Support the PRIDE Act to Help English Language Learners Succeed

10/16/07, Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis (D-CA) introduced the Providing Resources to Improve Dual-Language Education (PRIDE) Act. This legislation would provide grants to establish dual-language education programs for low-income children attending public schools across the country. This bill has the support of numerous organizations including National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national civil rights and advocacy organization in the nation and the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI).

“We must provide our schools with the necessary tools to ensure each child’s success. Dual language programs can play a significant role in closing the education gap for low-income students,” said Congresswoman Solis. “I am proud that the PRIDE Act will ensure low-income students, both English speakers and English language learners, can benefit from dual language programs. Through programs such as those in the PRIDE Act, our students can have access to high-quality early childhood education programs and gain the skills to compete in a global economy.”

“Research shows that children in well-implemented dual-language programs tend to do as well or better than their peers in other educational programs. Yet children from low-income families have less access to these programs. Congresswoman Solis’ PRIDE Act will ensure that low-income students across the country have access to effective dual-language education programs from preschool through fifth grade that include teacher training, parent involvement, and a rigorous assessment system.” said Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO.

“NBCDI recognizes the necessity of closing the achievement gap between low-income and middle-income students and between white and children of color. Our children, like all children, are entitled to a culturally grounded education that increases their chances to be successful in school. The PRIDE Act is a step in the right direction in providing more resources and opportunities for our community to gain equal footing,” said NBCDI’s President Carol Brunson.

This bill also has three original cosponsors including Rep. Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15), Rep. Mike Honda (CA-15) and Rep. James McGovern (MA-3).

For further information, visit www.house.gov/solis

One Millions Americans Studying Abroad

Language Magazine pledges its support for a visionary new bill seeking to create globally educated Americans.

The Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2007 (HR1469), introduced last month by Representatives Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, proposes the creation of an innovative public-private partnership to dramatically increase the number of American college students who study abroad. It specifically cites the foreign policy challenges facing the United States as a central reason for the need to expand Americans' knowledge of other cultures and foreign languages, and it focuses particular attention on encouraging more students to study abroad in nontraditional destinations, especially in the developing world.

The Paul Simon Act calls for $800 million to establish a mechanism so that within a decade at least one million American students will be able to study overseas each year. The bipartisan legislation was inspired by and takes its name from the late Senator Paul Simon (D-Ill.), who urged Congress to take action in an area he believed was crucial to the future of the U.S.: to ensure that the next generation of Americans is prepared with global knowledge and skills.

Senator Simon's efforts led to the creation of a bipartisan federal commission; its report recommended a national effort to dramatically increase study abroad by Americans. Legislation introduced in 2006 by Senators Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) called for the creation of such a program.

The Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act would create an independent entity to administer a national study abroad program, taking a unique approach that would give the program the flexibility necessary to accomplish its ambitious mandate: that at least one million U.S. undergraduate students will study abroad annually in ten years' time, and that study abroad opportunities will become more diverse in terms of participants, fields of study, and destinations, especially in the developing world. In addition to providing a pool of direct scholarships, the program would encourage higher education institutions to address the on-campus factors that most heavily impact study abroad participation -- curriculum, faculty involvement, institutional leadership, programming -- by making a commitment to institutional reform a prerequisite for access to federal funds.

Language Magazine is pledging its support for the Act and urges all of its readers to persuade their elected representatives to vote for it. To take immediate action, please visit www.nafsa.org/simon.