The latest incarnation of Congress’ budget has slashed funds to support the teaching of foreign languages to K-12 and college students for fiscal 2011. Title VI and Fulbright-Hays which fund higher education programs focused on foreign languages and international education will be cut by 40-50 percent in the current fiscal year.
These programs provide much-needed support to K-12 language educators. Miriam Kazanjian, a DC-based consultant for the Coalition for International Education, a group of more than 30 higher education
associations that share an interest in U.S. Department of Education programs and initiatives that promote global competence, told Language Magazine that the cuts could have a significant impact on
K-12 language educators. She referred to studies yet to be released that report on the efficacy of the language and international education programs being cut.
A recent evaluation of foreign-language programs financed by the Education Department was carried out by the Washington-based American Institutes for Research. But Sylvia Crowder, branch chief for the Department of Education’s Institutional Research and Studies Team, said in an email that corrections were being made on the final draft of this study and it was not available yet.
After 9-11, Congress began a decade of enhancements to Title VI and Fulbright-Hays programs to improve the nation’s in-depth knowledge of world areas and transnational issues, and fluency of U.S. citizens in foreign languages. Unfortunately many of the gains and program enhancements on strategic world areas, including a 132 percent increase in the number of Arabic, and a 300 percent in Urdu courses offered by Language Resource Centers, will be eliminated or diminished unless funding is restored to FY 2010 levels in the FY 2012 appropriations.
A campaign to reinstate funding for FY 2012 is being coordinated through www.facebook.com/savetitlevi.
Save Title VI Funding
Language Resource Centers (LRCs) are having their budgets cut by 40-50% due to Title VI cuts approved by the Dept of Education in the latest federal budget. These centers only cost $5 million a year and provide much-needed support to K-12 language teachers. Although we may be unable to re-instate this year’s funding, 2012 is a different story so tell your representatives (and us) why we need to fund LRCs.
