I
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 10437
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 16, 2026
Mrs. Grijalva (for herself, Mr. Vargas, Ms. Norton, and Ms. Wilson of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce
A BILL
To improve the English language and literacy skills of English language learners and their families, and for other purposes.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the Families Learning and Understanding English Together Act of 2026
or the FLUENT Act
.
Findings
Congress finds the following:
The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey of 2023 estimated 25 percent of United States households speak a language other than English at home.
In many recently immigrated families, caregivers speak little to no English, can possess low literacy skills in their primary language due to limited or interrupted education, and frequently struggle to assist with the English and primary language and literacy instruction of their children.
The United States is a Nation of immigrants, and according to a Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data, as of June 2025, 51,900,000 immigrants live in the United States.
Purpose
The purpose of this Act is to improve the educational, social, and economic advancement of families with English language learners who have unmet literacy needs by expanding and enhancing family literacy services for such families.
Competitive grant program
Program authorized
From funds made available pursuant to section 9, and after reserving funds under section 9(b), the Secretary may award grants to family literacy providers to provide, directly or through a contract with another provider, family literacy services designed for English language learners and their families.
Grant term
Each grant under this Act shall be for a period of 1 year and may be renewed for a period of not more than 4 additional years.
Application
Each family literacy provider that desires to receive a grant under this Act shall submit an application at such time, containing such information, and in such manner as the Secretary may require, which shall include the following:
An assurance that services provided with funds under this Act shall be prioritized for English language learners with the greatest economic, educational, and social need, as identified pursuant to paragraph (4).
A description of the family literacy services that will be provided with funds under this Act for children who are English language learners and caregivers who are English language learners, which shall include how literacy instruction will be research-based and grounded in the science of reading.
A description of the outcome measures, consistent with section 6, that are research-based and will be employed by the family literacy provider to measure the effectiveness of family literacy services provided with funds under this Act.
An assurance that the family literacy provider will collaborate with, for the purposes of identifying English language learners described in paragraph (1) and developing family literacy services, one or more of the following:
A State or Tribal local educational agency.
A public elementary school.
A public secondary school.
A nonprofit entity (such as a community-based organization, library, community college, or early childhood education provider).
A requirement that any program staff who facilitate family literacy services be trained by and under the direct supervision of a highly qualified family literacy provider trained in research-based methods of early language and literacy promotion.
Grant amount
The amount of a grant under this Act for a fiscal year shall not be less than $150,000 or more than $1,000,000.
Use of funds
A family literacy provider receiving a grant under this section shall use such grant to provide family literacy services to families described in subsection (f).
Families served
Family literacy services under this Act may be provided to a family only if—
each caregiver in the family has attained 16 years of age; and
the family has at least one child who has not yet attained 8 years of age by the first day of the school year that begins on or after the date services are first provided to such family with grant funds awarded under this Act.
Technical assistance and training
Activities by Secretary
The Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, shall, through grants or contracts as described in subsection (b), provide technical assistance and training to family literacy providers receiving a grant under section 4 for the purposes described in subsection (c).
Activities by national organizations
In general
The Secretary shall make grants to, or enter into contracts with, at least 2 eligible national organizations to provide technical assistance and training to family literacy providers receiving a grant under section 4 for the purposes described in subsection (c).
Definition
In this section, the term eligible national organization means a national organization with expertise in providing family literacy services to English language learners.
Purposes
The purposes of technical assistance and training provided under this section are the following:
Assisting family literacy providers receiving a grant under section 4 to improve the quality of their family literacy services.
Enabling such family literacy providers that demonstrate the effective provision of family literacy services, based on improved outcomes for children and their caregivers, to provide technical assistance and training to government agencies and to family literacy providers that work in collaboration with such agencies to improve the quality of their family literacy services.
Assisting such providers in the implementation of literacy curriculum and training activities, including curriculum and training activities that support building on the primary language of a child.
Reports to Congress
Not later than 90 days after the end of each fiscal year, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Education and Workforce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report on the technical assistance and training provided pursuant to subsections (a) and (b). Each such report shall describe the actions taken by the Secretary to ensure that such technical assistance and training is of high quality and is responsive to the needs of grantees under this Act.
Outcome measures
The Secretary shall require each family literacy provider receiving a grant under this Act to meet culturally appropriate and competent outcome measures described in the application of the provider under section 4, including outcome measures with respect to—
acquisition of the English language, including improvement in academic achievement and academic language fluency and comprehension;
literacy skills and building of the primary language;
improved caregiving and life skills, such as communication and problem-solving skills;
the improved ability of caregivers who are English language learners to effectively communicate and partner with school personnel at the preschool, elementary, or secondary school their children attend;
improvement in the developmental skills and ability of the children to direct, regulate, and assess their own learning;
increased caregiver participation in the education, interactive literacy activities, and home environments of their children to support the learning and growth of their children;
improved general, cross-cutting abilities such as applied academic skills, critical thinking skills, interpersonal skills, communication skills, personal qualities, and skills in resource management, information use, systems thinking, and technology use; and
measurable progress in caregiver workforce preparedness, including enrollment in or completion of workforce training programs, attainment of industry-recognized credentials, or increased awareness of workforce pathways.
Evaluation
The Secretary shall conduct an annual evaluation of the grant program under this Act and use such evaluation to—
improve the program;
further define the goals and objectives of the program; and
determine effectiveness of the program.
Definitions
For purposes of this Act:
Adult education provider
The term adult education provider has the meaning given the term eligible provider in section 203 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3272).
Application of ESEA terms
The terms elementary school, local educational agency, and secondary school have the meanings given such terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
English language learner
The term English language learner has the meaning given such term in section 203 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3272), except that such term shall be applied by substituting individual
for eligible individual
in both places it appears.
Family literacy services
The term family literacy services has the meaning given the term family literacy activities in section 203 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3272).
Family literacy provider
The term family literacy provider means an entity that—
except in a case in which the Secretary waives the requirement of this paragraph with respect to an entity, is located in a geographic area containing at least one public elementary school or secondary school with either a majority enrollment, or an increase that has occurred during the most recent 5 years, in enrollment of children who are English language learners; and
is one of the following:
A grantee under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.) or any other Federal or State early childhood program.
An adult education provider.
A local educational agency.
A public or private nonprofit agency.
Another entity that has the demonstrated ability to provide family literacy services to English language learning adults and families.
Science of reading
The term science of reading means an interdisciplinary body of evidence-based research about reading and issues related to reading and writing that—
identifies instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and writing as essential components to skilled reading;
demonstrates the importance of background knowledge, oral language, the connection between reading and writing, and strong writing instruction;
explains why some students have difficulty with reading and writing; and
does not use a three-cueing model.
Secretary
The term Secretary means the Secretary of Education.
Authorization of appropriations
In general
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $75,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
Reservations
From funds made available pursuant to subsection (a) for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall reserve—
not more than 2 percent of such funds for conducting the annual evaluation required by section 7; and
$5,000,000 for technical assistance and training under section 5.