Position Statements

Celebrating Seal of Biliteracy as an Industry Credential in Virginia

May 20, 2025

Global Virginia celebrates the Commonwealth on being the first U.S state to elevate the Seal of Biliteracy as a high-impact industry credential. Virginia’s recognition of the Seal of Biliteracy underscores the critical value of language proficiency and intercultural competence in the workforce. Students who earn the Seal demonstrate high levels of literacy in English and at least one additional language, reflecting their readiness to contribute to a prosperous and vibrant future for the Commonwealth and its diverse communities. This credential affirms a student’s commitment to lifelong learning, global citizenship, and preparedness for a wide range of professional and technical career opportunities.

Awarding the Seal of Biliteracy not only honors the linguistic assets of multilingual learners but also encourages all students to pursue proficiency in another language. This recognition is consistent with the Profile of a Virginia Graduate, which fosters skills in communication, critical thinking, collaboration, and citizenship—core competencies that are vital to both career and civic life.

As Global Virginia and community leaders, we applaud the Virginia Seal of Biliteracy as a transformative industry credential that validates students’ hard work, expands access to future opportunities, and builds a more inclusive, connected, and globally competent Commonwealth. Global Virginia affirms our continued advocacy for, and commitment to, policies and programs that promote biliteracy for all students in the Commonwealth of Virginia and beyond.

 Global Virginia’s Position on English as the Official Language in the United States of America

May 13, 2025

Global Virginia advocates for all citizens of the Commonwealth to have command of English and at least one other language. We Americans of the United States collectively speak more than 350 languages with the resulting impact that we are able to engage successfully and competitively in vital activities such as trade, diplomacy, and security across the globe. As a country, we cannot lose sight of the irreplaceable value of bilingualism and multilingualism inherent in the fabric of US society that promotes national security and economic prosperity for all citizens. This holds true even as English has been designated as the official language of the United States by recent Executive Order 14224. We value and should value English and all other languages that US citizens speak. 

In 1981 Virginia enacted legislation making English the official language of the Commonwealth and put it into the Virginia code in 1996, amended in 2005. Virginia is one of 31 states where English is the official language. Virginia law specifically states that “no state agency or local government shall be prohibited from providing any documents, information, literature or other written materials in any language other than English” (Code of Virginia § 1-511) nor does it mandate that this be the case. It is worth noting that the new Executive Order does not require federal agencies “to amend, remove, or otherwise stop production of documents, products, or other services prepared or offered in languages other than English.” However, there are practical implications for this lack of mandate. English learners (EL) in Virginia are disadvantaged by the underfunding for years of EL programs, resulting in lower achievement in graduation, testing, and higher education enrollment outcomes (TCI, p. 3). In addition, at state and national levels “English as the official language” declaration is easily subject to interpretation that English is the mandatory language of daily life. As one recent example of this, the National Weather Service recently stopped issuing weather-related warnings in any language other than English according to multiple media reports.

All Virginians, nearly one-fifth of whom speak another language at home, should be able to engage in their daily activities in a way where they can fully understand what happens at the doctor’s office, engage with their children’s teachers, and participate in the political process and their community. These refer to the rights of individuals and communities to use, maintain, and develop their languages. These rights include the ability to speak one's native language in private and public settings, access education and public services in one's language, and preserve cultural and linguistic heritage. Linguistic rights are especially important for speakers of minority languages, indigenous communities, and multilingual society as a whole. They are often recognized in international human rights frameworks, such as the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights and in the U.S. they are reflected in the right “to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” ensconced in the First Amendment to the US Constitution. In sum, a designation of English as an official language does not negate the need to preserve full linguistic rights for our communities. 

Citation:

The Commonwealth Institute (2021). Changing Gears: Addressing Virginia’s Persistent Lack of Support for English Learner Students. Retrieved: Changing Gears: Addressing Virginia’s Persistent Lack of Support for English Learner Students - The Commonwealth Institute