Martha G. Abbott has been named the director of education for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
Ms. Abbott, 54, previously served as the director of high school instruction and K-12 curriculum services for the 168,000-student Fairfax County, Va., public schools, the 12th-largest school district in the country.
In her new position, Ms. Abbott—a past president of the ACTFL—will co-chair a national initiative called “2005: The Year of Languages,” which is sponsored by the Alexandria, Va.-based council. The initiative will promote the development of a national policy on foreign-language education, encourage collaboration between foreign-language advocacy groups, and establish a national foundation for innovation in language education.
The ACTFL provides professional-development and scholarship opportunities, publications, and an online network for its 7,000 members, who are foreign-language educators and administrators at all levels of education.
