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LANGUAGE
LEGISLATION
Higher
Education Opportunity Act
This legislation was passed and signed
by the President to reauthorize the the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA),
which was five years overdue. A major
highlight of the legislation includes
the addition of a
Deputy Assistant Secretary for
International and Foreign Language
Education
in the Department of Education. For
further details, please visit the
News page.
International Leadership Act of 2008
**Similar legislation was inserted into
the Higher Education Opportunity Act
(the 2008 reauthorization of the Higher
Education Act). On July 31, 2008,
Congress passed their Higher Education
Opportunity Act, which includes a Deputy
Assistant Secretary for International
and Foreign Language Education.
Please see
HEA Reauthorization for more
details.
Representative Rush Holt introduced a
new bill, H.R. 5179, the International
Leadership Act of 2008, which
creates an
Assistant Secretary and Office for
International and Foreign Language
Education
within the Department of
Education. We urge you to use the
following points in support of this
legislation to write or call your
Representative urging that he/she
co-sponsor H.R. 5179.
Talking Points
Sample Letter (Please remember to
print on your letterhead!)
College Cost Reduction and Access Act of
2007
The College Cost and Reduction Act of
2007 was passed in both the House of
Representatives and the Senate. It was
signed by President Bush on Thursday,
September 27, 2007 and became Public Law
No. 110-84. The purpose of this
legislation is to increase college
financial aid and reduce loan costs in
order to make college more affordable.
"The legislation will do more to help
students and families pay for college
than any federal effort since the 1944
GI Bill and comes at no new cost to U.S.
taxpayers."
(http://edworkforce.house.gov/)
The legislation makes changes to the
Pell Grant program and alters the
current Higher Education Act student
loan program.
Of particular interest to language
professionals, this bill would provide
student loan forgiveness to borrowers
who serve in areas of national need
as
early childhood educators, nurses,
foreign language specialists,
librarians, certain highly qualified
teachers, child welfare workers, speech
language pathologists, National Service
participants, and public sector
employees. It also would establish a
TEACH Grant program providing tuition
assistance to undergraduate and graduate
students who commit to teaching a
high-need subject in a high-need school
for four years.
The chairman of the House Committee on
Education and Labor, Rep. George Miller,
offered the following comments regarding
the College Cost Reduction and Access
Act of 2007:
"Today is a momentous day for students
and families struggling to pay for
college. This bill will help ensure that
no qualified student is prevented from
going to college because of the cost.
With the College Cost Reduction and
Access Act signed into law, millions of
students will receive much needed help
to pay for college. I am extremely proud
that the Democratic Congress has
provided the greatest investment to help
students and parents pay for college
since the GI bill and has delivered on
our promise to make college more
affordable and accessible for families.
This legislation shows how the Congress
and the President can work together to
accomplish important things on behalf of
American families."
To learn more about his law and to view
the House enrollment ceremony video,
please visit the
Committee website.
America COMPETES
On August 9, 2007, the President signed
into law the America Creating Opportunities
to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in
Technology, Education, and Science Act.
The purpose of this legislation is to invest
in the innovation and education to improve
the competitiveness of the U.S. in the
global economy. The America "COMPETES" Act
is an updated version of last year’s
National Competitiveness Investment Act
introduced by Senators Frist and Reid. This
legislation is a bipartisan response to the
National Academies' "Rising Above the
Gathering Storm" report and the Council on
Competitiveness' "Innovate America" report.
It would increase research investment,
strengthen educational opportunities in
science, technology, engineering and
mathematics from elementary through graduate
school, and develop and innovation
infrastructure. In addition to expanding AP
and IB programs and funding for math,
science, engineering, and technology, the
America COMPETES act would develop and
implement programs for bachelor's and
master's degrees in critical foreign
languages with concurrent teaching
credentials.
It would
expand critical foreign
language programs in elementary and
secondary schools in order to increase the
number of students studying and becoming
proficient in these languages.
The legislation also proposes programs to
develop and train more teachers in these
subject areas. This law is fairly broad in
scope and creates programs in a number of
federal agencies.
Foreign
Language Education Partnership Program
To amend the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 to establish a
partnership program in foreign
languages. The Secretary of Education
would be given the authority to make
incentive payments to eligible
partnerships to "develop and maintain
model programs that support articulated
language learning in kindergarten
through grade 12".
The funds may be used for program design
and teaching strategies according to
best practices and available research,
curriculum and materials development,
national assessment development and
enhancement, teacher in-service and
pre-service program development, and
recruitment incentives for new teachers
and students.
The funds can also be used to provide
opportunities for maximum language
exposure for students,
dual-language immersion programs,
scholarships for study abroad
opportunities, activities that encourage
whole-school and community involvement,
effective and innovative use of
technology, and certification and
alternative certification programs.
Further, a model program is exempt from
receiving funding under this program
unless it contains a research and
evaluation component that would collect
data regarding the effectiveness of each
activity of the language program and the
effect of each activity on the language
proficiency of the students. This data
would be analyzed and made public under
standardization guidelines determined by
the Secretary.
A partnership that is awarded incentive
funding under this program for one
fiscal year would have the opportunity
to continue funding for the three
succeeding fiscal years if proven
effective. This requirement may be
waived by the Secretary if the program
relates to critical languages or if the
year is used primarily for planning
rather than program implementation.
Incentive payments for this bill would
be appropriated in the amount of
$50,000,000 for fiscal year 2008.
This bill has been added into Title V
of the discussion draft for the
reauthorization of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act as Part B of the
Foreign Language Assistance Program.
Associations
officially endorsing H.R. 2111
To add your association to this list,
please email
Ashley Lenker.
Foreign Language Education Expansion
Act
This legislation would
provide teacher of foreign languages the
same loan forgiveness opportunities as
teachers of math and science. It would
give teachers of foreign languages
eligibility for loan forgiveness up to
$17,500 if they teach in Title I
elementary and secondary schools for
five years. This bill addresses the
teacher shortages in foreign languages
and is designed to expand the number of
teachers entering the field.
Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Act
On February 13, the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
passed the Senator Paul Simon Study
Abroad Foundation Act and now must pass
the full Senate
This bill passed
unanimously in the House of
Representatives on June 5, 2007.
This bill would
establish the Senator Paul Simon Study
Abroad Foundation under the authorities
of the Mutual Educational and Cultural
Exchange Act of 1961. The act would
require the Foundation to award grants
to U.S. students and nongovernmental
institutions that provide and promote
study abroad opportunities in consortium
with institutions of higher education.
These grants would be awarded
increasingly to students studying in
nontraditional locations.
The legislation implements the
recommendations from the Abraham Lincoln
Commission's report Global Competence
and National Needs: One Million
Americans Studying Abroad.
Foreign Language Coordination Council
This bill was
introduced in both the House and Senate
early in the first session of the 110th
Congress. If
passed, it
would establish a national foreign
language strategy to be executed by a
national council. The council would appoint
a National Language Director and would
consist of the Secretaries of Education,
Defense, State, Homeland Security,
Labor, and Commerce, among others.
The council would be responsible for
overseeing, coordinating, and
implementing foreign language
initiatives, including the National
Security Language Initiative.
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