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Policy

Organizations

The Asian American Justice Center (AAJC) (formerly the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium) works to advance the human and civil rights of Asian Americans through advocacy, public policy, public education, and litigation.

The Joint National Committee for Languages (JNCL) and the National Council for Languages and International Studies (NCLIS) is a member organization that raises awareness to policymakers about the importance of international education. JNCL-NCLIS represents national and regional organizations encompassing virtually all areas of the language field; the major and less commonly taught languages, including English as a Second Language, bilingual education, the classics, linguistics, exchanges, research, technology, international business education, and translation. 

The Language Policy Research Unit (LPRU) at Arizona State University promotes research and policy analysis on the challenges and opportunities posed by national and global multilingualism.

The Consortium For Language Policy and Planning is an unincorporated association of a number of research universities, advocacy bodies, and other scholars interested in issues of language policy and planning. You can receive information about language policy issues and the activities of this Consortium by signing up for their listserv at http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/plc/clpp/

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Collected here are a number of documents and links to legislation related to heritage language policies.

Law

H.R. 4766 [109th]: Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act of 2006
To amend the Native American Programs Act of 1974 to provide for the revitalization of Native American languages through Native American language immersion programs; and for other purposes.

Papers

Practices and Partnerships in Academia (pdf)
(Comments by Dr. Donna Christian at the National Language Conference, 2004)

National Policy Statement on Heritage Language Development: Toward an Agenda for Action (from the 2nd National Heritage Language Conference
"Building on our National Resources" Washington, D.C., October 18-20, 2002)

Presentation

Charting a Path to Bilingualism
(by Dr. Donna Christian, President, Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC)

This Power Point presentation, given at the National Colloquium on U.S. Language Education Policy in Berkeley, California, October 2005, outlines what the United States can do to ensure that the knowledge and skills of heritage language speakers in this country are developed and not squandered. Dr. Christian calls for policies, standards, and articulated programs that will build a language proficient society. (Christian, D. (2007). Charting a Path to Bilingualism: Policy and Practice Support. Modern Language Journal, 91(2), 271-273.)

Abstract
The United States lacks the language resources to meet our various goals. At the same time, students who enter U.S. schools with native-like proficiency in languages other than English are not encouraged to develop proficiency in those languages. Policies and practices are needed that will create clear and accessible paths to bilingualism. These include uses of technology to improve the effectiveness of language learning, appropriate and effective assessments, long sequences of study in articulated programs, and incentives for individuals to achieve high levels of proficiency in English and another language. Standards for teacher credentialing and preparation need to provide for an understanding of language learning so that all teachers can support native and second language development. Strong, coherent paths to high levels of language proficiency, with incentives and resources to support movement along those paths, will develop a population with the language skills needed to meet our goals.

View the Presentation online.
or download the actual PPT file.