Your recent item concerning the Measure 58 question to be voted on by Oregon residents in November should cause concern among citizens who support the concept of language learning and multilingualism in particular.  Even in today’s challenging circumstances, this issue is too important to allow economic considerations to prevail. 

The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages will focus on the increasing gap in critical language proficiency that has gained increasing attention in the U.S.  The association will convene its 40th Annual Conference and Exposition at the Convention Center in Downtown Nashville, TN from November 16-19, 2006.  At the forefront of the conference will be ACTFL’s Discover Languages public awareness initiative.  That campaign was launched one year ago to rally support for language education among the general public and to energize those in the profession to renew their efforts to promote language learning at the local level. 

The U.S. Department of Education today announced guidelines for current college students and high school seniors to apply for new Academic Competitiveness Grants and National SMART Grants for the 2006-07 academic year.  Students who completed rigorous coursework in high school or who are pursuing degrees in math, science and critical foreign languages are eligible for a portion of $790 million in new federal funding for higher education.

Rita A. Oleksak has been elected President-Elect 2006 of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Ms. Oleksak, who holds a B.A. degree in French and Spanish, a M.A.T. in Spanish and a M.Ed in Educational Administration, is the Foreign Language Director K-12 in Glastonbury, CT.  Previously, she was Supervisor of Foreign Languages K-12 in West Hartford, CT.