FEATURED NEWS
JNCL-NCLIS Language Advocacy Days 2021: Your Impact

February 12, 2021 | JNCL Announcement




Thank you to all language advocates who attended our annual Language Advocacy Day! This year was our largest attended, hosting 270 advocates and representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 280 congressional meetings. As a result of your collective advocacy efforts, we are pleased to announce the establishment of the Senate America's Languages Caucus Co-Chaired by Senator Schatz (D-HI) and Senator Capito (R-WV) and the addition of 8 new America's Languages Caucus members:

  • Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI)
  • Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)
  • Senator Mike Braun (R-IN)
  • Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX-18)
  • Representative Derek Kilmer (D-WA-06) 
  • Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL)
  • Representative Jim Langevin (D-RI-02)
  • Representative Dina Titus (D-NV-01)

On behalf of the team at JNCL-NCLIS, we thank each and every one of you for bringing your professional work, personal backgrounds, and inspiring stories to the forefront of our mission. Over the next few weeks, we will continue what you've started by following up with various offices on the next steps in shaping language policy. The end of Language Advocacy Days is just the beginning--we will continue to make strides toward a future where every American has the opportunity to learn English and at least one other language.


February 8, 2021 | The National Law Review


Most laws that protect workers’ rights do so only for “employees,” but not “independent contractors.” While it may seem intuitive, the difference between the two types of workers is not always clear. The legislatures that wrote the various local, state, and federal laws have included a variety of definitions of the two terms—some clearer than others—and the judges who interpret those laws have developed several different tests to determine whether a particular worker is a protected “employee” or not. The classification has a wide range of consequences for a worker, such as whether her employer must provide health insurance, sick days, and minimum-wage-level wages; what protections she has from discrimination in the workplace; and whether she can apply for Unemployment Insurance or Workers’ Compensation in the event she is terminated or injured on the job.


February 11, 2021 | USA Today

A Senate committee advanced the nomination of Miguel Cardona as the next U.S. education secretary Thursday, putting him a step closer to guiding the reopening of more schools, albeit under a scaled-back plan announced by the White House this week. 

Cardona, the commissioner of education in Connecticut, won praise from Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Members voted 17-5 to approve him, and the full Senate will probably do the same soon.

Cardona would succeed Betsy DeVos and take the helm of American schooling at a fraught time. Debates about reopening K-12 classrooms have pitted teachers, administrators, school boards and parents against each other. Colleges are bleeding money. Student debt is mounting. Learners are struggling to keep up with classes online.

LAD21 FEATURED SPONSOR: ACTFL

February 12, 2021 | JNCL-NCLIS Guest Blog

To the untrained eye, the Seal of Biliteracy may look like another gold emblem on a high school graduate’s transcript or diploma, but as more Americans are learning every day, that seal represents the lifetime of language experience unique to each recipient—from an impressive portfolio of work and years of dedicated language learning, to pride in family heritage and enhanced global competence. It also informs future admissions staff and employers of language proficiency, placing recipients at a distinct advantage in future pursuits over their monolingual peers.

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Date: February 17, 2021

When misinformation spreads, distrust, anger, and violence take hold. Join the next DIVERCITIES conversation on February 17 to hear perspectives on propaganda from around the world. In this interactive event, creators of Musekeweya, a fictional Rwandan radio soap opera that aims to reclaim radio and build peace in the post-genocide country, will meet Afghan influencers fighting Islamic extremist propaganda, as well as cultural leaders in DC to understand how the language of propaganda works to infiltrate our belief systems and explore how it can be used to promote unity over division.

PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Date: March 12-14, 2021

For the fourth year in a row, NEA will continue to offer an aligned conference and training experience for members that provides professional learning and leadership opportunities. The Summit is an annual training experience to develop activists leaders and prepare them the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to lead relevant, thriving associations and to lead in their professions. Their unified, strategic, and interdisciplinary approach to leadership development reinforces and supports key leadership competencies in six strategic areas.

The National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest professional employee organization, is committed to advancing the cause of public education. NEA's 3 million members work at every level of education—from pre-school to university graduate programs.


Date: February 16, 2021

What motivates students to learn a new language - especially a language so different from their native language? Jessica Haxhi (ACTFL President) and Elena Kamenetzky (ACTFL National Language Teacher of the Year) were motivated not only to learn Japanese, but to become teachers of that language. Jessica and Elena use their experience of learning Japanese to inform their teaching. Join them as they share what they have learned about motivating learners, engaging learners in developing proficiency , and guiding learners to gain confidence and competence to function with and within another culture

FEDERAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
Notice ID:36C25621Q0090
Agency: DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Office: 256-NETWORK CONTRACT OFFICE 16 (36C256)
Location: MICHAEL E. DEBAKEY VA MEDICAL CENTER, ETC.; TX 77030 USA
Response Date: February 15st, 2021
Notice ID:70RSAT20R00000021
Agency: DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Office: SCI TECH ACQ DIV
Location: N/A
Response Date: February 21st, 2021
Notice ID: 80JSC021R0001
Agency: NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
Office: NASA JOHNSON SPACE CENTER
Location: Houston , TX 77007
Response Date: March 4th, 2021
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12TH, 2021 ISSUE
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