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JNCL-NCLIS
Federal Policy and Program Advocacy Timeline

For more than forty years, the Joint National Committee for Languages – National Council for Languages and International Studies (JNCL-NCLIS) has helped shape federal language policy in the United States.

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From the earliest K–12 language grants to today’s efforts to modernize and expand programs for world, Native, and heritage languages, JNCL-NCLIS has served as the national voice of the language enterprise on Capitol Hill and across federal agencies.

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This timeline highlights some of the key milestones, legislative wins, and ongoing priorities that define JNCL-NCLIS’s federal advocacy work.

1980

1990

Establishing Federal Language Policy Foundations

During the 1980s and 1990s, JNCL-NCLIS helped build the foundation of federal support for language education by connecting world languages to core national priorities such as education, national security, and professional development.

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Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP)

 

JNCL-NCLIS advocacy was instrumental in the creation and maintenance of the Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP), a landmark U.S. Department of Education program supporting K–12 world language education.
 

  • Funded development and expansion of K–12 language programs across the country

  • Helped districts pilot and grow innovative language offerings

  • Demonstrated the federal commitment to early-start, long-sequence language learning

National Security Education Program (NSEP)

Recognizing that language skills are essential to national security, JNCL-NCLIS played a major role in securing the National Security Education Program (NSEP) at the U.S. Department of Defense.
 

  • Linked language education and international study directly to national security needs

  • Created new pathways for students to pursue less-commonly taught languages and study abroad

  • Helped elevate language education as a strategic national asset

Inclusion of World Languages in Early Federal Professional Development Programs

JNCL-NCLIS also worked to ensure that world languages were explicitly included in federal teacher recruitment and professional development initiatives, including efforts under the Eisenhower Professional Development Act.

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  • Established language educators as a key part of the national teacher pipeline

  • Opened the door for language teachers to access federal PD resources

  • Reinforced that language learning is core to a well-rounded education

2000

2010

Defending and Preserving Federal Support

As federal education policy shifted in the 2000s and 2010s, JNCL-NCLIS led the national response to preserve existing programs and protect language lines from elimination.

Protecting FLAP and K–12 Language Programs

Defending Title VI and Fulbright-Hays

Title VI and Fulbright-Hays programs at the U.S. Department of Education provide crucial support for international and area studies, advanced language training, and study abroad.

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  • JNCL-NCLIS led sustained advocacy to defend these programs during downturns and proposed budget cuts

  • Engaged higher education institutions, research centers, and professional organizations in coordinated advocacy

  • Helped preserve critical infrastructure for advanced language and international education

Supporting the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act

The Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act (first passed in 2006 and reauthorized in 2012 and 2019) provides community-based grants for Native American language immersion and preservation programs.

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  • JNCL-NCLIS has consistently endorsed and advocated for the Act

  • Worked alongside tribal, Native, and education partners to support reauthorizations

  • Centered the principle that all languages are American languages and that Indigenous language revitalization is integral to national language policy

Rebuilding the Federal K–12
Language Infrastructure

2020

2018

In the late 2010s and early 2020s, JNCL-NCLIS helped move from defense to proactive rebuilding of federal K–12 language programs.

World Language Advancement and Readiness Act (WLARA)

A major JNCL-NCLIS success, the World Language Advancement and Readiness Act (WLARA) was enacted in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
 

  • Created a Department of Defense grant program to establish and expand K–12 world language programs

  • Focuses on promoting national readiness and global competence through language learning

  • Provides competitive grants to school districts to grow or launch language programs, including critical languages and dual language immersion

Annual WLARA Appropriations Advocacy

Following WLARA’s enactment, JNCL-NCLIS has led ongoing appropriations advocacy to secure and expand annual funding.
 

  • Engages Congress each year to maintain WLARA visibility in the NDAA and appropriations process

  • Highlights the success of funded districts and programs

  • Works to ensure WLARA becomes a stable, predictable part of the federal education landscape

Native American Language Resource Center (NALRC) Act Support

Introduced in 2022 and expanded in 2024, the Native American Language Resource Center (NALRC) Act establishes regional resource centers to support the teaching, documentation, and revitalization of Indigenous languages.

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  • JNCL-NCLIS joined tribal and education coalitions to advocate for passage and implementation

  • Supports NALRC efforts to serve higher education, tribal colleges and universities, and K–12 and tribal schools

  • Aligns with JNCL-NCLIS’s broader commitment to Native and heritage languages

As Congress debated reauthorizations of ESEA / No Child Left Behind, FLAP and other K–12 language programs were repeatedly at risk.
 

  • JNCL-NCLIS mobilized national campaigns of educators, parents, and advocates

  • Organized calls, Hill visits, and coalition letters to oppose cuts

  • Helped sustain federal recognition of K–12 world language education during a period of intense policy change

2021

Present

Modernizing and Expanding Federal
Language Policy

Today, JNCL-NCLIS continues to modernize federal language policy through new legislation, strengthened programs, and integrated advocacy for world, Native, and heritage languages.

Biliteracy Education Seal and Teaching (BEST) Act

First introduced in 2021 and reintroduced in 2024 and 2025, the Biliteracy Education Seal and Teaching (BEST) Act supports the growth and equity of Seals of Biliteracy across states and districts.

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  • Provides federal funding to help states and districts create or expand Seal of Biliteracy programs

  • Supports teacher training and professional development to assess and recognize biliteracy

  • Helps students—especially from diverse linguistic backgrounds—access the assessments needed to earn the Seal

World Language Education Assistance Program (World LEAP) Act

Introduced in 2023 and reintroduced in 2025, the World Language Education Assistance Program (World LEAP) Act is a direct JNCL-NCLIS priority.

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  • Re-establishes a federal K–12 world language and dual language grant program within the U.S. Department of Education

  • Represents the first such program since the termination of FLAP

  • Aims to restore sustained federal support for early-start, long-sequence language learning, including dual language immersion

Defense of Title VI / Fulbright-Hays in FY26 Appropriations

As federal budgets continue to evolve, JNCL-NCLIS remains a leading voice defending Title VI and Fulbright-Hays against proposed eliminations or reductions in FY26 appropriations and beyond.

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  • Coordinates national alerts and advocacy campaigns across higher education and language communities

  • Provides policymakers with data, impact stories, and campus-level examples

  • Emphasizes the critical role of advanced language and international education in U.S. competitiveness and security

Integrating Native and Heritage Language Advocacy

JNCL-NCLIS also works to ensure that Native and heritage language programs are fully integrated into the national advocacy agenda.

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  • Advances policies grounded in the Esther Martinez Act and NALRC frameworks

  • Lifts up Native, Indigenous, and heritage language communities as essential partners in national language policy

  • Promotes a comprehensive view of language education that honors linguistic diversity, identity, and community leadership

Additional Advocacy Milestones
National Studies and Congressional Engagement

  • In addition to program-specific legislation, JNCL-NCLIS has played a key role in shaping national conversations and congressional structures that support language policy.

 

Bipartisan Commission on Language Learning (2017)

 

JNCL-NCLIS advocated for and supported the establishment of the Bipartisan Commission on Language Learning, a Congressional commission carried out by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
 

  • Produced the landmark report America’s Languages: Investing in Language Education for the 21st Century

  • Provided critical national data and recommendations on language learning

  • Demonstrated clear links between language education and national security, economic growth, innovation, and social cohesion

  • Continues to inform JNCL-NCLIS’s policy priorities and messaging

 

America’s Languages Caucus (2019–Present)

 

Following recommendations from the Commission, JNCL-NCLIS worked with congressional leaders to establish the America’s Languages Caucus.

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  • Originally co-chaired by Representatives David Price (D-NC) and Don Young (R-AK)

  • Today, the Caucus is led in the House by Representatives Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) and Jen Kiggans (R-VA) and in the Senate by Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)

  • Serves as a bipartisan, bicameral partner in advancing language education policies

  • Helps move forward legislation such as WLARA, World LEAP, and the BEST Act, and raises federal awareness of language education’s role in workforce development, national security, and equity

Summary Timeline Snapshot

ERA

1980s–1990s

2000s–2010s

2018–2020

2021–2025

Ongoing

Major Wins / Focus

FLAP, NSEP

Title VI Defense, Esther Martinez

WLARA

BEST Act, World LEAP Act, NALRC

Preservation & Expansion of Native, Heritage, and World Language Programs

Federal Connection

Department of Education, DOD

Dept. of Education, HHS

Department of Defense

Departments of Education & DOD

Interagency & bipartisan

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