[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1572 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1572
To direct the Secretary of Education to award grants to local
educational agencies to establish or improve world language or dual
language programs, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 25, 2025
Mrs. Kiggans of Virginia (for herself and Mr. Panetta) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and
Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Education to award grants to local
educational agencies to establish or improve world language or dual
language programs, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``World Language Education Assistance
Program Act'' or the ``World LEAP Act''.
SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this Act is to establish and make assistance
available to the World Language Education Assistance Program in order
to--
(1) establish or improve and carry out World Language
Education Assistance Program grant programs;
(2) support and uplift dual language and world language
programs; and
(3) provide students with the language skills necessary for
an interconnected and global world.
SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Recent academic studies demonstrate that America's
language capacity has reached a crisis point, with only one
fifth of United States residents speaking a language other than
English at home, 90 percent of United States-based employers
reporting a reliance on employees with language skills other
than English, and one third of foreign language-dependent
employers reporting a language skills gap. This language crisis
has real world implications for business, government, the
military, and diplomatic and intelligence services.
(2) The Department of Education does not have an innovative
world languages program for elementary and secondary students.
(3) The Nation's education system is suffering from severe
shortages of world language, English learner, and bilingual and
dual language immersion educators.
(4) The lack of a Federal elementary and secondary school
world language and dual language program, coupled with the
continuing shortage of world language and bilingual teachers,
creates significant obstacles to providing equitable
opportunities for all students to develop multilingualism.
English learners, a population which has grown by 2,100,000
between 2000 and 2019, have been disproportionately impacted.
(5) The Federal Government has a strong interest in better
preparing American students to compete in the global economy.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Community-based heritage language school.--The term
``community-based heritage language school'' means a nonprofit,
community-based school that offers classes for students in pre-
kindergarten through grade 12, for the purpose of maintaining
and teaching the language and culture of non-English speaking
communities.
(2) Dual language program.--The term ``dual language
program'' means--
(A) with respect to pre-kindergarten and elementary
school, a bilingual education program in which students
receive instruction in English and a language other
than English for at least half of the instructional
school day for each year of pre-kindergarten and
elementary school, with the goal of achieving
proficiency in both languages; and
(B) with respect to grades 6 through 8, a bilingual
education program in which students who participated in
a program described in subparagraph (A) continue to
receive instruction in English and a language other
than English for at least half of the instructional
school day for each year of such grades 6 through 8.
(3) ESEA definitions.--The terms ``English learner'',
``secondary school'', ``local educational agency'',
``professional development'', ``Secretary'', and ``State'' have
the meanings given those terms in section 8101 of the
Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
(4) Heritage learner.--The term ``heritage learner'' means
an individual--
(A) with proficiency in, or a cultural connection
to (through family, community, or country of origin), a
language other than English; and
(B) who is studying such language in pre-
kindergarten, elementary school, or secondary school.
(5) World language program.--The term ``world language
program'' means a program that educates and prepares pre-
kindergarten, elementary, or secondary school students to
communicate, in a proficient and culturally competent manner,
with individuals who speak a language other than English.
SEC. 5. WORLD LANGUAGE EDUCATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall award, on a
competitive basis, grants to local educational agencies to
establish and carry out new, or improve existing world language
or dual language programs.
(2) Duration.--A grant awarded under this section shall be
for a period of 3 years and may be renewed at the discretion of
the Secretary.
(b) Application.--A local educational agency desiring a grant under
this section shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time,
in such manner, and containing such information and assurances as the
Secretary may require.
(c) Criteria for Selection.--
(1) In general.--In awarding a grant to a local educational
agency under this section, the Secretary shall select
applications describing programs that--
(A) provide approaches to instruction that lead to
demonstrated growth in language proficiency from
kindergarten through grade 12;
(B) can be disseminated and duplicated in other
local educational agencies;
(C) have a plan for how the program will continue
after the conclusion of the grant period; and
(D) include a professional development component.
(2) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the
Secretary shall give priority to applications describing
programs that--
(A) include intensive summer professional
development for world language program and dual
language program teachers;
(B) enter into partnerships with community-based
heritage language schools and communities;
(C) provide world language and dual language
immersion programs, including with respect to English
learners and heritage learners;
(D) are carried out through a consortium that shall
include the agency receiving the grant and an
elementary school or secondary school served by such
agency, with a preference for consortia that include an
institution of higher education;
(E) collaborate with the appropriate State
licensure office to broaden pathways for language or
dual language teacher certification; or
(F) conduct outreach and recruit secondary and
post-secondary students, including former English
learners and heritage learners, into programs that
prepare such students to become dual language or world
language program teachers.
(d) Use of Funds.--A local educational agency that receives a grant
under this section shall--
(1) reserve not less than 20 percent of such grant funds to
provide--
(A) accessible pathways for paraprofessionals to
gain certification and licensure as world language or
dual language teachers; and
(B) professional development for certified and
licensed world language or dual language teachers;
(2) reserve not more than 5 percent of such grant funds to
evaluate the efficacy of programs carried out with funds
awarded under this section; and
(3) after making the reservations required under paragraphs
(1) and (2), use the remainder of such grant funds to establish
and carry out new, and improve existing, world language or dual
language programs (including any associated administrative
expenses).
(e) Reporting Requirements.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 18 months after receiving a
grant under this section, each local educational agency shall
submit to the Secretary a report that--
(A) describes the implementation of the program for
which the local educational agency received the grant;
and
(B) includes data that identifies--
(i) the number of students enrolled in
language education at the elementary and
secondary schools served by the local
educational agency prior to receiving a grant
under this section;
(ii) the number of students enrolled in
such language instruction as of the date of
submission of the report;
(iii) the number of certified bilingual
educators working for the local educational
agency prior to receiving a grant under this
section;
(iv) the number of certified bilingual
educators working for the local educational
agency as of the date of submission of the
report; and
(v) levels of community support for
language education--
(I) prior to receiving a grant
under this section; and
(II) as of the date of submission
of the report.
(2) Student privacy.--A local educational agency shall
prepare the report required under paragraph (1) in a manner
that protects the privacy rights of each student in accordance
with section 444 of the General Education Provisions Act (20
U.S.C. 1232g; commonly known as the ``Family Educational Rights
and Privacy Act of 1974'').
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2026
and for each subsequent fiscal year.
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