INTERNATIONAL & FOREIGN 

LANGUAGE EDUCATION (IFLE) 

OFFICE OF POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 
A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE 

THE WORLD WE LIVE IN...

Let’s talk numbers...

There are 7 billion people in the world. 

75% don’t speak English.

This means that 5.25 billion people in this world don’t speak English!

There are 320 million people in the United States. 

90% of Americans don’t speak a second language.

This means that only 32 million Americans speak English and another language. 

There are an estimated 400 million English language learners in China. 

This is more than the entire population of the United States! 

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A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE 

THE WORLD WE LIVE IN...

A disease outbreak in West Africa, 

Asia, or Latin America can become 

a global pandemic within days. 

Think Ebola, SARS, Zika Virus, etc. 

What happens when doctors don’t understand 

what a patient is saying? 

What happens when experts and officials from different countries 

need to communicate with each other? 

And what might happen if analysts had the skills to understand 

the languages and cultural contexts of these places?

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A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE 

THE WORLD WE LIVE IN...

U.S. national security, diplomacy, 

and intelligence agencies must be 

prepared to address unexpected 

crises that happen around the 

world – geopolitical conflicts, 

sensitive negotiations, etc. 

What happens when we need expertise on a particular country, 

region, language, or culture? 

What happens when governments from different countries need 

to communicate with each other? 

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A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE 

THE WORLD WE LIVE IN...

Our neighborhoods are more diverse 

than ever. In 2006, minority student 

enrollment in public schools rose to 

43 percent of the total student 

population—up from 35 percent a 

decade earlier. 

 What does this mean for our 

teachers? 

 What does this mean for our 

nurses? 

 What does this mean for everyone? 

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A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE 

THE WORLD WE LIVE IN...

1 in 5 American jobs is tied to 

international trade. 

95% of the world’s customers 

are outside the U.S.! 

 What does this mean for 

American businesses? 

 Is a finance degree enough for a banker going to Mumbai? 

 Is an engineering degree enough for an engineer going to 

Beijing? 

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IFLE’S PROGRAMS

WHAT DO WE DO? 

IFLE supports opportunities for U.S. students, teachers, faculty, and school 

administrators to develop knowledge and understanding of other world 

regions and the languages used in those regions. 

 Title VI Programs 

– Grants for U.S. institutions of higher education 

– Support building capacity in global studies and world languages 

– Centers serve as national resources for expertise on world regions 

(e.g., South Asia, Russia and Eastern Europe), languages, and 

subjects related to global studies (e.g., Open Educational Resources 

for language learning, international business)

 Fulbright-Hays Programs 

– Grants for individuals to participate in cultural exchanges abroad 

– Projects focused on curriculum development and research abroad 

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TITLE VI PROGRAMS 

BUILDING CAPACITY IN GLOBAL STUDIES & WORLD LANGUAGES 

PROGRAM PURPOSE

National Resource Centers (NRCs) • Support teaching and research in area 

studies (e.g., East Asia, Africa, Middle 

East, Latin America) 

• Teach Less Commonly Taught Languages 

(LCTLs) 

Foreign Language and Area Studies 

Fellowships (FLAS)

• Develop experts in area studies and 

world languages. 

Centers for International Business 

Education & Research (CIBEs)

• Teach a business curriculum from a 

global perspective 

• Work with businesses and chambers of 

commerce to build a globally 

competent workforce 

• Promote local businesses abroad 

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TITLE VI PROGRAMS 

BUILDING CAPACITY IN GLOBAL STUDIES & WORLD LANGUAGES

PROGRAM PURPOSE

Language Resource Centers (LRC) • Develop language learning materials 

• Provide professional development 

opportunities for teachers 

• Conduct research to strengthen foreign 

language teaching and learning 

Undergraduate International Studies and 

Foreign Language Program (UISFL) 

• Seed money for institutions with fewer 

resources to internationalize their 

undergraduate curricula 

American Overseas Research Centers 

(AORC)

• Promote and assist in postgraduate 

research, exchanges, and area studies 

in overseas locations like Indonesia, 

India, Pakistan, Italy, Senegal 

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FULBRIGHT-HAYS PROGRAMS 

SUPPORTING MUTUAL EDUCATION & CULTURAL EXCHANGE 

PROGRAM PURPOSE

Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad 

(DDRA)

• Provide opportunities for postgraduatelevel U.S. scholars to conduct 

dissertation research abroad 

Group Projects Abroad (GPA) • Support overseas training, research, 

and curriculum development projects in 

modern foreign languages and area 

studies for U.S. teachers, students, and 

faculty 

Seminars Abroad (SA) • Short-term seminars abroad for U.S. 

educators in the social sciences and 

humanities 

• Designed to improve understanding and 

knowledge of the peoples and cultures 

of other countries 

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COMPETITIVE PRIORITIES 

ADDITIONAL POINTS FOR APPLICANTS TO EXPAND ACCESS 

IFLE uses “competitive preference priorities”

in many of its grant competitions to broaden 

access to international education content and 

opportunities. 

These priorities focus on: 

 Community Colleges 

 Minority-Serving Institutions (e.g., Hispanic-Serving 

Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities) 

 Teacher Education Programs 

 Less-Commonly Taught Languages 

 Taking into account students’ financial need when 

awarding FLAS fellowships 

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WHY DO THESE PROGRAMS MATTER? 

Because global competency matters! IFLE’s programs:

 Prepare students to succeed in the global workforce 

 Promote our nation’s continued economic competitiveness 

 Support effective teaching through curriculum development 

 Develop knowledge required for national security and foreign policy 

 Encourage cultural understanding 

 Give our nation the ability to respond knowledgeably to any global 

situation that may arise. You never know when you’ll need an expert in... 

Public health policy in Brazil, the Ukraine-Russia relationship, climate issues in the 

Canadian Arctic, cybersecurity in China, traditional medicine in West Africa...

PLUS Did you know that IFLE’s programs are some of the only 

grants at ED that support world language learning and 

international studies at all levels, including K-12?

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WHY DO THESE PROGRAMS MATTER? 

Because an education without global skills is like a car without 

wheels...

You can build a really great car, but if you don’t add the 

wheels, you won’t go very far!

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RESULTS 

 1,500 Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships are awarded 

each year to support students as they study world languages and cultures. 

– More than 70% of former FLAS fellowship recipients report that FLAS funding 

had a direct impact on their career paths by benefiting their marketability and 

professional development/promotion potential. 

 There are 100 Title VI National Resource Centers (NRCs) for the 2014-2017 

grant cycle. Since 2000, these centers have made over 26,000 career 

placements in all employment sectors (many in government, military, and K16 education). 

 IFLE’s grant programs support the teaching and learning of 136 Less 

Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs), 49 of which are being taught at the 

advanced level. 

 Since 1964, the Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Program has 

supported over 5,600 postgraduate students in their research abroad! 

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LEARN MORE 

See and search IFLE’s grantee institutions on a Google Map

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LEARN MORE 

See IFLE’s grant programs in action through these videos:

 “Business Is Global” Summer Program for High School Students - 

Center for International Business Education (CIBE) at Indiana University

 East Asia National Resource Center (NRC) at Georgetown University

 Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellow - Duke University - 

John Hope Franklin Center for Interdisciplinary and International 

Studies

 Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad (GPA) – Merritt College 

Grant to Study African Diaspora in Brazil

 Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad (SA) – Seminar to China, 2015

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ENGAGE WITH IFLE 

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! 

 Visit our Web site

 Sign up for IFLE’s quarterly e-newsletter

 Find us on Twitter @GoGlobalED

 Join us on YouTube

 E-mail us at ifle@ed.gov

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THE IFLE TEAM 

FRONT OFFICE 

Mohamed Abdel-Kader, Deputy Assistant Secretary

Lenore Yaffee Garcia, Senior Director 

Sara Starke, Management/Program Analyst 

Michelle Butler, Program Specialist 

Cindy Fisher, Program Specialist 

ADVANCED TRAINING AND 

RESEARCH DIVISION (ATRD) 

Cheryl Gibbs, Director 

Carolyn Collins, Program Officer 

Tim Duvall, Senior Program Officer 

Jadon Marianetti, Program Officer 

Stephanie McKissic, Program Officer 

Mone’t Peterson-Cox, Program Administration Assistant 

National Resource Centers (NRC) 

Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships (FLAS) 

Centers for International Business Education (CIBE) 

Language Resource Centers (LRC) 

American Overseas Research Centers (AORCs) 

INTERNATIONAL STUDIES DIVISION (ISD) 

Gary Thomas, Director 

Maria Chang, Program Officer 

Pamela Maimer, Senior Program Officer 

Reha Mallory, Program Officer 

Tanyelle Richardson, Senior Program Officer 

Carla White, Program Specialist 

Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation 

 Research Abroad (DDRA) 

Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad (GPA) 

Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad (SA) 

Undergraduate International Studies and 

Foreign Language Program (UISFL)

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