FEATURED NEWS
November 4, 2019 | JNCL Newsroom
Last week, the House Education and Labor Committee passed a JNCL-NCLIS-backed provision that directly addresses our nation’s bilingual teacher shortage via the bipartisan College Affordability Act , which would reauthorize the Higher Education Act (HEA) for the first time since 2008. The HEA intends to strengthen the educational resources of American colleges and universities and to provide financial assistance for students pursuing higher education.

Teaching ELs requires a specific skill set and unique teaching strategies, but the Department of Education reports that 32 states have a shortage of teachers for EL students. Further, one in ten public school students in the US do not speak English as a native language . As a result, thousands of schools across the country are unable to meet the needs of the growing population of ELs. The American Academy of Arts and Sciences has recommended addressing this disparity in their recent report “America’s Languages: Investing in Language Education for the 21st Century”

November 7, 2019 | JNCL Newsroom
Each year, millions of college hopefuls fill out one of the most important pieces of paperwork of their young lives- the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. For the millions of Limited English Proficient families, however, the real struggle lies in deciphering the complex requirements. Many simply give up. 

On September 27th, Representative Grace Meng (D, NY-6) introduced the FAFSA Translation Act, which would require the office of the Secretary of Education to translate the FAFSA into additional languages. The proposed House legislation provides greater accessibility to federal educational loan programs for linguistic minorities. The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor. 

November 6, 2019 | JNCL Newsroom (Press Release)
In a study of the demographics of Washington, D.C.’s public schools between 2010 and 2016, researchers found that racial/ethnic diversity - the distribution of students from different racial/ethnic backgrounds - in schools that offered dual language immersion programs exceeded that of schools that did not offer such programs, on average.

“Recent press and discussions on demographics and equity in DLI programs have relied on different degrees of empirical and anecdotal evidence and, in some cases, on data from individual schools,” said Rebecca Damari, director of research at the National Foreign Language Center. “ By directly comparing the demographics of DLI schools to other schools in the District in aggregate for the first time, we hope to provide an empirical foundation for more substantive discussions on DLI schools.

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COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

JNCL sets you up for success: we schedule meetings on Capitol Hill with your representatives, prepare briefing materials for you and Congressional staffers to discuss, and provide the coaching and insight to help you navigate the halls of power. LAD also connects you with language leaders in the fields of education and business for roundtable policy discussions on issues affecting the field today. 
Join the Joint National Committee for Languages and language advocates from around the country to let representatives know that  "multilingualism is the future."   Register now for early bird pricing and save!

With growth in our sector projected to skyrocket in the coming years, GALA recognizes the importance of attracting qualified talent to the language industry. By connecting academia and business, we hope to develop relationships and pathways that enable new professionals to embark on successful localization careers after graduation. We also aim to provide faculty access to our wealth of industry materials to use in the classroom.


In an interview with FLTMAG, Dr. Michele Anicaux Aoki talks about her language journey from her mother's folk dancing, to her personal advocacy for the Global Seal of Biliteracy .



PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Webinar: November 12
2:30pm-3:30pm CT
Join REL Midwest and REL Southwest for a webinar on how schools and districts can support the academic success of English learner students.

The webinar will present an overview of the findings from a recent REL Midwest study on student and school characteristics associated with student achievement among English learners in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD).


Registration Deadline: March 26
Register now to join the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE) at their annual conference. This year's theme is " A Perfect Vision for Multiculturalism and Multiliteracy ." Don't miss out on hundreds of workshops and institutes on key strategies for Biliteracy and EL programs.

FEDERAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
Solicitation Number: N6893619Q0287
Agency: Department of the Navy
Office: Naval Air Systems Command
Location: Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division
Response Date: November 12th

Solicitation Number: M00264-20-Q-0006
Agency: Department of the Navy
Office: United States Marine Corps
Location: MCB Quantico - National Capital Region (NCR)
Response Date: November 18th
JNCL-NCLIS Significant Contributors
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THURSDAY, November 7, 2019 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 .