Congress has included $15M in the FY21 omnibus appropriations bill to begin The World Language Advancement and Readiness Act. This program is a big win for advancing language programs, like our Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project (WLRP).

The World Language Advancement and Readiness Act was first introduced in 2017 and was inspired by the America’s Languages Report by the Commission on Language and Learning. Vice Chairwoman Jessie “little doe” Baird is a member of the commission.

The Commission on Language and Learning was created by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in response to a bipartisan request from members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives to examine the current state of language education, to protect what the nation’s education needs will be in the future, and to offer recommendations for ways to meet those needs.