Available for implementation in grades K–5 for back to school 2019, Curriculum Associates’ new Ready Classroom Mathematics empowers all students to own their learning through discourse-based instruction that embodies the true intent and demands of the standards. The program provides purposeful, data-driven instruction while supporting teachers as they facilitate meaningful mathematical discourse. It is engaging for all learners and manageable for teachers.
Ready Classroom Mathematics breaks each math concept into three different lesson types to help support conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and application. Using a combination of print and online resources, the standards-aligned program provides ample opportunities for practice and assessment to ensure that students understand concepts and make connections.
The program follows the universal design for learning (UDL) and integrates the multitiered system of supports framework to address the needs of all learners, with a strong focus on prevention. Students might participate in a small group with the teacher, engage in a center activity with other students, or work individually on learning games or practice that reinforces learning.
Student worktexts, a teacher’s guide, discourse cards, practice tests with multiple item types, and manipulative kits for each grade level are included within the program. The student worktexts, teacher’s guide, and discourse cards are all available both in print and online and in English and Spanish.
Additional digital resources for students include a parental letter for every lesson, unit flow and progression videos, learning tools, and learning games. Additional digital resources for teachers include an online teacher toolbox, tutorial videos, math tools, comprehension checks, and learning game reports.
Ready Classroom Mathematics additionally includes a variety of professional learning resources built into the beginning of every unit to support educators with the concepts within the unit and to help them understand the research from which the program was built. It also offers professional learning to help educators support English learners, including language differentiation strategies that provide scaffolds for the five WIDA language proficiency levels and ideas for community and cultural responsiveness that can be incorporated in the lesson.
Japan’s government is planning to set up a nationally recognized accreditation program for teachers of Japanese, to help improve the language education of foreign workers, as the country prepares for an immigration expansion.
The certification program could start as early as 2020. Under legislation taking effect this month, Japan will offer new residency visas that admit blue-collar workers solo and allow higher-skilled immigrants to bring their families with them.
This new path to long-term or permanent residency, designed to ease the nation’s labor shortage, will increase the need for Japanese language education to help with integration.
There is currently no official standard for Japanese-language teaching skills, and many classes outside metropolitan areas are taught by volunteers. It is hoped that the proposed certification program will boost the appeal of teaching Japanese as a second language by making it a specialist role, which should lead to better pay. The number of nonnative speakers studying Japanese in Japan reached 240,000 in 2017, up 43% from 2010, but the number of teachers only grew 18% to just under 40,000 over the same period, according to the Cultural Affairs Agency. Nearly 90% of these instructors were volunteers or part-time teachers.
Japan had an all-time high of 2.64 million foreign residents last June, up 30% from the end of 2012, according to the Justice Ministry, and the figure is expected to keep growing.
Certified teachers will train immigrant workers and their families, as well as students from abroad. Aside from working in Japanese language schools, they will also teach in grade schools and provide training for businesses and municipalities.
Veteran second-grade teacher Nadya Abu-Rish explains how every educator can foster a learning environment centered on open and honest communication
If every educator had to describe their career in one word, I bet we all would agree the best term to use is “busy.” From assignments to events to conferences, there are so many parts that come together to ensure that every child succeeds.
As a second-grade teacher at Beech Tree Elementary, my job is not only to support student success and academic growth but also to provide every child with the tools to become leaders with the confidence to communicate with others. More than half of our school population speaks English as a second language (and close to 70% of our students receive free and reduced lunch), so to achieve this goal I have to make a concerted effort to build strong relationships with my English language learners (ELLs) and their parents.
Getting Parents of ELLs Involved
At Beech Tree, a lot of parents don’t speak, read, or write in English. Many parents have told me that their children don’t speak much about school at home. This often makes parents feel left out, since communication with their children is their only source of information about their children’s schooling. The biggest challenge is that both ELL parents and students often feel too ashamed to open up and address their communication issues. But nearly 10% of the U.S. student population is made up of ELLs, and the number is only increasing. Language is how we connect as human beings, and to bridge the gap between myself and my ELLs and their parents, I decided to use technology to my advantage. Almost everything I send home with my students on paper is in English, but recently I’ve started communicating with Spanish-speaking parents using a translation feature in a communication app (https://bloomz.co). This eases the tension and allows parents to feel comfortable reaching out to me.
I can quickly connect with non-English-speaking parents, and being able to see their children participate in various events via photos that I share through the same app provides parents valuable insight and opens the door for those at-home conversations.
Connecting with Every Student
While opening up communication with parents has been a focus, I’ve also worked toward connecting better with my students. Every child wants to know their teacher cares about them.
When students walk into my room, I make sure to greet each and every one. It sounds so simple, but it really sets the tone for the day. Letting my students know that I see them and care about them helps us build a strong relationship.
We start every day with a morning meeting. The class sits in a circle and we begin by greeting each other. Students learn the importance of looking a person in the eyes and using a clear voice. After the greeting, students have an opportunity to share. We practice articulating and projecting when we speak. These are life skills that are important for every student, not just ELLs, to learn.
Throughout the day, children are constantly collaborating and communicating with one another because they’ve started the day with an open conversation. We practice “turn and talks,” in which students turn and talk to the student next to them. Students have the chance to share what their partners said to help build listening skills, which are the foundation of strong communication skills.
While every day is certainly busy, and with no sense of that slowing down in the future, I urge every teacher to be mindful of how they communicate with both children and their parents. As educators, we spend a lot of our time talking, but we should allow classroom talk to be more than just our voices. Start by turning the conversation back to students. Ask them questions, show them you’re listening, and most importantly, encourage them to be honest and open.
Nadya Abu-Rish has been teaching for twelve years. She’s currently in her sixth year of teaching second grade at Beech Tree ES/Fairfax County Public Schools in West Falls Church, VA. She teaches in the same district she attended as a child and was recently named the Most Outstanding Elementary School Teacher in Region 2 of FCPS. Follow her on Twitter @MsAbuRishBTES.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) announced Thursday that he would ensure that Spanish-language ballots are available across the state. The announcement comes after legal pressure from Spanish language and civil rights groups in the state. The governor will be directing the secretary of state Laurel Moore Lee to work with supervisors of elections.
In September of 2018, Judge Walker ordered the state to provide Spanish-language elections materials in 32 counties with Puerto Rican populations. As many as 50,000 people from that U.S. territory have fled to Florida since Hurricane Maria in 2017. The motion guaranteed that voters in the 32 counties would have access to sample ballots, but not actual ballots, stating that there was not enough time before November.
The announcement comes after a motion for a preliminary injunction seeks to require Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee to direct elections supervisors to take the additional steps. The motion, which was brought about by a coalition of groups, would require Spanish-language ballots and materials for elections starting Aug. 1 in the targeted counties.
The DeSantis administration is pledging to begin the process within 14 days and to complete it in time for the 2020 General Election. Besides providing for Spanish-language ballots, officials plan to update polling procedures to cater to Spanish-speaking voters.
“In summary, plaintiffs seek an order preliminarily enjoining defendant Secretary Lee to issue directives and take all other measures necessary to ensure that all election materials in the counties, including but not limited to paper ballots, voting machine ballots, sample ballots, absentee ballots and envelopes, voting guides, voting instructions, polling place signage, election-related websites, and registration materials are provided in Spanish as well as English and to ensure that bilingual workers provide oral assistance with voter registration, absentee voting, and voting at early voting sites and polling places for all upcoming elections on and after August 1, 2019 until this case is finally resolved,” the motion said.
The motion’s focus is Puerto Rican voters, and the Voting Rights Act. Many voters were educated in schools in Spanish. The motion seeks to ensure that those voters have equal access to voting.
The counties targeted in the suit are Alachua, Bay, Brevard, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Columbia, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Hernando, Highlands, Indian River, Jackson, Lake, Leon, Levy, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Monroe, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Pasco, Putnam, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Sumter, Taylor and Wakulla counties.
Senators recognize that study abroad prepares U.S. students to compete globally
American Councils Diversity Scholarship Fund has supported 65 students across seven study abroad programs in 11 different countries
U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Roger Wicker
(R-MS), and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) today introduced the bipartisan Senator
Paul Simon Study Abroad Program Act, which creates a competitive grant
program for institutions of higher education to expand study abroad
opportunities for American college students. Study abroad is an important
component of a well-rounded post-secondary education, giving students the
opportunity to engage with other cultures, enhance foreign language skills, and
expand international knowledge through firsthand experience. Named after
the late Illinois U.S. Senator Paul Simon – who preached the value of
international education as vital to the United States’ economic and national
security – this bill aims to increase the number and diversity of undergraduate
students studying abroad annually to one million within ten years.
“Senator Paul Simon always knew the value
of having an understanding of how the world works and how we are all
interconnected in one way or another,” Durbin said. “This bill builds on
Senator Simon’s vision by vastly expanding opportunities for American students
to study abroad. By giving the next generation of students the chance to learn
away from home, and gain experiences that can shape their worldview, we will
better prepare them to lead successful lives.”
“American students studying abroad are
ambassadors for our values and ideals. When they return home, they bring
the knowledge, language proficiency, and cultural understanding necessary to
compete and build ties in our increasingly globalized economy,” Wicker said.
“Senator Paul Simon understood the importance of these programs, and this act
builds on his legacy.”
“Senator Simon knew that study abroad is
an investment that multiplies over time and in many ways. It’s an
enriching experience for students, for their communities and for the nation,” Leahy said.
“The proposed Senator Paul Simon Study
Abroad Program Act is an excellent example of leaders working together to open
opportunities for college students to learn about the world and gain insights
that will help them thrive in the future,” said Esther D. Brimmer, NAFSA
Executive Director and CEO.
“The United States needs to vastly and
rapidly increase the number and diversity of its students studying
abroad. The Simon Act would help do exactly that,” said Association
of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) President Peter McPherson, who
served as Chair of the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Commission. “Study
abroad experience is indispensable in today’s global economy. And crucially,
the Simon bill would increase the number of students studying in
non-traditional countries, especially in the developing world. We thank
Senators Durbin and Wicker for their work crafting bipartisan legislation that
would significantly strengthen America’s economic and strategic standing in the
world through more skilled, globally fluent college graduates.”
Currently, less than two percent of all
enrolled post-secondary students in the U.S. participate in study abroad, and
participation isn’t representative of the broad diversity seen on today’s
college campuses.
The goals of the Paul Simon Study Abroad
Program are the following:
Increase the overall number of
undergraduate students studying abroad annually to one million students
within ten years;
Increase the number of minority
students, first-generation
college students, community college students, and students with
disabilities studying abroad, so that the demographics of study abroad
participation reflect the demographics of the undergraduate population;
and
Increase the number of students
who study abroad in nontraditional destinations, with an emphasis on
developing countries, while
maintaining health and safety guidelines and procedures informed by
Department of State travel advisories and other appropriate Federal
agencies and resources.
Durbin first
introduced this legislation in 2006 as the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Act
based on the recommendations of the Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study
Abroad Fellowship Program – of which Durbin was a member.
This bill is supported by NAFSA:
Association of International Educators, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities,
American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese Metro New York
Chapter, American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers,
American Association of Community Colleges, American Association of Teachers of
French, American Association of Teachers of German, American Association of
Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, American Council on Education, American
Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, American Councils for
International Education, Arizona Language Association, Association of American
Universities, CETRA Language Solutions, Computer-Assisted Language Instruction
Consortium, Connecticut Council of Language Teachers, Diversity Abroad Network,
Dual Language Education of New Mexico, Foreign Language Association of Georgia,
Forum on Education Abroad, Fund for Education Abroad, Glastonbury Public
Schools, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, IES Abroad,
Institute of International Education, International Association for Language
Learning Technology, Joint National Committee for Languages, Language Magazine, Linguistic Society
of America, Massachusetts Foreign Language Association, Modern Language
Association of Philadelphia and Vicinity, National Association for College
Admission Counseling, National Committee for Latin and Greek, National Council
for Languages and International Studies, National Education Association,
National Network for Early Language Learning, New York State Association of
Foreign Language Teachers, Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign
Languages, Partners of the Americas, Pennsylvania State University, New
Kensington Campus, Southwest Conference on Language Teaching, Wisconsin
Association for Language Teachers, World Learning / School for International
Training.
Ayanna Cooper poses the questions that count for educators of English learners
A simple but powerful question for all educators is: are we violating the civil rights of our students? Having the opportunity to serve as the keynote speaker for TESOL Pre-K–12 Day on March 16, 2019, I framed my presentation “What School Leaders Need to Know to Support English Learners” around this and similar questions. Over 200 attendees participated in this event held in Atlanta, Georgia, dedicated to pre-K–12 educators who service English learners (ELs).
TESOL Pre-K–12 Day Strands
A: Coteaching and Coaching
B: Learning Disabilities and Exceptional Children
C: Interrupted Schooling
D: Assessment and Formative Standards
E: Dual-Language Education and Multilingualism
F: Hot Topics
I do not believe that anyone wakes up in the morning with the intent of violating the civil rights of their students, but unfortunately, it happens all too often. The Department of Justice and the Office of Civil Rights issued a “Dear Colleague” letter in 2015 outlining
ten common civil rights issues related to English learners. These issues include:
Identification and assessment of language needs in a timely manner
A service model that is educationally sound and research based
Sufficient staff for language programs
Equal opportunity for ELs to participate in school- and district-wide programs
Avoiding unnecessary segratory practices and program models
Identifying ELs with disabilities and including their language needs in evaluation and services offered
Meeting the needs of ELs who waive language support programs
Monitoring of ELs who have reached proficiency
Monitoring and evaluation of language programs and student progress
Communication with parents
(U.S. Department of Education, 2015, p. 8)
Figure 1. The Six Principles for Exemplary Teaching of English Learners
With funding, staffing, program models, and an intentional push for multilingualism, my work supporting school leaders and leadership teams is focused on eliminating these violations by creating awareness and a safe space to get uncomfortable. By uncomfortable, I mean that we must step out of our comfort zones when it comes to critiquing daily practices.
This is no easy task and can only begin when we become transparent and honest with our understanding and practices for creating and sustaining equitable schools for English learners. In an effort to work with organizations such as the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA), TESOL International, and my clients, I have developed eight prerequisite questions for school leaders and their leadership teams. Three of the questions were outlined as part of the keynote, which showed an alignment to the civil rights issues and TESOL’s six principles.
Q1. How many students are identified as ELs in your building?
This prerequisite question essentially targets data. The population of English learners within a school community must be quantified. We cannot move forward with plans to support them and their teachers if we do not know exactly how many students are
identified. There are a number of school communities where the number of English learners is neither readily available nor publicized. This is problematic for several reasons, but essentially it goes back to the identification procedures and transparency within a learning community.
Once we know how many students there are and the languages represented, we can improve our plans to ensure students are successful. In addition to knowing the number of students represented, their home languages, and their countries of origin, we need to know how many are dually identified as being gifted and/or have a learning disability. The question “how many students do you have in the building identified as English learners?” is aligned to the civil rights identification of English learners and language screening procedures as well as Principle 1: Know your learners.
Q2. What are the primary program model(s) of instruction in the building?
Fully understanding the English language program model(s) being implemented in your building is extremely important for school leadership teams. If asked, would everyone on your team be able to accurately describe those programs? For example, if a school were to offer a dual-language program and a sheltered-instruction program model, would all stakeholders, especially parents, understand those program models? The goal here is to be sure we are referring to and implementing English language program models as accurately as possible. Sometimes, we describe programs based on old information or what teachers think they should be.
The “it has always been done this way” approach can be detrimental to students and frustrating for their teachers. For instance, a school with a large number of English learners, without enough resources nor teachers adequately prepared to support them, can face a number of issues. Conversely, a school with a relatively small population of English learners may experience similar challenges if the teachers are new to teaching students with diverse language backgrounds. The question “what are your primary program model(s) of instruction?” is aligned to the civil rights educationally sound and research-based program model for English learners as well as TESOL’s Principle 2:
Create conditions for language learning and Principle 3: Design high-quality lessons for language development.
Q3. How many ELs have reached proficiency (“exited”)?
Understanding how proficiency in English is determined is an essential part of developing and sustaining effective English language program models for English learners. If the majority of educators do not know or understand what the goal is nor the process of getting there, then realistically how can they be prepared to help students reach proficiency?
To think we have asked teachers to differentiate instruction, reach all learners, use culturally responsive pedagogy, teach the whole child, and administer informal and formal assessments all while being intentional practitioners without informing them of what it means to be proficient in the target language is ludicrous.
Thus, a clear understanding of your state’s exit criteria is essential knowledge required to ensure that ELs are properly identified, supported, and exited from English language programs. What we do for students who have and those who have not reached proficiency becomes part of the long-term goals and objectives of highly effective language programs. Using English language proficiency data to help inform instruction is necessary if we are going to truly be inclusive and use multiple indicators to measure student achievement.
The question “how many ELs have reached proficiency (‘exited’)?” is aligned to the civil rights monitoring of ELs who have reached proficiency as well TESOL’s Principle 4: Adapt lesson delivery as needed and
Principle 5: Monitor and assess student language development.
Asking simple questions with complex answers may be uncomfortable, but it is a necessary part of the process to improve outcomes for our most vulnerable learners. Creating opportunities to identify areas in need of attention and to strategize ways to improve learning experiences for all students, but especially those from linguistically diverse backgrounds, is an essential part of school improvement efforts. More professional learning opportunities, like TESOL International Pre-K–12 Day, that focus on linguistically diverse learners are needed. All educators must commit to assuring the protection of their students’ civil rights in order to truly promote justice for all.
Ayanna Cooper, Ed.D. is an educator, author, keynote speaker and consultant who advocates for culturally and linguistically diverse learners. She works nationwide supporting educators to become change agents and leaders within the field of English language teaching. With 20 years of experience and a number of publications, her projects involve building administrator capacity to develop and manage K–12 English language programs. She is a frequent contributor to Language Magazine and is currently writing a book for school leaders.
We are halfway through this year’s National Library week, and celebrations continue to take place in and about libraries across the country. National Library Week is an annual celebration highlighting the role libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives and communities. These free, public spaces offer a wealth of knowledge and public space where communities can come together to learn and connect. First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April.
This year’s theme is “Libraries=Strong Communities.” Melinda Gates, philanthropist and wife of tech billionaire is the honorary chair of National Library Week, possibly due to the donations by the Gates’ Global Libraries initiative donations over the last 20 years which have totaled over $1 billion.
Some fun facts about libraries:
There are more public libraries than Starbucks in the U.S. – a total of 16,568, including branches. Nearly 100% of public libraries provide Wi-Fi and have no-fee access to computers.
The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with more than 167 million items on approximately 838 miles of bookshelves, which would span roughly the distance from The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., to Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Librarians have long championed their community members’ right to access information privately, and serve as an essential refuge where everyone can check out materials or browse the internet without their information being shared.
There were 113 million attendees at public library programs in 2016, more than all Major League Baseball, National Football League, and National Basketball Association games combined. That’s 16.5 million more than in 2013.
Students in high-povertyschools are almost twice as likely to graduate when the school library is staffed with a certified school librarian.
To celebrate National Library Week, visit your library this week!
Over the course of 50 weeks in 2019, Global Voices plans to host 50 Latin American language activists on its @ActLenguas Twitter handle. This Twitter campaign began in mid-January and is now in full swing.
According to their site, “Global Voices is an international and multilingual community of bloggers, journalists, translators, academics, and human rights activists.” They aim to leverage the internet to defend free speech, empower storytellers, and elevate voices outside the mainstream.
The @ActLenguas Twitter campaign is part of a Global Voices’ project called Rising Voices. For the past five years, this project has provided microgrants for regional language projects, as well as facilitated gatherings and workshops across Latin America. In fact, many of the people on the @ActLenguas roster have participated in gatherings and workshops put on by Rising Voices.
So far, @ActLenguas has hosted Mixe linguist Yásnaya Elena Aguilar Gil, Aymaya cyber-activist Ruben Hilari Quispe, Quechua poet Irma Alvarez Ccoscco, Tenék-speaking educator Luis Flores, Tu’un Savi–speaking technologist Onésimo Cruz Mejía, and Triqui speaker Misael Hernández Mendoza.
In their week-long tenures, these activists have shared what their languages mean to them and their communities in succinct tweets, often accompanied by infographics such as maps showing where their languages are spoken and photos of their community members participating in their traditions.
The tweets are primarily in Spanish and the tweeter’s specific native language. Common themes expressed by the tweeters include the role of the internet in revitalizing Indigenous languages, the risks Indigenous languages face as their native speakers’ numbers dwindle with age, and the importance of integrating Indigenous languages with overarching government.
Most importantly, tweeters have shared their hopes for their languages’ futures.
In his interview on the Rising Voices site, Luis Flores wrote, “I dream of spaces where the language can be used freely, I dream that the authorities attend to us in our languages, of fewer deaths in hospitals and clinics because they do not understand us when we speak the language, of not imprisoning more people because they cannot defend themselves by not talking Spanish, in schools where our own language is taught before languages from abroad, in which parents continue to transmit the language of our grandparents.”
Flores finished his interview: “I dream that my language lives.”
The Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation (ALNF) won an award at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Innovation Awards in Austin, Texas in the Innovation in Connecting People category for the Living First Language Platform. The 22nd annual SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards Presented by KPMG recognize the most exciting tech developments in the connected world. The “Innovation in Connecting People” category, is “honoring the most forward-thinking ways to connect and communicate with others.”
The ALNF Living
First Language platform “preserves and revitalises Indigenous First
Languages and turns them into dynamic, community-led and interactive
digital literacy apps.”
According to ALNF,
“In Australia, First Languages are disappearing at a faster rate
than anywhere in the world despite a universal acknowledgment that
language plays a vital role in the health, wellbeing, education and
future of Indigenous peoples. The Living First Language project
harnesses technology in order to stem the tide of loss of First
Languages and empower children to become learners in their Mother
Tongues. ALNF’s technological solution offers a faster and more
scalable means to efficiently and effectively capture and share
languages.”
The platform reveals
the ‘code’ of traditional languages by understanding their unique
pronunciation and phonogram patterns, provides translations between
First Language to English, breaks down languages into whole words,
syllables, sounds and phonograms, and shows how different sounds are
physically formed in one’s mouth.
ALNF states they hope “that the impact of this initiative goes beyond preservation of Language, and that the platform serves to strengthen communities, bridge cultural divides, foster resilience, encourage literacy and puts First Language back into community members’ hands.”
The Living First Language Platform is complementary to ALNF’s Early Language and Literacy program, which provides language resources in digital and print in English, Aboriginal, and Torres Strait Islander Languages. They also have a program called Coding Aboriginal Languages for Indigenous Literacy (CALIL). CALIL categorizes and converts oral First Language elements into reading and writing resources, which can provide community members with teaching and learning skills they can pass down to their children. This program goes hand and hand with their Learning to Read and Write in First Language program, which teaches adults how to teach others to read in First Languages.
Lastly, ALNF holds
First Language Workshops that are designed to mentor and support
First Langauge instructors by teaching them strageies and resources
to facilitate literacy acquisition.
The Paul Simon Study Abroad Act is being introduced this Thursday (4/11/19), and we are calling on our readers to join us is in supporting it. To ensure that the act is passed, contact your congressperson now to ask them to pledge their support. You can look up to see who your congress person is and how to contact them here.
The Simon Act was one of the Joint National Committee for Languages/ National Council for Languages and International Studies’ (JNCL-NCLIS’) key “legislative asks” during its Language Advocacy Day 2019. The Act aims to make study abroad accessible for all students, regardless of their economic standing. Over 80% of college freshmen want to study abroad, yet only 10% of students study abroad before they graduate, and minority students are greatly underrepresented within those numbers. The Simon Program provides a path to correct this imbalance and ensure that significantly more students graduate college with the international knowledge and experience essential for success in today’s global economy.
NAFSA has long advocated for a new federal study abroad grant program to incentivize colleges and universities to remove the barriers that keep students from studying abroad. The Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program Act, introduced in the Senate by Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), would create such a program with four key objectives:
Ensure at least 1,000,000 students study abroad every year.
Increase the diversity of students studying abroad to reflect the undergraduate population.
Encourage a greater portion of study abroad to occur in nontraditional study abroad locations.
Strengthen the commitment of colleges and universities to expand study abroad opportunities.
The bill was previously cosponsored by Roger F. Wicker [R-MS], Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS], Jack Reed [D-RI], Thad Cochran [R-MS], Jeff Merkley [D-OR], Sherrod Brown [D-OH], Dianne Feinstein [D-CA], Jeanne Shaheen [D-NH], and Christopher A. Coons [D-DE].
In creating the act,
congress made the following findings:
(1) To prepare students for success in the modern global economy, opportunities for study abroad should be included as part of a well-rounded education.
(2) Study abroad programs provide students with unparalleled access to international knowledge, an unmatched opportunity to learn foreign languages, and a unique environment for developing cultural understanding, all of which are knowledge and skills needed in today’s global economy.
(3) Less than 2% of all enrolled postsecondary students in the U.S. study abroad for credit in any given year, and minority students, first generation college students, community college students, and students with disabilities are significantly underrepresented in study abroad participation.
(4) Congress authorized the establishment of the Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program pursuant to section 104 of the Miscellaneous Appropriations and Offsets Act, 2004 (division H of Public Law 108–199). Pursuant to its mandate, the Lincoln Commission submitted to Congress and the President a report of its recommendations for greatly expanding the opportunity for students at institutions of higher education in the United States to study abroad, with special emphasis on studying in developing nations.
(5) According to the Lincoln Commission, “Experience shows that leadership from administrators and faculty will drive the number of study abroad participants higher and improve the quality of programs. Such leadership is the only way that study abroad will become an integral part of the undergraduate experience.”. A competitive grant program is necessary to encourage and support such leadership.
The act addresses
the issues by laying out the following purposes:
The purposes of the Simon Act are—
(1) to ensure that significantly more students have access to quality study abroad opportunities;
(2) to ensure that the diversity of students studying abroad reflects the diversity of students and institutions of higher education in the United States;
(3) to encourage greater diversity in study abroad destinations by increasing the portion of study abroad that takes place in nontraditional study abroad destinations, especially in developing countries; and
(4) to encourage a greater commitment by institutions of higher education to expand study abroad opportunities.
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