As a language educator, you share important resources with your students, their families, your colleagues, and the greater community every day. Beyond providing language instruction, you help individuals to connect more profoundly with others, celebrate varied perspectives, develop problem-solving skills, and take advantage of new opportunities—whether they are academic or professional, in town or half a world away!
Understanding the wide-ranging benefits of language learning, it’s vital that we advocate to ensure all U.S. students have access to this knowledge—and to highly effective teachers who have the support they need to thrive throughout all stages of their careers.
Unfortunately, we rarely have adequate time to lay a strong foundation for advocacy efforts when a crisis arises. By the time a program is named at-risk for elimination, graduation requirements are cut, supporting staff is reduced at the state or federal level, or an Executive Order announces sweeping changes to the Department of Education, we need to have a robust support network already established and ready to act.
By making hyper-local connections—especially when programs are healthy and strong—you can kickstart simple but powerful proactive advocacy initiatives and begin to set your community up for future success.
As an umbrella term, “language advocacy” can appear overwhelming, happening far away in the nation’s capital, or limited as a response to a specific bill or action. And while it does happen in D.C. and does require that we address legislation as it arises, grassroots language advocacy begins in your hometown and your classroom with your local connections—placing language educators in an important position to empower your students, communities, and leaders.
Share with us your grassroots initiatives @actfl across social media, and let’s champion language education together!
