Presentation on U.S. education and language policy presented 22 March 2013 at the 2013 TESOL International Convention and English Language Expo in Dallas, TX

1. U.S. Federal Education and
Language Policy Update
John Segota, CAE
Assoc. Executive Director for Public Policy & Professional Relations
2013 TESOL International Convention & English Language Expo

2. Overview
• 113th Congress
• Obama Administration
• Policy
– Budget & Appropriations
– ESEA
– WIA
– Student Visas
– Immigration
– Language
• Advocacy

3. 113th Congress
• House of
Representatives
– 234 Republicans
– 201 Democrats
• Senate
– 53 Democrats
– 45 Republicans
– 2 Independents

4. House of Representatives
• Leadership
– Speaker of the House – Rep. John Boehner (R-OH)
• Education and Labor
– Chairman – Rep. John Kline (R-MN)

5. U.S. Senate
• Leadership
– Majority Leader - Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)
• Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
– Chairman – Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA)

6. U.S. Department of Education
• Deborah Delisle, Assistant Secretary, Elementary and Secondary
Education
• Brenda Dann-Messier, Assistant Secretary, Vocational and Adult
Education

7. Budget and Appropriations
• Continuing Resolution
• Sequestration
– Approximately 5% cut

8. FY 13 Federal Budget
FY13 Post-Sequester
ESEA – Title I $14.5 B $13.8 B
ESEA – Title III $732 M $695 M
WIA – Title II $595 M $565 M

9. Elementary and Secondary Education Act
• NCLB Waivers
– 44 States, DC, Puerto Rico have applied
– 34 States and DC are approved
• Flexibility on some provisions of NCLB in
exchange for State-developed plans

10. Adult Education
• Workforce Investment Act Reauthorization
• HR 803 – Supporting Knowledge and
Investing in Lifelong Skills (“SKILLS”) Act
– Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC)
• HR 798 – Workforce Investment Act of 2013
– Rep. John Tierney (D-MA)

11. Student Visas
• Accreditation of English Language Training
Programs Act – December 2010
– Requires all IEPs that serve international students to be
accredited, or to have started the accreditation process,
by December 15, 2011 in order to be SEVP certified.

12. Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals
• Eligibility criteria"
• Application procedure"
• Protection from deportation – 2 years"
• Possible employment authorization"
• Not a pathway to permanent residency or
citizenship"
"

13. Immigration Reform
• Key Principles – Obama Administration
– Border Security
– Hiring of Undocumented Workers
– Earned Citizenship
• Pathway to Citizenship
• Earned Citizenship for Undocumented Students
– Streamlining Legal Immigration
• S. 1 – Immigration Reform that Works for
America's Future Act

14. Integration
• Dept. of Education integration initiative
– Economic
– Civic
– Linguistic
• HR 1258 - Strengthen and Unite
Communities with Civics Education and
English Development (SUCCEED) Act
– Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA)

15. Language Policy
• HR 997 – English Language Unity Act
– Rep. Steve King (R-IA)
• S. 464 – English Language Unity Act
– Sen. James Inhofe

16. Online Resources
• TESOL’s U.S. Advocacy Action Center
– http://capwiz.com/tesol
E-mail: jsegota@tesol.org
Twitter: @JohnSegota
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