Message for International Education Week 2007
Executive Director Bret Lovejoy
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
Alexandria, VA

I am writing to congratulate the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of State on yet another exciting International Education Week celebration for 2007! The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) has been a proud supporter of this joint initiative since its inception in 2000. We recognize that there is much to do in order to build a citizenry that is equipped to interact successfully with the rest of the world. That is why our organization established 2005: The Year of Languages to bring attention to the need for language education to be a part of every child’s academic career.

Now with the U.N. Proclamation of 2008 as the International Year of Languages, we expect to be able to highlight even more this critical need to build our nation’s language capacity. We have built on the momentum begun in 2005 to launch a sustained public awareness campaign called Discover Languages...Discover the World! This initiative encourages the implementation of language programs with more students studying critical foreign languages and by heightening the awareness of the general public about our nation’s critical language needs.

We look forward to continuing to work with the U.S. Departments of Education and State and their staff on this issue that is so vital to the well being of our children as they face the challenges of living, working, and competing in a global society. Thank you again for your continued support to bring language education to America’s students.