Ryan Wertz and Kathy Shelton
World Language Consultants, Ohio Department of Education

February is World Language Advocacy Month

Each year, throughout the month of February, ACTFL’s Lead with Languages campaign celebrates the achievements of students, parents, educators, and others who are advocating for language education programs across the United States. Strong and sustained language programs contribute significantly to the success of our communities as they develop students into globally competent citizens and provide businesses with the talent they need to thrive in our interconnected, 21st-century world. [ACTFL, Lead with Languages, 2021]

You are cordially invited to check out all the information and resources available on the Lead with Languages website. There you will find success stories, language program information, career information, advocacy news and resources as well as news and views from the field. This year Lead with Languages invites you to join the #IHeartLanguages Challenge by expressing appreciation for the language advocates who make it all possible.

Here at the Department we are proud to watch Ohio educators lead with languages every day as they overcome myriad challenges and strive to provide their students with the best language- and culture-learning experiences possible. As always, thank you for all you do to advocate for language learning in your sphere of influence! At ODE we remain committed to advocating for and supporting ALL languages.

Virtual Support for Ohio World Language Teachers

The Ohio Department of Education and OFLA have teamed up since April 2020 to offer virtual support to teachers during remote and hybrid learning.  This has included virtual meetups during the spring of 2020; our summer series, “Let’s Get Ready for Fall” during June-August 2020; and “World Language Wednesdays” during the 2020-2021 school year.  

These virtual sessions have focused on instruction and assessment strategies for remote and hybrid learning; open forums that focus on specific topics and the needs of individual groups; presentations by world language teachers; and technology tools that can support instruction. All materials and recordings, as well as a variety of resources for remote learning, are available to educators on the ODE Remote Resources page for World Languages and Cultures.