Reach out, research, and reform: Advocating for the future of world language education

Abstract

The landscape of world language education (WLE) in the U.S. has shifted significantly in recent years due to a variety of issues including language enrollment declines, teacher shortages, program cuts, and polarizing ideologies, among others (ACTFL, 2025a; Lusin et al., 2023; Tang, 2023; Thompson, 2024). To maintain the vitality of WLE programs, practitioners have been required to reconceptualize their curricula and recruitment pathways to adapt to this “new normal,” inevitably increasing their workload and emotion labor. This report outlines how a small WLE program at a mid-sized comprehensive university in Wisconsin confronted their local challenges by adopting a three-pronged advocacy approach involving outreach, research, and curricular reform. By expanding outreach efforts, conducting local research, and applying the findings to perform curricular redesign, this approach seeks to expand pathways into an ever-evolving program that is centered on career-readiness. The implications of such advocacy work can serve to mitigate the aforementioned challenges, creating a positive ripple effect throughout the field.