COALITION FOR
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
Promoting U.S. Global Competence
The Honorable NAME OF SENATOR
### ______Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear NAME OF SENATOR,
We are writing to you to express our concern about the Senate Appropriations Committee’s proposal to
eliminate funding for the Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP).
FLAP, funded in FY 2011 at $26.87 million, is the only source of federal education funding for K-12 language
learning. Competitive grants fund high-quality K-12 foreign language program innovation and best practices
across the country. FLAP funding has consistently provided the seed money for districts and states to start
high-quality language programs and expand existing ones, offering more language classes to more students.
Currently, there are 74 FLAP grants slated to receive funding in FY 2012.
According to the ACTFL language enrollment survey, only 18.5% of K-12 students study a language.
Research has shown that learning another language, especially at an early age, has measurable cognitive and
academic benefits for students. These benefits include increased mental flexibility, greater understanding of
native language and culture, and higher scores on standardized achievement tests.
Investing in language learning not only enables children to succeed in their academic endeavors, it also
directly supports the economic and national security interests of America. According to the Committee for
Economic Development, US companies must employ workers able to speak a second language if they wish to
succeed in international markets. Herman Uscategui, Director of Global Strategic Initiatives and International
Business Development for Starbucks Coffee, highlighted this point by saying, “Companies need a whole
ecosystem of understanding among their customers, local communities, and partners in order to develop or
promote a successful local product. Advanced language skills provide the foundation to trusted relationships
with customers, communities, and partners.”
Leading military and security experts are also demanding personnel who are proficient in a second language,
particularly languages critical to US security. As former CIA director Leon Panetta said, “This is not about
learning something that is helpful or simply nice to have. It is crucial to CIA’s mission….It is vital to our
economic interests. It is vital to our diplomacy. It is vital to our national security to use the language of the
people that we engage throughout the world.”
Investing in language learning should be a national priority as we prepare our students to meet the challenges
of the global labor market. Zeroing out the investment in FLAP takes the country in the wrong direction.
On behalf of our nation’s students we urge you to support the continuation of the current grants.
Sincerely,
AMERICAN COUNCIL ON THE TEACHING OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES (ACTFL)
AMERICAN COUNCILS FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION: ACTR/ACCELS
ASIA SOCIETY
COMMITTEE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (CED)
COALITION FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION (CIE)
JOINT NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR LANGUAGES & THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR LANGUAGES AND
INTERNATIONAL STUDIES (JNCL-NCLIS)
NAFSA: ASSOCIATION OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATORS