President Lyndon B. Johnson passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in 1965 in order to improve educational opportunities for children from low socio-economic backgrounds. ESEA typically passes through review in Congress every five years and has been reauthorized eight times: in 1968, 1972, 1978, 1983, 1989, 1994, 1999, and most recently, in 2001. Presently, the law is under review again.

Recommendations for the reauthorization have been proposed by both the U.S. Department of Education and other professional organizations and experts. A number of these recommendations are specific to Title III or to ELL students. As a service to educators and interested parties, NCELA has made available below a number of these recommendations. The appearance of a recommendation below does not constitute endorsement, and readers are advised to bear in mind that the ultimate wording of the legislation is subject to a vote by both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

If you would like your organization's recommendations to be considered for this page, please email askncela@gwu.edu.

U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Department of Education recommendations on reauthorization, including:

• A Blueprint for Reform, the Obama administration's priorities for the reauthorization of ESEA.     
• Meeting the Needs of English Learners and Other Diverse Learners 
• U.S. Department of Education blog on ESEA Reauthorization.

Summary report of OELA/OESE Roundtable discussion on Reauthorization of ESEA available here.

Congress

U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Education homepage

• Testimony before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee by Dr. Charlene Rivera, April 28 on the importance of addressing the needs of ELLs in the standards and assessments and the reauthorization of ESEA.
• Testimony before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee by Dr. Michael Hinojosa, April 29, on the critical need for teaching and learning with ELLs.

From the Field

• Position Statement on ESEA Reauthorization. From the National Council of State Title III Directors.
• Recommendations for ESEA Reauthorization. From the National Title I Association.
• Recommendations from Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).
• Questions and Answers Supplement (January 14, 2011) to Improving Educational Outcomes for English Language Learners:  Recommendations for the Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (updated May 25, 2010). From the Working Group on ELL Policy
• Creating a National Culture of Learning. From the Forum for Education and Democracy.
• Recommendations from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF).
• English Language Learners in Reauthorization. Presentation by the National Council of La Raza
• Letter on the proposed reauthorization of ESEA. From the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
• Priorities for Improving the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) for Native American Students. From the National Indian Education Association
• National Tribal Priorities for Indian Education. Joint statement from the National Congress of American Indians and the National Indian Education Association.
• Recommendations for the Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. From the Hispanic Education Coalition.
• ESEA Reauthorization Principles and Recommendations. From the Council of Chief State School Officers.

^{Last updated January 18, 2011}