U.S. Federal Education andLanguage Policy Update

John Segota, CAEAssociate Executive Director for Public Policy & Professional Relations

2015 Ohio TESOL Conference

Overview

• 114th Congress• Obama Administration• Education Policy– Federal Budget– ESEA– WIA– Immigration

114th Congress

House of Representatives– 247 Republicans– 188 Democrats

Senate– 54 Republicans– 44 Democrats– 2 Independents

House of Representatives

• Leadership– Speaker of the House – Rep. Paul Ryan (R-­WI)

• Education and Workforce– Chairman – Rep. John Kline (R-­MN)

U.S. Senate

• Leadership– Majority Leader – Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-­KY)

• HELP Committee– Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-­TN)

U.S. Department of Education

• Arne Duncan – Secretary of Education

• John B. King, Jr. – Acting Deputy Secretary of Education

U.S. Department of Education

• Johan Uvin – Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Voc. & Adult Ed.

• Libia Gil – Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director, OELA

President’s FY2016 Budget Proposal

§ Strengthens education from early childhood through higher education as part of an overall fiscally responsible plan.

§ $70.7 billion in discretionary funding, an increase of $3.6 billion, or 5.4 percent, over the 2015 level.

§ Mandatory initiatives include Preschool for All, Teaching for Tomorrow, and America’s College Promise.

§ Four core themes: 1. Increasing equity and opportunity for all students 2. Expanding high-­quality early learning programs3. Supporting teachers and school leaders 4. Improving access, affordability, and student outcomes in

postsecondary education

Equity and Opportunity

§ Title I: $1 billion to help schools, districts, and States meet the challenge of reaching high standards for disadvantaged students.

§ ESEA: $2.7 billion increase, including $93 million for Promise Neighborhoods, $50 million Native Youth initiative, $36 million for English learners, and new support for streamlining assessments.

§ Equity and Opportunity pilots: New flexibility for districts that can best demonstrate true comparability in State and local funding for high-­and low-­poverty schools.

§ IDEA: $175 million increase for students with disabilities.

§ Civil Rights Enforcement: $31 million increase for enforcement efforts at the Office for Civil Rights.

2016 Budget Request

FY2014 FY2015 FY2016 Budget Request

Title I -­ESEA

$14.38 billion $14.4 billion $15.4 billion

Title III -­ESEA

$723 million $737 million $773 million

Title II -­WIA

$564 million $569 million $569 million

EL/Civics -­WIA

$71 million $71 million ?

Budget Status

• Bicameral budget resolution passed• 302(b) allocations developed – $153.05 billion for Labor/HHS– 2.4% cute from FY2015 levels

• Sequester caps in place for FY2016

Budget Deal

• Tentative 2-­year deal– Lifts mandatory spending caps set by sequestration– Increase federal spending by $80 billion– Suspends debt limit until March 2017

• Passed House andSenate this week

• Education– No direct funds– No policy implications

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)

• House bill – Student Success Act – HR 5– Removes Title III, and folds English language acquisition accountability into Title I

– Supports flexibility of districts and “portability” of funds

• Passed Education andWorkforce Committeein February

• Passed House in July

Elementary and Secondary Education Act

• Every Child Achieves Act – S. 1177– Bipartisan legislation– Accountability for ELLs moved to state plans– New standardized entrance and exit proceduresfor ELLs

– New reporting requirements for • Long-­term ELLs

• ELLs with disabilities

OCR/DOJ Dear Colleague Letter

• Issued January 7, 2015• Single guidance document that addresses array of federal laws governing schools’ obligations to ELs

• Distributed to states• Available online at http://1.usa.gov/1Dl9Wt0

OCR/DOJ Dear Colleague Letter

• Explains schools' obligations to:– identify English learner students in a timely, valid and reliable manner;;– provide qualified staff and sufficient resources for instructing English learner students;;

– ensure English learner students have equitable access to school programs and activities;;

– avoid unnecessary segregation of English learner students from other students;;

– monitor students' progress in learning English and doing grade-­level classwork;;

– evaluate the effectiveness of English learner programs;; and– provide limited English proficient parents with information about school programs, services, and activities in a language they understand.

OELA EL Toolkit

• Ten chapter toolkit to be read in conjunction with Dear Colleague Letter

• Containsoverview, sample tools, and resources• Introduction in 11 languages• Chapters include:

– Staffing and Support

– Creating an Inclusive Environment

– Addressing ELs with Disabilities

– Ensuring Meaningful Communication with EL Parents

• Available at http://1.usa.gov/1exU0tO

Supporting Undocumented Youth

• Resources aimed at high school and college students and includes:– An overview of the rights of undocumented students;;– Tips for educators on how to support undocumented youth in high school and college;;

– Key information on non-­citizen access to federal financial aid;;– A list of private scholarships for which undocumented youth might be eligible;;

– Information on federally-­funded adult education programs at the local level;; – Guidance for migrant students in accessing their education records for DACA.

• Available at http://1.usa.gov/1XGgw59

Adult Education

• Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)– Signed into law July 22, 2014

– Reauthorizes and replaces the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA)• Amends the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (Title II)

– Effective date of implementation July 1, 2015

– State plans and accountabilityprovisions take effectJuly 1, 2016

Immigration Reform

• Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA)• Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA)– Civil suit – court injunction

• White House Task Force on New Americans• Federal Strategic Plan available athttp://1.usa.gov/1P2nGPw

2016 TESOL Advocacy & Policy Summit

19-­21 June 2016

• Policy Updates• Advocacy Training• Congressional Visits

Embassy SuitesAlexandria, VA

http://www.tesol.org/AdvocacySummit

TESOL International Associationhttp://www.tesol.org

E-­mail: jsegota@tesol.orgTwitter: @JohnSegota

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