American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Announces February as Lead with Languages Advocacy Month

  • ACTFL driving focus on foreign language education
  • Includes Lead with Languages Scholarship Program & Foreign Language Enrollment Drive
  • Rolling out first-of-kind survey on impact of language skills in U.S. economy

ALEXANDRIA, Va.--()--The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) today announced February 2019 as Lead with Languages Advocacy Month. As part of its greater mission to improve and expand the teaching and learning of all languages at all levels of instruction, ACTFL has planned a number of activities and initiatives throughout the month to celebrate and bring awareness to foreign language education throughout the United States.

As part of Lead with Languages Advocacy Month, ACTFL is launching its Lead with Languages Scholarship Program and Foreign Language Enrollment Drive, as well as a first-of-its kind survey on the value of language in the U.S. economy.

The survey will provide the most complete view to date on foreign language need and availability in the U.S. economy. This never-before-seen industry report will include new data emphasizing the critical need for language skills in the workplace, and the impact of these skills in the U.S. economy.

“Today’s world is increasingly interconnected and interdependent. In the 21st Century, knowing a second language is not only beneficial, but necessary for success in business and life. Lead with Languages Advocacy Month allows us to direct attention to an issue that is often deprioritized for larger initiatives,” said Howie Berman, CAE, Executive Director of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).

He continued, “The reality is that language skills fuel the global economy. Universities are scrutinizing applicants for multilingual candidates to identify future world leaders. Employers and businesses are seeking applicants who can navigate the modern economy. Learning another language allows students to develop both of these skill sets. Our hope is that these initiatives will not only help students enhance their own personal language skills, but one day pass along those skills to the next generation as well.”

The Lead with Languages Scholarship Program is aimed at graduating high school seniors who are committed to pursuing a career as a foreign language educator. This program will work in conjunction with a broader ACTFL initiative, “Educator’s Rising,” a teacher-led mentorship program for early career language educators.

ACTFL is using the scholarship program to reward students with an interest in language education and to continue its effort of building a pipeline of foreign language educators and address the growing nationwide shortage of language teachers.

In addition to the scholarship program, ACTFL is also hosting a month-long Foreign Language Enrollment Drive as an anchor to Lead with Languages Advocacy Month in order to boost enrollment in foreign language programs for the upcoming academic year.

“In modern academia, we’re seeing a lot of focus placed on STEM and other initiatives. STEM initiatives are greatly important, but supplementing STEM with foreign language education allows students to open up to a whole new world of opportunities by pursuing a more inclusive curriculum. Languages enable students to get even more out of the valuable education they are already receiving,” Berman said.

For more information regarding ACTFL and Lead with Languages Advocacy Month, follow Lead with Languages on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and participate in the conversation by downloading the 2019 social media kit.

About Lead with Languages
Created in 2017, Lead with Languages is an unprecedented, multi-year campaign aimed at reversing the nation’s language skills gap and making language learning a national priority. The campaign seeks to build awareness across the U.S. about the growing importance of language skills to a wide array of careers—and to our nation’s economy, national security and international standing—with the ultimate goal of supporting a new generation of Americans competent in other languages and cultures and equipped to compete and succeed in a global economy.

About ACTFL
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) is the national association for language education professionals from all levels of instruction and representing all languages. With more than 12,500 active members, ACTFL provides innovative professional development opportunities, acclaimed training and certification programs, and widely cited books, publications, scholarly journals, research studies and language education resources, including Foreign Language Annals and The Language Educator magazine. As part of its mission and vision, the organization provides guidance to the profession and to the general public regarding issues, policies, and best practices related to the teaching and learning of languages and cultures. ACTFL is a leading national voice among language educators and administrators and is guided by a responsibility to set standards and expectations that will result in high quality language programs.

Contacts

Brian Kelley
703-533-1618
bkelley@aboutsage.com

Release Summary

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages announces February as Lead with Languages Advocacy Month.

Contacts

Brian Kelley
703-533-1618
bkelley@aboutsage.com