$50,000 Grant Awarded to Project ATOL to Strengthen Support for World Language Teachers in Rural Districts
The Small Town and Rural Language Teachers nonprofit organization is thrilled to announce the receipt of $50,000 from the R. Howard Dobbs Jr. Foundation to fund the Project to Advance Teachers of Languages (Project ATOL), which aims to support world language teachers across the state of Georgia. This funding will empower Project ATOL’s mission to connect, mentor, and provide development opportunities for educators dedicated to fostering multilingualism in rural districts. ACTFL’s Language Connects Foundation (LCF) will act as the project’s fiscal sponsor.
Project ATOL’s two main initiatives—the statewide mentoring program for world language teachers and funding for rural educators to attend the annual FLAG (Foreign Language Association of Georgia) conference—will directly benefit from this grant. The mentoring program pairs experienced language teachers with early-career educators, creating a support network that encourages professional growth and provides classroom-tested guidance. The annual FLAG conference, a premier event for world language educators, offers sessions on innovative teaching strategies, cultural proficiency, and technology integration in language learning. This funding will provide travel and conference expenses, ensuring that teachers in rural districts can attend and bring back invaluable resources to their communities. Project ATOL fund recipients will also receive a year of membership to ACTFL, the nation’s largest professional association for language teachers.
We are committed to enhancing language learning opportunities statewide by supporting the educators who make it possible, said Dr. Shannon Borum, president of STaRLT, and French teacher at Jackson High School. This grant will allow us to reach more teachers, particularly in underserved rural areas, and strengthen the quality of language education across the state.
With the support of this grant, STaRLT and the Language Connects Foundation are expanding their vision of a robust and inclusive language education network, reinforcing the role of world language teachers as leaders in their communities.
For more information on Project ATOL’s initiatives or to learn how to get involved, please visit www.starlt.org; To learn more about LCF and ACTFL, please visit www.languageconnectsfoundation.org or www.actfl.org.
Press Release
Contact Info:
Shannon Borum, Ed.D.
President, Small Town and Rural Language Teachers, Inc.
(404) 402-6908
president@starlt.org
Kit Hall, CFRE, CNP
Director, Language Connects Foundation
703-894-2900 x127
khall@actfl.org