With new Congress in place after the 2014 mid-term election in the U.S., what are the current federal education issues impacting the TESOL field? Learn about the latest developments on federal education policy issues from Washington, DC affecting ESL at the K-12, adult, and higher education levels in the US.

1. U.S. Federal Education and
Language Policy Update
John Segota, CAE
Associate Executive Director for Public Policy & Professional Relations
2016 TESOL International Convention

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

3. 114th Congress
House of
Representatives
– 247 Republicans
– 188 Democrats
Senate
– 54 Republicans
– 44 Democrats
– 2 Independents

4. House of Representatives
• Leadership
– Speaker of the House – Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)
• Education and Workforce
– Chairman – Rep. John Kline (R-MN)

5. U.S. Senate
• Leadership
– Majority Leader – Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
• HELP Committee
– Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN)

6. U.S. Department of Education
• John B. King, Jr. – Secretary of Education
• Johan Uvin – Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Voc. & Adult Ed.
• Libia Gil – Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director, OELA

7. Federal Budget Process
Budget Proposal
February
Budget Resolution
17 Appropriations Bills
(Labor-HHS-Education)
President’s
Signature
By September 30

8. President’s FY2017 ED Budget Proposal
 Provides $69.4 billion in discretionary funding for the
Department of Education in 2017, an increase of $1.3
billion, or 2 percent, over 2016
 Proposes $139.7 billion in new mandatory spending and
reforms over the next decade
 Three core themes:
1. Increasing equity and excellence
2. Supporting teachers and school leaders
3. Improving access, affordability, and completion in
higher education

9. FY2017 ED Budget Proposal
 Title I: $15.4 billion to help schools, districts, and States meet the
challenge of reaching high standards for disadvantaged students.
 Pre-K: $1.3 billion in FY17 and $75 billion over the next decade for
the Pre-School for All proposal
 RESPECT: $1 billion in mandatory spending, and $2.8 discretionary
funding to support teachers and school leaders
 Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program: $250 million
 Teacher and Principal Pathways Program: $125 million
 America’s College Promise: $60.8 mandatory spending over the next
10 years to support two free years of community college
 OCR: $138 million, an increase of $31 million from FY2016

10. FY2017 ED Budget Proposal
FY2016 FY2017 Budget
Request
Title I - ESSA $14.9 billion $15.4 billion
Title III -
ESSA
$737 million $800 million
Title II - WIOA $596 million $607 million

11. Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
• Reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act (ESEA)
• Replaces the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
(NCLB)
• Signed into law
December 2015

12. Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
• Accountability for ELLs moved to state plans under
Title I
• Common statewide entrance and exit procedures
for ELLs
• Identification languages other than English that are
present to a significant extent
• New reporting requirements
– Long-term ELLs
– ELLs with disabilities

13. Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
Legislation Regulation
Rulemaking

14. 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

15. 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.

16. OELA EL Toolkit
• Ten chapter toolkit to be read in conjunction with
Dear Colleague Letter
• Contains overview, sample tools, and resources
• Chapters include:
– Staffing and Support
– Creating an Inclusive Environment
– Ensuring Meaningful Communication with EL Parents
• Available online at
http://1.usa.gov/1exU0tO

17. 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;
• Available online at
http://1.usa.gov/1XGgw59

18. 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 accountability
provisions take effect
July 1, 2016

19. DACA and DAPA
• Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
• Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA)
• United States v. Texas
– Amicus Brief

20. Immigration Reform
• White House Task Force on New Americans
• Federal Strategic Plan available at
http://1.usa.gov/1P2nGPw

21. 2016 TESOL Advocacy & Policy Summit
19-21 June 2016
• Policy Updates
• Advocacy Training
• Congressional Visits
Embassy Suites
Alexandria, VA
http://www.tesol.org/AdvocacySummit

22. TESOL International Association
http://www.tesol.org
E-mail: jsegota@tesol.org
Twitter: @JohnSegota
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