Advocacy & Policy

MATSOL's mission is to promote equity and excellence in the education of multilingual learners. MATSOL works in coalition with other local, state, and national groups to achieve this goal.
 

Higher Ed for All

Affordable high-quality public higher education is essential to expand opportunity  in all of our communities and create a more equitable and prosperous Commonwealth. The Higher Ed For All Coalition is advocating for fully funded community colleges, state universities and  UMass campuses and proposes the following actions to knock down the barriers that too many  potential college graduates encounter – and to create a public higher education system that  demonstrates its respect for workers by providing fair wages and working conditions.

The coalition's plan includes:

  • A debt-free college plan that covers not just tuition and fees but also living expenses, including food and housing
  • Expansion of existing programs that support student success and address staffing shortages
  • Recruitment and retention of high-quality and experienced faculty and staff – and make it possible for them to meet the needs of their students, particularly those who face the most significant challenges
  • Return to the historic model of public funding for public buildings on college and university campuses and include faculty and staff when assessing campus needs

MATSOL joined the Higher Ed for All Coalition in January 2023.

Read the Campaign Goals

Visit the MATSOL Blog for updates
 

Language Opportunity Coalition

MATSOL is a founding member of The Language Opportunity Coalition. The goal of the coalition is to increase language learning opportunities for learning English, developing native/heritage language, or learning foreign language, and to ensure that all learners have equal access to a high quality education and professional opportunities.
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LOOK Act

With the Language Opportunity Coalition, MATSOL successfully advocated for passage of the LOOK Act of 2017 which removed restrictions on bilingual education, established a new dual language endorsement, and created the State Seal of Biliteracy. 
 

Seal of Biliteracy

With the Language Opportunity Coalition, MATSOL led advocacy for the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy, which was established under the LOOK Act of 2017. The Seal of Biliteracy recognizes graduates who speak, listen, read and write proficiently in another language in addition to English with a seal on the high school diploma. The purpose of the award is to promote long term foreign, native, and heritage language study, document achievement in biliteracy, and produce a biliterate, multicultural workforce. Massachusetts is the 29th state to establish the award. 
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