INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP ACT

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 letterhead if possible)

PAUL SIMON  STUDY ABROAD FOUNDATION ACT

On February 13, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act, which would expand nearly fivefold the number of college students who participate in overseas education. The House of Representatives approved the bill last June. It was introduced by the late Rep. Tom Lantos, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The legislation creates a foundation whose goal is to send one million American students abroad each year within the next 10 years. Currently, only about 225,000 U.S. students study overseas annually. The bill would authorize an appropriation of $80-million annually for the foundation. The legislation now must pass the full Senate.

HEA REAUTHORIZATION

House Committee on Education and Labor passed its version of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (H.R. 4137 – College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007). Highlights of the Committee’s reauthorization bill include:

• Using a broad definition of “critical foreign language” in Title I
• Including foreign languages in 3 grant programs in Title II: Teacher Quality Partnership Grants, Recruiting Teachers with Math, Science, or Language Majors, Community Colleges as Partners in Teacher Education Grants
• Integrating Foreign Language Specialists in areas of National Need in Title IV
• Creating a new office/position in the Department of Education for an Assistant Secretary for International and Foreign Language Education
• Creating two new programs introduced by Rep. Rush Holt: Preparing for Early Foreign Language Instruction and Science and Technology Advanced Foreign Language Education Grant Program

Within Title VI:

• Authorizing new activities for grant funds of National Resource Centers: instructors of less commonly taught languages and projects that promote use of science and technology in coordination with foreign language proficiency, strengthening outreach to SEAs and LEAs
• Reinstating the eligibility of undergraduates for FLAS fellowships
• Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language program is amended to allow up to 10% of grant fund to be used toward programs which promote language proficiency and cultural knowledge in study abroad
• Adding provisions to include systematic data collection, analysis, and dissemination
• An amendment to create an International Education Advisory Board was defeated

read about it

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee has approved its version of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA), the Higher Education Amendments of 2007. Title I, General Provisions, in Section 101 has a definition of Critical Foreign Languages that is very broad and flexible including a listing of over 150 languages and language groups. Title II, Teacher Quality Enhancement, Section 402 includes critical foreign languages in the Academic Competitiveness Grant Program. Title VII, Graduate and Postsecondary Improvement Grants, Section 711, Special Projects also includes Foreign Languages and International Cooperation and Student Exchanges as Areas of National Need.
Finally, in Title VI, International Education and Foreign Language Programs, almost all of the programmatic and technical changes we requested were incorporated in the Higher Education Amendments of 2007. Outreach was heightened; Undergraduates are again eligible for FLAS Fellowships and now have opportunities to study overseas; Cooperation between minority institutions and other Title VI IHEs is encouraged; Support for minority students is strengthened, and authorization levels are changed to "such sums as necessary." The proposal for an International Education Advisory Council was rejected and language was inserted in a number of places to encourage "diverse perspectives and a wide range of views on world regions and international affairs."

read Title VI