Grants for Foreign Language Labs in Texas

Grants are available to maintain language labs in schools.

Foreign language labs are tools for students learning a foreign language. They provide students with clear access to lectures; allow them to set their own pace of study; and can grant privacy with individual booths, microphones and headphones. While there are drawbacks to labs --- such as lack of instructor attention, as highlighted by Meena Singhal at the University of Arizona --- language labs are still implemented by many schools. Grants are available to help build and maintain these labs.

Federal Funding

Federal funding provided by the U.S. Department of Education supports schools across the United States. The Foreign Language Assistance Program (SEAS) provides elementary and secondary schools with funding to maintain or build foreign language programs. State education agencies may apply through the e-application grant application system on the department's website. Priority is given to critical-need languages such as Korean, Arabic and Russian.

Corporate Funding

Many corporations offer grants and programs that benefit students. For schools looking to upgrade the technology in their language labs, technology grants that target schools can be of benefit. Technology retailer Best Buy, for instance, awards the Teach@15 Award through its corporate foundation. The grant helps schools grades 7-12 fund their technology needs. To be considered, the school must be nominated by a student between the ages of 13 and 18, and must be a member of Best Buy's @15 club.

Community Foundations

Community foundations lend financial support to organizations that benefit the public they serve. Numerous such foundations in Texas offer grants to local schools. For example, the Austin Community Foundation serves the people living in central Texas. Founded in 1977, the foundation manages 900 charitable funds and has approximately $100 million in assets as of 2011. The Magellan School Fund, administered by the foundation, provides funding for dual-language education for children living in the Austin area. Another example is the Woodrow Wilson High School Community Foundation, which provides support for schools associated with the Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas.

State Education Agencies

The Texas Education Agency serves as administrative support for elementary and secondary public schools in Texas. Part of the agency's role is to distribute state and federal funding to the schools. The PreK Dual Language is administered by the Division of Discretionary Grants to provide language learning resources for pre-kindergarten students. The award was given to the Children's Learning Institute at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston.

References

• Renet: Benefits and Advantages of Language Labs
• "The Internet TSL Journal"; The Internet and Foreign Language Education: Benefits and Challenges; 1997Meena Singhal;
• U.S. Department of Education: Foreign Language Assistance Program
• Best Buy, Inc.: Teach @15 Award Program
• Austin Community Foundation: About ACF
• Austin Community Foundation: Make a Donation

Resources

• Texas Foreign Language Association
• ASC Direct, Inc.: Grants
• Woodrow Wilson Foundation: The Cornerstone of the Community
• Texas Education Agency: 2010-2011 LEP SSI - PreK Dual Language
• Texas Education Agency: About TEA
• University of Texas at Austin: Hebrew Language Program