April Advocacy Report & Language Advocacy Days 2026 Highlights

JNCL-NCLIS (Joint National Committee on Languages - National Committee on Languages and International Studies) hosts Language Advocacy Day (LAD) each year in Washington, D.C. This year, all 50 states were represented. The importance of attending LAD is this: If we don’t go, they don’t know. When we sit in the congressional offices, we put faces and stories to appropriations legislation. We speak to them for you, so that they can understand how these appropriations measures affect real Kansas teachers and students. Members who attended funded themselves and their financial contributions made an impact. Thank you to Dr. Elke Lorenz who donated some transportation money to our Kansas Delegation!

The Kansas Delegation for JNCL-NCLIS was in top form in Washington, D.C! Karen Gipson (KSWLA Vice-President) from Lawrence, Heather Potter from Goddard, and Katrina Carey from Olathe joined Amanda Mendoza (KSWLA Advocacy Chair) from Emporia on March 9-10. After a day of training on Monday, they set off to Capitol Hill to speak to Kansas Representatives and Senators about the importance of funding for language-related programs and for language teachers and students. There were three main “asks” that we presented to our Congresspeople: continued funding for the World Language Advancement and Readiness Act (WLARA) through the Department of Defense, continued funding for Title III: Part A - English Language Acquisition through the Department of Education/Labor, and restore of funding US Department of Education’s Title VI of HEA/Fulbright-Hays programs and the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Exchange programs. Continue reading for more information about each of the “asks.” LAD is not just two days of advocacy. Your Kansas Delegation also follows up with the staffers whenever they should to be reminded of how their support is needed. We have already seen action on the part of Representative Sharice Davids as she signed onto legislation supporting Title VI funding. If you are one of Representative Davids’ constituents (and even if you aren’t!), please send her a quick note of thanks for her support!

As a direct result of the work led by Amanda Mendoza and our representatives, Representative Sharice Davids signed on to the multimember appropriations letters requesting FY27 funding for the State Department's educational and cultural exchange programs, as well as the US Department of Education's Title VI of HEA/Fulbright-Hays programs.

Thank Sharice Davids: https://davids.house.gov/contact/email-me

Sample message: Thank you so much for signing on to restore funding and reinstate Title VI HEA/Fulbright-Hays grants. Kansas students need these opportunities to help our country be prepared in this globalized world. 

WLARA

For the past five years, WLARA has provided multi-year grants to military-connected school districts (those with at least one JROTC program) and DODEA schools to establish, improve, or expand innovative programs in world language learning. By law, 75% of grant funding goes to programs for languages critical to national security and 25% for any natural human language. Special Consideration is provided for applications including intensive summer PD programs. If your school district has a JROTC program and/or if your district population has at least 20% of students directly affected by military service (parent serving), then you may qualify for these grants. Right now, there are NO Kansas schools receiving this funding. If you think your district may qualify, please share this information with your district superintendent or superior: https://simpler.grants.gov/opportunity/c3dec396-80a2-498d-9919-7b89220fe4d0.

Title III

English learners (ELs) account for 5.3 million K-12 public school students, representing one in ten of all students nationwide. English learner enrollment surged by over 700,000 students in a decade (from 4.6 million in 2011 to 5.3 million in 2021), representing a 15% increase. Research shows that with support most ELs acquire English proficiency within five to seven years are then reclassified as English proficient. Several studies show that former ELs can go on to outperform their non-EL peers across multiple academic measures, revealing what these students can accomplish when properly supported. However, without appropriate interventions, ELs can become long-term English learners (LTELs), which are more likely to fare worse academically than ELs who learn English on time. When this funding is interrupted (like it was in the fall of 2025), the repercussions can be damaging. Programs can be canceled, teachers can be fired or simply not hired, and students lose the valuable services they need to acquire English. 

Title VI HEA/Fulbright-Hays

For decades, the federal government has invested in study abroad, international exchange and language study at both the Department of Education and the Department of State. The limited number of U.S. citizens with language skills is compromising the effectiveness of the State Department’s embassy and diplomatic work. According to a 2017 GAO report: “23 percent of overseas language-designated positions (LDP) were filled by Foreign Service officers

who did not meet the positions' language proficiency requirements... language proficiency gaps have, in some cases, affected State's ability to properly adjudicate visa applications; effectively communicate with foreign audiences, address security concerns, and perform other critical diplomatic duties.” The current administration is not supportive of these investments and have already eliminated funding to universities, such as the University of Kansas, which means they have had to cancel their StarTalk Program and the annual World Languages Fair remains in jeopardy.

Language Advocacy Days Reflections

From Vice-President Karen Gipson

Talk about a hectic week!  When Amanda Mendoza (French, Emporia) asked me to participate in JNCL-NCLIS Language Advocacy Days in Washington DC, I checked the calendar and saw it was the same week as  the Central States Conference in Chicago.  I was pretty hesitant to take an extra two days off, plan more for the sub, etc. 

On the other hand, I have been looking for more opportunities to serve KSWLA and to give back to the people who have helped shape me, by stepping into the leadership roles that they once filled.  I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to work alongside Amanda, Heather Potter (Spanish, Goddard), and Katrina Carey (French, Olathe) to try to make positive changes to WL funding in Washington.  

Please do not read this as just empty words, but I had a truly  amazing experience. I am not very politically minded (I once naively expected that our Congressmen and Congresswomen will do whatever is in the best interest of Kansas citizens, and now choose preserve my own mental health by tuning out), but I took some real pride in standing up for my fellow world language teachers by urging our Senators and Representatives to vote in favor of increasing funding for Title III (ESL), WLARA, and Title VI (Fulbright-Hays) and investing new dollars in WorldLeap.

After one of the best keynote addresses I have ever heard, delivered by opera singer Carla Dirlikov, and a pretty intense training with delegates from all 50 states, we were out on Capitol Hill, meeting with staffers and explaining why their boss should vote to increase world language funding.  Sharice Davids’ staffer was particularly impressed with our talking points.  We were joined by policy writer and Director of Government Relations Jon Bernstein at our final meeting with Senator Jerry Moran’s staffer, and he commented on how well-organized the Kansas Advocacy Committee was.  What a feeling of accomplishment and pride we had in our work, knowing that, no matter the eventual outcomes of our work, we made a difference on Capitol Hill.  

We didn’t have a lot of time for sight-seeing, but we were able to enjoy our one free evening.  We took a fun electric cart ride (think golf-cart, but longer) around the most important monuments around the mall.  Our driver, Lorenzo, was a wonderful guide and an expert defensive-driver as he told us about the sites we passed.  We thankfully had time to stop at a few monuments, such as the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the Martin Luther King Monument.  We even got library cards from the National Library. No matter your political view, these historical sites have the power to move you emotionally. 

A heartfelt thank you to Amanda Mendoza for tapping me in, to Heather for her passion and honesty, Katrina for her kindness and drive, and David Carey (Katrina’s husband) for the humor, encouragement, and ice cream.  

JNCL is an organization that analyzes federal and state legislation, provides policy recommendations to decision makers on Capitol Hill, and track the budget and appropriations process in Congress. They empower stakeholders by connecting the with Congress to advance the language agenda in the U.S.