The STARTALK initiative, managed by the National Foreign Language Center at the University of Maryland, seeks to expand and improve the teaching and learning of strategically important world languages that are not now widely taught in the US.
STARTALK’s mission is to increase the number of Americans learning, speaking, and teaching critical need foreign languages by offering students (K–16) and teachers of these languages creative and engaging summer experiences that strive to exemplify best practices in language education and in language teacher development. The goal is to form an extensive community of practice that seeks continuous improvement in such areas as outcomes-driven program design, standards-based curriculum planning, learner-centered approaches, excellence in selection and development of materials, and meaningful assessment of outcomes.
