#237

What keeps students coming back to your language program each year? Especially when graduation requirements, scheduling and competing electives are pulling them in other directions? This is the second episode in our advocacy series. Last week I looked at local, state and national efforts. Today we are in the classroom. I’m joined by Ann LeClair-Ash, a National Board Certified French teacher in Milton, Georgia. We move beyond “convincing students to stay” and dig into designing programs students want to be part of. We look at what advocacy looks like in daily practice in our classrooms. If enrollment trends have you worried, this conversation offers practical steps and genuine hope grounded in real classroom experience.

Topics in this Episode:

• factors that influence whether students choose to continue with a language beyond the required level
• classroom practices or program-level decisions that make a real difference in helping students feel connected, successful, and excited to keep going
• what advocacy for retention looks like when it’s embedded in classroom culture, student voice, and everyday interactions
• mindset shifts or actionable steps that help teachers build momentum for their language programs
• designing learning experiences that students want to be part of
• JNCL (Joint National Committee for Languages) and NCLIS (National Council for Languages and International Studies)
• Language Advocacy Days
• ACTFL’s Advocacy Resource Center

Connect with Ann LeClair-Ash:

• Instagram: madame_leclair_ash
• LinkedIn: Ann LeClair-Ash
• Email: AshAnn@fultonschools.org
• Website

A Few Ways We Can Work Together:

• Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD for Individual Teachers
• On-Site or Virtual Workshops for Language Departments
• Self-Paced Program for For Language Departments

Connect With Me & The World Language Classroom Community:

• Website: wlclassrom.com
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook Group: World Language Classroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• LinkedIn: Joshua Cabral
• Bluesky: /wlclassroom.bsky.socia
• X (Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#236

Curious how language programs thrive even with tight budgets and shifting graduation rules? In this episode, I share insights from conversations at the Klett World Languages booth at ACTFL. We’ll explore why language learning matters, from building communication and literacy skills to preparing students for future careers. I share practical, actionable strategies teachers can use to advocate for their programs locally, at the state level, and even federally. Stick around for tips you can put into action this week.

Topics in this Episode:

• JNCL (Joint National Committee for Languages) and NCLIS (National Council for Languages and International Studies)
• Language Advocacy Days
• Why Language Learning Matters
  • Communication skills
  • Cognitive and academic benefits
  • Student confidence and engagement
  • National and workforce relevance
• Themes from ACTFL Conversations
  • Challenges
  • Success stories
  • Attitudes and mindsets
• Concrete Advocacy Strategies
  • Local advocacy
  • State and Federal-level
• Supporting Professional Associations
• Overcoming Common Obstacles
  • Language isn’t core content
  • Small enrollment / low demand
  • Advocacy feels like extra work
• Here’s what you can do this week:
  • Visit ACTFL’s Advocacy Resource Center and pick one tool to use.
    Identify a program goal — graduation requirement, Seal of Biliteracy, or enrollment growth — and start building a local coalition.
  • Share your program’s successes with administrators, parents, and policymakers — focus on outcomes and skills, not ideology.
  • Consider joining or renewing membership in professional associations to support advocacy efforts at the state and national level.

A Few Ways We Can Work Together:

• Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD for Individual Teachers
• On-Site or Virtual Workshops for Language Departments
• Self-Paced Program for For Language Departments

Connect With Me & The World Language Classroom Community:

• Website: wlclassrom.com
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook Group: World Language Classroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• LinkedIn: Joshua Cabral
• Bluesky: /wlclassroom.bsky.socia
• X (Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#235

What actually motivates our students? Today we explore that question through the lens of Self-Determination Theory with teacher Martha Cox-Stavros, a middle school Spanish teacher in Massachusetts. Whether this theory is brand new to you or something you’ve heard mentioned in passing, this conversation breaks it down in clear, classroom-ready ways. We dig into how competence, autonomy, and relatedness show up in real language tasks and how small, sustainable shifts can help students feel successful, motivated, and confident in your classroom.

Topics in this Episode:

• what Self-Determination Theory is and how it applies to the language classroom.
• how teachers can design tasks so students consistently feel that sense of progress and success?
• practical, manageable strategies teachers can use to give students real choice and agency without losing focus on required content
• low-stress, high-impact ways teachers can foster relatedness and connection among students
• how can teachers can begin to build sustainable practices that lead to competence, autonomy, and relatedness

Connect with Martha Cox-Stavros:

• Instagram:@profecox_stavros

A Few Ways We Can Work Together:

• Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD for Individual Teachers
• On-Site or Virtual Workshops for Language Departments
• Self-Paced Program for For Language Departments

Connect With Me & The World Language Classroom Community:

• Website: wlclassrom.com
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook Group: World Language Classroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• LinkedIn: Joshua Cabral
• Bluesky: /wlclassroom.bsky.socia
• X (Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.