World LEAP Act

Student Preparedness: The bill seeks to provide students with the language skills necessary for an interconnected and global world (Section 2).

Support for Specialized Student Groups: Priority is given to programs that provide immersion for English learners and heritage learners (Section 5(c)(2)(C)).

Teacher Professional Development: Grants can be used to provide professional development for certified and licensed world language or dual language teachers (Section 5(d)(1)(B)).

Creation of Career Pathways: The bill directs that at least 20 percent of grant funds be reserved to create accessible pathways for paraprofessionals to gain certification and licensure as teachers (Section 5(d)(1)(A)).

Teacher Recruitment: Priority is given to programs that conduct outreach to recruit secondary and post-secondary students, including former English learners and heritage learners, into teacher preparation programs (Section 5(c)(2)(F)).

Community Engagement: The bill encourages partnerships between programs and community-based heritage language schools and communities (Section 5(c)(2)(B)).

Administrative Burden: Local educational agencies must submit applications and follow specific reporting requirements, including providing data on student enrollment and educator numbers (Section 5(b) and Section 5(e)(1)).

Fund Limitations: Agencies are restricted from using more than 5 percent of grant funds to evaluate the efficacy of their programs (Section 5(d)(2)).