Professional Organizations
LARC faculty and staff organize and present at numerous local, state, regional, state, national and international conferences and workshops hosted and presented by professional language associations. LARC also collaborates with other universities, national language resource centers, and professional organizations to build infrastructure for all languages with a special focus on critical and less commonly taught languages. When requested, LARC representatives serve as volunteer consultants with the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Language partnerships have been formed with individual schools in the San Diego Unified School District, and some personnel serve as board members of professional organizations to help support the needs of language teachers.
ACTFL: American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages is the only national organization dedicated to the improvement and expansion of the teaching and learning of all languages at all levels of instruction. ACTFL is an individual membership organization of more than 9,000 foreign language educators and administrators from elementary through graduate education, as well as government and industry. ACTFL is synonymous with innovation, quality, and reliability in meeting the changing needs of foreign language educators and their students. The 2009 ACTFL National Conference is in San Diego and LARC will be working with the California Language Teacher’s Associateion (CLTA) to host and support the work and presentations of local and state language teachers,
ACTF Link: http://www.actfl.org
CLTA: The California Language Teachers Association
CLTA is an association of language professionals, which sponsors activities that promote, support, and enhance the teaching of world languages. Activities include an annual statewide conference, workshops, publications, a Web site, placement information, representation in Sacramento, recognition of special service to FL education, and much more. LARC participates in CLTA state conferences and sponsors workshops through the association.
CLTA Link: http://www.clta.net
FLCSD: Foreign Language Council of San Diego
The Foreign Language Council of San Diego is a local affiliate of the state-wide California Language Teachers Association, serving foreign language teachers with information, professional development, scholarships, networking and all matters related to foreign language teaching.
FLCSD Link: http://www.flcsd.org
NCOLCTL: National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages
Approximately ninety-one percent of Americans who study foreign languages in our schools, colleges, and universities choose French, German, Italian, or Spanish; while only nine percent chose other languages spoken by the overwhelming majority of people around the world. NCOLCTL addresses the issue of national capacity in the LCTLs by facilitating communications among member organizations, and with the governmental, private, heritage, and overseas sectors of the language community. Its ultimate goal is to increase the collective impact of LCTL constituencies on America’s ability to communicate with peoples from all parts of the world.
NCOLCTL Link: http://www.councilnet.org/