Advocacy
Advocacy
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Your voice is urgently needed! Tell your member of Congress to demand that the U.S. Department of Education release the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY2025) appropriated funds for education - especially for Title III of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), supporting multilingual learners of English (MLEs) in PreK-12 public education and the adult education Integrated English Language and Civics Education (IELCE), supporting adult MLEs.
To date, Title III ESSA appropriations for FY2025 have not been communicated, either to the Committees on Appropriations or to the State Education Agencies, whose fiscal year begins 1 July 2025. As level-funded in the Continuing Resolution, the supplementary appropriations are $890 million. Over 5 million English learners, their educators, schools, families, and communities depend upon this funding, which is forward funded for schools' and states' fiscal years which begin 1 July 2025.
To date, Title II of WIOA, the Adult Education Family Literacy Act, funding the Integrated English Language and Civics Education (IELCE) has not been allocated to the States, an amount of $85 million. Importantly, 16% of the adult education participants in IELCE programs are English learners who are authorized for work. The U.S. Department of Education is required to release these funds in the Continuing Resolution.
Other unallocated programs for FY25 include:
Title I, C: State Agency Program – Migrant Education – $375.6 million
Title II-A: Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants -- $2.19 billion
Title IV-B: 21st Century Community Learning Centers -- $1.33 billion
Tell your members of Congress and others to demand the U.S. Department of Education abide by its requirements for FY2025 appropriations and allocate these funds immediately.
Best regards,
Jeff Hutcheson
Director, Advocacy and Public Policy
If you have any questions, please reach out to me at advocacy@tesol.org. We are stronger when we advocate together.
As a follow-up to TESOL's recent statement on supporting the U.S. Department of Education, I am providing an update on proactive steps TESOL International Association, along with members, colleagues, communities, and fellow educators, is taking to counter the unprecedented actions against the department and give you opportunities for involvement.
TESOL, in addressing the drastic reduction in workforce at the department, called for Congress to restore the human resources of the department. We have updated our campaign to call on Congress to stand up and support the department, which it authorized and funds, to take action for the English language teaching (ELT) field, multilingual learners of English (MLEs), and our schools and communities.
We invite you to join us in support of the department and contact your members of Congress today, calling for the restoration and protection of the agency for our field and the learners, schools, and communities we serve.
TESOL has also joined 16 of our colleague associations in calling for Congress to "conduct immediate oversight and ensure that OELA's staff is rehired and its position as a standalone office is quickly restored." Collectively, our organizations submitted this letter to the House and Senate respective authorization committee chairs and ranking members overseeing education.
Lastly, we invite you to join us on 4 April at 4:00 pm EDT to hear from an expert panel on the implications for the ELT profession and MLEs of the actions against the department.
Best regards,
Jeff Hutcheson
Director, Advocacy and Public Policy
If you have any questions, please reach out to me at advocacy@tesol.org. We are stronger when we advocate together.
KYTESOL supports the purpose of the Seal of Biliteracy and encourages all school districts in the Commonwealth of Kentucky to include this award as a statement of their students’ accomplishment to signal evidence of their readiness for career and college, and for engagement as global citizens.
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The Seal of Biliteracy is an award made by a state department of education or local district to recognize a student who has attained proficiency in English and one or more other world languages by high school graduation. The recognition of attaining biliteracy becomes part of the high school transcript and diploma for these students. The Seal serves to certify attainment of biliteracy for students, employers, and universities.
Seal of Biliteracy Award Process
Each state may determine the process for awarding the Seal of Biliteracy, including the following:
• The Seal may be added to the high school diploma or transcript as well as displayed on a certificate or medal awarded to the student
• The Seal may be noted on the high school transcript as this is the credential that is viewed by colleges and universities and future employers
• States may wish to encourage local districts and schools to make the awarding of the Seal of Biliteracy visible at graduation and any senior award ceremonies
• States may set up their own process for collecting, recording, and maintaining the data on students receiving the Seal of Biliteracy and the evidence upon which it is based including the languages other than English in which students earned the Seal and the number of students earning the Seal who are former English learners
• States may provide a process that determines how a learner under certain circumstances could complete the requirements to demonstrate proficiency up to one year following high school graduation.
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), the National Association of Bilingual Education (NABE), the National Council of State Supervisors for Languages (NCSSFL), and TESOL International Association, have officially drafted recommendations for the implementation of the Seal of Biliteracy.
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