in the hands of
  students (Pell Grants for Kids - 300M)
  increase Title I funding
• Contains no earmarks, thus accounting for drop in
  FIPSE from 120.3M to 37.4M
• NSEP would receive 36.7M under the DoD/ODNI
  request

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Representative Millers Response to Presidents
Budget Request NCLB

• Today Secretary Spellings said we are at a
  tipping point for the future of education in this
  country. I could not agree more.  
• Over the last year, we have offered the
  President many opportunities to work with us in
  good faith. Instead, he has refused to take part
  in any meaningful negotiations and has vetoed a
  much needed increase in education funding. It is
  extremely disappointing that the President
  continues to ignore the fact that No Child Left
  Behind is severely under funded, which continues
  to undermine the promise and potential of the
  law.
• I am committed to making accountability in our
  schools fair and flexible, and hope that
  President Bush will finally join this effort by
  supporting both the reforms and the funding
  needed to build a strong and innovative future
  for our students and our country.

1/10/2008 Press Release (http//www.house.gov/apps
/list/speech/edlabor_dem/rel011008.html)
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Currently at JNCL-NCLIS

• Exploring position statements regarding
• Need for language supervisor in every state
• Need for high-quality, prepared language teachers
• All languages are important
• Working for support of language education in
  reauthorization of NCLB
• Working with House and Senate conferees on HEA
• Active conference participation
• Preparation for annual Delegate Assembly
• Washington Court Hotel May 1-3, 2008

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Additional Resources

• Legislation
• http//thomas.loc.gov
• www.govtrack.com
• NSLI Information
• http//www.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/competitiveness/n
  sli/index.html
• FLAP Information (No applications released as of
  3/4/2008)
• http//www.ncela.gwu.edu/

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Contact Information

• Dr. J. David Edwards, Executive Director
• info_at_languagepolicy.org
• Ashley Lenker,
• Program Associate
• programs_at_languagepolicy.org
• Alisha Reaves,
• Office Manager
• info_at_languagepolicy.org

• JNCL-NCLIS
• 4646 40th Street NW, Ste. 310
• Washington, DC 20016
• (202)-966-8477
• www.languagepolicy.org