FEATURED NEWS

February 26, 2020 | JNCL Newsroom
Senate Brian Schatz (D-HI) introduced the Senate version of the Biliteracy Education Seal and Teaching (BEST) Act (S.3328). The bill can be found here . According to the Senator's office, this version "broadens the definition of “second language” to include Native American languages, and Classical Languages."

The Biliteracy Education Seal and Teaching Act (H.R.3119; S.3328) would direct the Department of Education to award renewable two-year grants to states to establish or improve, and carry out, Seal of Biliteracy programs to recognize student proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing in both English and a second language.


February 25, 2020 | JNCL Announcement
Did you know that JNCL-NCLIS has a state advocacy resources page on LanguagePolicy.org?

Check out two new resources from California Language Teachers' Association and Michigan World Language Association to celebrate and inspire ideas for your next state advocacy effort! 


December 18, 2019 | Larsen Press Release
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which was signed into law by President Obama in 2015, substantially improved access to educational resources for dual-language learners. However, native sign language users do not qualify as English Language Learners (ELL) under the law . The Signing is Language Act expands the definition of “English learner” to include an individual whose native language is sign language. This change ensures these students are counted as English learners for determining the appropriate level of federal funding for state English language programs.

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COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
February 26, 2020 | Speaking of Languages PodBean
Angelika interviews some fellow attendees of Language Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C.

  • Trey Calvin, Managing Director of JNCL-NCLIS
  • Rebecca Blouwolff, ACTFL Teacher of the Year 2020, French, Wellesley Middle School in Wellesley, MA 
  • Jenny Delfini, Spanish, Lenape Elementary in New Paltz, NY
  • Keith Cothrun, Executive Director of AATG 
  • Meredith White, Spanish, Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee, GA

Learn what LAD is all about, why it is so important to advocate for languages on the Hill, and how these colleagues share what they learned back in their schools and districts. 

PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

When: 09 Apr 2020 2:30 PM, EDT
Where: Rhode Island State House
Register  yourself and/or your multilingual education program today (for free) for the 2nd Annual Multilingual Education Advocacy Day! A State-wide Celebration of Languages , where you can:
- Showcase your multilingual education program and recruit personnel
- Network with policymakers and community members
- Advocate for legislation to support language education 
- Learn about exciting multilingual happenings in RI!

FEDERAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
Notice ID: 91990020R0006
Agency: Department of Education
Office: Contracts and Acquisition Management
Location: N/A
Response Date: March 3rd
Notice ID: 19LE2020R0001
Agency: Department of State
Office: US Embassy Beirut
Location: Lebanon
Response Date: March 19th
JNCL-NCLIS Significant Contributors
JNCL-NCLIS is grateful for the support from our partners.
THURSDAY, February 27, 2020 ISSUE
Disclaimer: The articles and news sources included in NewsBrief are not endorsed by, directly affiliated with, maintained, authorized, or sponsored by JNCL-NCLIS. The views and opinions expressed in the articles in this NewsBrief are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer or company .