ACTFL Language Connects Awards 2026 Winners Announced

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Jason is the MAT director.
Jason Martel, the Director of the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) at the Language Schools, received the NYSAFLT Anthony Papalia Award for Excellence in Teacher Education.

ACTFL is pleased to announce the 2026 recipients of the ACTFL Language Connects Awards, an annual program recognizing outstanding contributions to the field of language education. Article posted on September 17, 2026.

These awards will be presented in San Antonio on Friday, November 20, as part of the 2026 ACTFL Annual Convention & World Languages Expo.

The following ACTFL Professional Awards will be granted:

  • Leo Benardo Award for Innovation in K-12 Language Education: Shannon Borum, Fulton County Schools & Kennesaw State University (GA)
  • NFMLTA Emma Marie Birkmaier Award for Doctoral Dissertation Research in World Language Education: Yunjung Yunie Ku, Georgetown University (D.C.) & Seoul National University (South Korea)
  • Nelson Brooks Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Culture: Bin He, Harvard-Westlake School (CA)
  • Award for Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Classroom: Marcia Mendes McLean, Harvard University (MA)
  • Klett Award for Sustainable Development Education in the World Language Classroom:
    • Jinhui Yu, Sacramento City Unified School District (CA)
    • Eugênia Fernandes, Florida International University
  • NYSAFLT Anthony Papalia Award for Excellence in Teacher Education: Jason Martel, Middlebury Language Schools (VT)
  • NFMLTA Paul Pimsleur Award for Research in World Language Education: Nicole Tracy-Venture (Oklahoma State University), Amanda Huensch (University of Pittsburgh), Jonah Katz (University of California Los Angeles), and Rosamond Mitchell (University of Southampton) for “Is Second Language Attrition Inevitable After Instruction Ends? An Exploratory Longitudinal Study of Advanced Instructed Second Language Users” Language Learning (2025)
  • Public Service Award for World Language and Cultural Advocacy:
    • Robert Cardoza, Stage Hands, LLC (TX)
    • Sarah Zenaida Gould, Mexican American Civil Rights Institute (TX)
  • Wilga Rivers Award for Leadership in World Language Education (Postsecondary): Angelika Kraemer, Cornell University (NY)
  • Florence Steiner Award for Leadership in World Language Education (K-12): Jessica Haxhi, New Haven Public Schools (CT)
  • Award for Excellence in World Language Instruction Using Technology (K-12): Yingying Reiter, Verona Area International School (WI)
  • Award for Excellence in World Language Instruction Using Technology (Postsecondary): Aria Cabot, Southern Methodist University (TX)
  • Melba D. Woodruff Award for Exemplary Elementary World Language Program: Wellesley Public Schools K-5 Spanish Program (MA); accepted by Bárbara Barnett

The ceremony will open with remarks by ACTFL Past-President Milton Alan Turner, and feature acknowledgment of the 2026 Research Priorities Grants recipients and Foreign Language Annals Super Reviewers, as well as remarks from the 2026 National Language Teacher of the Year, Nathan Campbell.

Learn more about the ACTFL Language Connects Awards program. The call for nominations, including self-nominations, will reopen in Spring 2027.