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National Language Teacher of the Year Program

Celebrating Distinction in the Language Education Profession

Five teacher of the year finalists standing together and smiling
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The ACTFL National Language Teacher of the Year Award recognizes excellence through a process that unites state, regional, and national language organizations and promotes and elevates the status of the language education profession.

Additionally, this program creates as many media opportunities as possible to increase the visibility of the importance of learning languages and cultures to the general public.

Explore the National Program, Rubric, Hall of Fame, & More


Teachers of the Year at the State & Regional Level

Every National Language Teacher of the Year begins as a candidate for their state-level program, before proceeding as a regional and national finalist.

Celebrate the 2022 State Teachers of the Year

Celebrate the 2023 State Teachers of the Year

Meet the 2024 Regional Language Teachers of the Year

Learn More About Getting Involved

Visit your state or regional organization's website for details.

Portrait photo of Kei, smiling

Meet the 2025 National Language Teacher of the Year

Announced at the 2024 ACTFL Annual Convention & World Languages Expo, Kei Tsukamaki is in her 13th year of teaching Japanese in Washington State.

She has served as President of the Washington Association of Teachers of Japanese and currently serves as Department Chair in her building and is a member of her district’s Japanese Curriculum Writing Team.