Students from 17 schools recently celebrated language and cultural diversity at the Milwaukee Public Schools World Fair in Wisconsin. About 2,400 attendees, who collectively speak 35 languages, shared their research about various countries, performed cultural dances and connected with peers at the event, held for the ninth year to promote global education and awareness.

Parents and young people in Alaska who are learning Tlingit in an immersion language initiative recently gathered to learn the formal way to conduct and participate in a ku.eex, a ceremony in which they greeted others, introduced themselves and received clan names. The Tricky Raven Language Initiative, which hosted the event, is seeking to connect people via the language and encourage them to use it to build cultural knowledge and community relationships.

Drawing parallels between learning to play pickleball and teaching, Crystal Frommert reflects on creating engaging, hands-on experiences for middle-schoolers at the Texas private school where she teaches math. Frommert writes that just as a pickleball coach provides differentiated instruction and immediate feedback to players, educators can cultivate dynamic learning environments to support the growth and understanding of students.

School leaders, facing time constraints, are reimagining lunch hours as opportunities for student engagement and community building, leveraging programs like "lunch and learn" sessions and rewards for character development. Despite challenges, such initiatives foster a more connected school environment and offer students meaningful experiences beyond the traditional lunch break.

As federal stimulus funds for tutoring dwindle, states like Louisiana, as well as the District of Columbia, are allocating annual budgets to sustain high-impact tutoring programs. With Louisiana earmarking $30 million annually and Washington's $4.8 million allocation, educators are seeking to embed tutoring as a permanent service to support student outcomes.

Carrie Cornett, an English teacher at John S. Battle High School in Bristol, Va., is one of 10 US teachers chosen for the US Holocaust Memorial Museum's Teacher Fellowship Program. Cornett says Holocaust education is "important for people to learn what happened so we can hopefully make changes to prevent that from happening in the future."

Join moderator and ACTFL President L.J. Randolph Jr. for the first of the "Language as Liberation" town hall series. On April 25, panelists and attendees will discuss how fostering transdisciplinary connects can benefit research in world language education. This webinar is free and open to all. Learn more and register to attend.

ACTFL is launching its first-ever tour experiences for ACTFL 2024 convention attendees on Thursday, Nov. 21, before the convention officially kicks off, in addition to a Saturday evening tour (plus communal dinner option). These tours will give you an opportunity to network and you can visit popular attractions, learn about the history and culture of Philadelphia, and enjoy time with your peers. Explore the options.