WASHINGTON—Recently, Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva introduced the SYLLABLE Act and FLUEnt Act, two education bills to fund more dual language programs in low-income school districts and programs that enhance family literacy skills for English Language Learners, respectively.

H.R. 3397, the SYLLABLE Act will help establish high-quality dual language immersion programs in communities with high numbers of children from low-income families, including English learners and minority children, and support those programs as the children advance from pre-school through at least fifth grade. 

H.R. 3398, the Families Learning and Understanding English Together (FLUEnT) Act aims to improve the educational, social, economic advancement, and employability skills of families with English learners in need of literacy skills by expanding and enhancing family literacy services for them. The bill authorizes a program that awards grants to family literacy providers for family literacy programs aimed at those with English language learners, especially prioritizing the hardest-to-reach populations.

“English Language Learners benefit from immersion and interaction with other students in a school environment that has been largely nonexistent or fundamentally changed during the pandemic,” said Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva. “In order to make up for lost time in the classroom and ensure student progress, creative solutions are sorely needed. By expanding dual language programs and involving the entire family in the process, we can ensure better educational outcomes for our ELL students in the classroom and beyond.”

Both pieces of legislation are supported by UnidosUS. FLUEnT is endorsed by National Center for Families Learning, American Federation of Teachers.

“I applaud the introduction of the FLUEnT Act,” said Sharon Darling, President and Founder of the National Center for Families Learning. “To move forward from the pandemic, which has been so devastating to low-income, immigrant communities, we must look to solutions such as family literacy which support whole families. This bill will provide families with tools to support themselves and their children.”

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