A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs

OBEMLA Web Page

Mailing Address:    OBEMLA    U.S. Department of Education    330 C Street, SW, 5th Floor    Washington, DC 20202-6510

Established in 1974 by Congress, the Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs (OBEMLA) helps school districts meet their responsibility to provide equal education opportunities to limited English proficient (LEP) children.

A well-designed, instructional program?using a student's native language (to varying degrees) and designed and implemented at the local level?can be very effective in promoting English proficiency and subject area competence. Bilingual education programs aim to accomplish the following:

• Help LEP students master English.

• Help LEP students master challenging content in all areas of the curriculum.

The programs described below are administered by OBEMLA.

Academic Excellence Awards

This program provides discretionary grants to state education agencies, local education agencies, nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher education. It promotes the adoption and implementation of exemplary bilingual education, English as a Second Language, and other alternative instructional and professional development programs.
Mary T. Mahony, 202-205-5463
E-mail: askncbe@ncbe.gwu.edu

Bilingual Education Comprehensive School Grants

This program provides discretionary grants for schoolwide bilingual education, English as a Second Language programs, and other alternative instructional programs. Programs should reform, restructure and upgrade relevant programs and operations that serve all (or virtually all) LEP students in a particular school. Grants may be used for family education, parent outreach, curriculum development, instructional materials, improved assessment procedures, education software, tutoring and counseling, training programs that improve services to LEP students, or compensation of personnel trained to serve LEP students.
Harry Logel, 202-205-5463
E-mail: askncbe@ncbe.gwu.edu

Bilingual Education Program Enhancement Grants

This program provides grants to carry out, expand and enhance an existing bilingual education or ESL program and other alternative instructional programs for LEP students. Grantees must conduct professional development programs that improve the instruction of LEP students. Grants may also be used for family education, compensation of personnel trained to serve LEP students, curriculum development, education technology and academic or career counseling.
Ana Garcia, 202-205-5463
E-mail: askncbe@ncbe.gwu.edu

Bilingual Education Systemwide Improvement Grants

This program provides grants to improve, reform and upgrade the programs and operations of an entire local education agency to serve LEP students better. Funds may be used for curriculum development, the establishment of education standards for LEP students, improved assessment procedures, enhanced personnel policies, the reform of student grade-promotion and graduation requirements, family educational programs, instructional materials, educational technology and academic or career counseling.
Harry Logel, 202-205-5463
E-mail: askncbe@ncbe.gwu.edu

Bilingual Education Teachers and Personnel Grant

This program provides discretionary grants for the professional development of bilingual education teachers and other education personnel to improve educational services for LEP students.
Cindy Ryan, 202-205-5463
E-mail: askncbe@ncbe.gwu.edu

Bilingual Education Training for All Teachers

This program provides discretionary grants for the professional development of bilingual education teachers and other education personnel to improve educational services to LEP students.
Cynthia Ryan, 202-205-6168
E-mail: cynthia.ryan@ed.gov

Career Ladder Program

The program provides discretionary grants to upgrade the qualifications and skills of noncertified education personnel, especially education paraprofessionals. The program also helps recruit and train secondary school students to be bilingual education teachers.
Carol Manitaras, 202-205-8842
E-mail: manitaras.carol@ed.gov

Elementary School Foreign Language Incentive Program

The Department awards grants to encourage local education agencies to implement intensive foreign language programs.
Petraine Johnson, 202-205-8737
E-mail: petraine.johnson@ed.gov

Emergency Immigrant Education Program

The Emergency Immigrant Education Program provides formula grants to state education agencies to assist local education agencies that experience large increases in their student population due to immigration. Grants are used to provide high-quality instruction to immigrant children and youth to help them adjust to American society, which includes meeting U.S. challenging state performance standards expected of all children and youth.
Harpreet Sandhu, 202-205-9808
E-mail: harpreet.sandu@ed.gov

Field-Initiated Research

This program provides grants for research on effective instructional methods and other issues to enhance service to LEP students.
Alex Stein, 202-205-5713
E-mail: askncbe@ncbe.gwu.edu

Foreign Language Education

This program provides discretionary grants to local education agencies to pay for a share of the cost of innovative model programs that establish, improve and expand foreign language study for elementary and secondary school students.
Harpreet Sandhu, 202-205-9808
E-mail: sandu.harpreet@ed.gov

Graduate Fellowships Program

Provides financial assistance through institutions of higher education to individuals who are pursuing master?s, doctoral or post-doctoral study that relates to the instruction of LEP children and youth in areas such as teacher training, program administration, research and evaluation and curriculum development, and dissertation research support. Fellowship recipients are required to work for a period of time equivalent to the time that they received assistance.
Joyce Brown, 202-205-9727
E-mail: askncbe@ncbe.gwu.edu

Program Development Implementation Grants

This program provides discretionary grants that support the development and implementation of new comprehensive, coherent and successful bilingual or ESL programs, as well as other special instructional programs for LEP students.
Ana Garcia, 202-205-5463
E-mail: askbcbe@ncbe.gwu.edu

State Grant Program

The State Grant Program provides discretionary grants to states and outlying areas to collect and report data on the state?s LEP population and to provide technical assistance to local education agencies within the state. State education agencies may use program funds to assist local agencies with program design, capacity-building, student assessment and program evaluation.
Luis Catarineau, 202-205-9907
E-mail: luis.catarineau@ed.gov

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