I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1994 
To improve foreign language instruction. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 25, 2011 
Mr. HOLT (for himself, Mr. WU, and Mr. TONKO) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To improve foreign language instruction. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Excellence and Innova-
tion in Language Learning Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) According to a 2007 report by the National 
Research Council, a pervasive lack of knowledge 
about foreign cultures and foreign languages in this 
country threatens the security of the United States, 
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as well as its ability to compete in the global mar-
ketplace and produce an informed citizenry. 
(2) According to a 2007 report by the National 
Research Council, early language learning in elemen-
tary school and secondary school is key to estab-
lishing a pipeline of students who can eventually 
reach a high enough level of proficiency in foreign 
languages and cultures to meet national needs. 
(3) According to a 2006 report by the Com-
mittee for Economic Development, current efforts to 
develop language skills and knowledge of world re-
gions at an early age are clearly inadequate to pre-
pare high school graduates with the skills necessary 
for productivity and citizenship in an integrated 
global economy. 
(4) The American Council on the Teaching of 
Foreign Languages found that only 18.5 percent of 
students in kindergarten through grade 12 were en-
rolled in foreign language classes in the 2007–2008 
school year. Furthermore, the length of time stu-
dents spent studying languages at school has stag-
nated, so that many students reach only introduc-
tory levels of proficiency. 
(5) According to a 2009 report by the Center 
for Applied Linguistics, language instruction in 
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schools has declined dramatically over the past dec-
ade. The percentage of elementary schools and mid-
dle schools offering foreign language instruction de-
creased significantly from 1997 to 2008, declining 
from 31 percent to 25 percent for elementary 
schools and 75 percent to 58 percent for middle 
schools. 
(6) Research demonstrates that success lies not 
only in the number of years of learning but also in 
having carefully sequenced, articulated programs of 
language learning across a student’s school experi-
ence, requiring bridging the gaps between levels in 
foreign language education. 
(7) According to research collected by the 
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Lan-
guages, children derive cognitive, academic, and so-
cial benefits from the opportunity to learn another 
language at an early age. 
(8) According to the Center for Applied Lin-
guistics, in 2008 significant disparities existed in 
language learning opportunities, with students at 
suburban schools having more opportunities than 
students in rural schools, and students in private 
schools having more opportunities than those in pub-
lic schools. For example, 15 percent of public ele-
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mentary schools teach second languages in their 
classrooms as opposed to 51 percent of private ele-
mentary schools. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are as fol-
lows: 
(1) Protecting our national security interests by 
increasing the number of American students who 
have access to quality kindergarten through grade 
12 foreign language instruction in order to achieve 
a high level of proficiency in such languages. 
(2) Preparing American students to graduate 
high school able to communicate in a second lan-
guage and operate within another cultural frame-
work in order to foster the competitiveness of the 
United States in the global economy. 
(3) Closing achievement gaps domestically and 
internationally by providing American students equal 
access to quality kindergarten through grade 12 for-
eign language instruction. 
(4) Providing every student access to quality 
language instruction as part of articulated kinder-
garten through grade 12 language sequences in 
order to give every student the opportunity to be-
come proficient in other languages in addition to 
English by high school graduation. 
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