Celebrating the NFMLTA’s 110th Anniversary

November 2 , 2026
Anne Nerenz, NFMLTA Past President

 

On the 110th anniversary of the founding of the National Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations, founded in 1916, I am pleased to have the opportunity to trace the organization’s history and celebrate its many accomplishments. 

In the early 1900s, secondary and post-secondary faculty began experimenting with, and debating the merits of, a variety of emerging pedagogies, for example, approaches to designing a reading lesson [1]; whether to edit texts for use in schools and colleges [2]; the merits of the direct method [3]; and the purposes, means and difficulties of oral practice. [4] During this period of rapid change in goals and methodologies, secondary school and university faculty increasingly sought to share their classroom experiences, their understanding of the ways in which the teaching and learning of languages were evolving, and the practices they found to be most effective. In a paper read before the Modern Language Conference in New York, July 1916, and published in Volume 1, issue 1 of the Modern Language Journal, C.F. Kayser noted: 

Under ideal conditions a modern language teacher ought, of course, to be equipped with all this professional knowledge before he undertakes teaching. But such conditions nowhere exist and they certainly were not to be found here in the infancy of our vocation. To get it at all, the teachers had to get it for themselves. Some few, of course, might have gotten it, or did get it, all alone by themselves, but ordinarily such professional knowledge is the result of common effort. So it was, too, with our work. Serious modern language teachers, here and there, began to band together, they formed associations. They met to discuss with one another the problems that confronted them and were of common interest to them. [5]

In early 1916, delegates from five language associations came together to found the National Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations (NFMLTA). The five charter organizations, whose members were primarily secondary language educators, included: 

  • the Association of Modern Language Teachers of the Central West and South (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin);
  • the Association of Modern Language Teachers of the Middle States (Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia) and Maryland.
  • the New England Modern Language Association (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire), 
  • the New Jersey Modern Language Teachers’ Association, and 
  • the New York State Modern Language Association. [6]

Although the names and geographic boundaries of many of these founding language associations have changed, the NFMLTA continues to honor the founders’ intent and values by continuing to promote the rich diversity of languages, to support scholars and educators at every level, and to connect research to teaching practice. Some of the NFMLTA’s most impactful contributions to the profession over these 110 years are described below.

 

The Early 20th Century

Promoting Scholarly Exchange

The Federation’s first president was Arthur Graves Canfield. A renowned scholar of Romance languages, Canfield was committed to establishing standardized pedagogical training for language teachers. Charles Handschin — a professor of German, a key organizer of the NFMLTA, and an officer during the federation’s early years — was also committed to sharing emerging instructional methods and approaches to the teaching of modern languages with public school and other foreign language teachers. 

Led by Canfield and Handschin and supported by the elected representatives of the charter member associations, the NFMLTA’s stated mission focused on promoting scholarly exchange between language teachers and researchers, sharing pedagogical research and teaching methodologies, and addressing the professional interests and challenges specific to language educators. To accomplish these goals, in 1916, the federation founded The Modern Language Journal. [7] As noted in the NFMLTA’s constitution, the objectives “shall be the promotion of modern language teaching throughout the United States by means of the publication of The Modern Language Journal and by such other activities as may seem desirable.” [8]

The journal’s early commitment to engaging both secondary and post-secondary language faculty [9] is reflected in Kayser’s (1916) address: “I mean to present to you reasons why we teachers of languages, especially those of secondary schools, ought to unite and take part in associations and why we ought to support and read, and also write for, modern language journals.” [10] The founding principle — that the NFMLTA and The Modern Language Journal existed to unify faculty of all languages across all instructional levels and contexts — is further affirmed in this statement, from the News and Notes section of Volume 1, Issue 1 (1916): 

The Modern Language Journal is primarily intended to be a teachers’ journal. Its success will to a great extent be due to the interest they take in keeping the pages alive with practical, helpful material. This can be done partly by generous criticism in letters that may find their way into the ‘Notes and News’ pages, but also by sending in contributions dealing with actual problems of teaching. The editors desire, for the present at least, simple accounts of how things are done — devices taken from the workshop. It is not necessary always that contributions shall be full-fledged articles. Many teachers who have really excellent ideas are as yet perhaps too timid to make a long flight. [11]

Crafting the Architecture of the Profession

In addition to actively promoting scholarly exchange among language professionals through the publication of The Modern Language Journal, the NFMLTA also played an important role in establishing the architecture of our profession. In 1917, for example, when philologist and German scholar James Hatfield served as co-president with noted Spanish scholar Elijah Hills, Handschin, Hatfield, and Hills encouraged scholars in the Midwest to form their own regional language association. These early leaders of the NFMLTA are also remembered for their work in establishing what we now recognize as the geographic framework for many of our contemporary world language associations. 

The Late 20th Century

After about 75 years of stable, continuous, and impactful contributions that shaped and advanced the profession, primarily through the publication of The Modern Language Journal, in the late 20th century the NFMLTA launched several new initiatives. These focused on advocacy and on supporting and celebrating exceptional scholarship.  

Advocacy

During the 1970s, the NFMLTA was part of a small, informal coalition of national language teaching and professional associations who founded the Joint National Committee for Languages and the National Council for Languages and International Studies (JNCL-NCLIS). These new entities sought to address the need for a unified voice in language policy and to lobby for languages at the national level. In his excellent review of the NFMLTA’s mission and priorities over the first 75 years, David Benseler wrote:

Fully cognizant of its mission as a non-profit educational organization, the Executive Committee of the National Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations (NFMLTA), the owner of the MLJ, decided that it would henceforth use MLJ profits in three ways: 1) to continue to improve both the MLJ …; 2) to support continued research into second language acquisition, its publication, and the application of its results in the classroom; and 3) to help provide for the future of the profession by becoming a full partner in the Joint National Council for Languages (JNCL) and The National Council on Languages and International Studies (NCLIS). [12]

As we celebrate the NFMLTA’s 110th anniversary, the federation remains a sustaining benefactor and a key partner in promoting JNCL-NCLIS’s work to ensure equitable language learning opportunities for all students, to shape federal and state legislation to strengthen language programs, and to raise awareness of how multilingualism benefits the nation’s economy and security. 

Awards

Beginning in the late 1970s and early 1980s, in collaboration with ACTFL, the NFMLTA established two prestigious annual awards.

Both of these prestigious awards demonstrate the NFMLTA’s continuing commitment both to research in world and second language acquisition and to the application of research findings to the classroom.

 

Into the 21st Century: Supporting and Sharing Research

In the first 25 years of the 21st century, the NFMLTA continued to honor the federation’s original mission and goals by launching a number of initiatives which focus on supporting research, sharing research findings, and reinforcing the connection between research and classroom practice. 

Supporting Research

The NFMLTA offers three types of research grants.

Dissertation Writing Support Grants

Instituted in 2013, these grants support graduate students in the fields of applied linguistics and language education during the dissertation stage of their graduate education. The grants fund dissertation work including, but not limited to, instrument development, transcription or translation services, data gathering, coding, analysis, and the like. In 2026, the NFMLTA/NCOLCTL Graduate Students Research Support Grants were absorbed into this program.

Learning and Teaching Priorities Grants

Initiated in 2019, these grants focused on ways to incorporate diverse student populations into a unified learning community, to Incorporate and assess intercultural competency in language classes, effective forms of formative and summative assessment, and cross-university language course sharing initiatives.

New Professors Research Support Grants

Initiated in 2022, this grant program supports those new to the professoriate (1-5 years in their teaching positions at colleges or universities in the United States immediately after defending the dissertation) who are conducting research projects, whose results can have a positive impact on the field of applied linguistics or language learning and teaching. As with the dissertation support grants, this program funds discrete projects at any stage of the research process. The inaugural Early-career Professor Research Support Grants were awarded in 2026.

Career Researchers Support Grants

Initiated in 2022, this grant program supports established researchers at colleges or universities in the United States who have a proven record of research and publishing success and are conducting research and publishing results that are critical to the growth and progress in the field of applied linguistics or language learning and teaching. This program also funds discrete projects at any stage of the research process. The inaugural Career Researcher Support Grants were awarded in 2026.

Sharing Research

For 110 years, the NFMLTA has shared research through its award-winning, scholarly publication, The Modern Language Journal. More recently, the NFMLTA has launched several types of research support grants to further support the dissemination of research findings.

NFMLTA/ MLJ Research Roundtable Conference Grants 

Since 2016, in collaboration with the editor(s) of The Modern Language Journal, the NFMLTA has supported one or more small, invited research roundtable symposia where researchers share work on a topic of significant current theoretical or practical interest in the field of language teaching and learning. Roundtable grants are expected to result in a publishable paper or series of papers that bring together what is known on the topic and suggest future research questions and next steps.  

Conference Presentation Support Grants

Instituted in 2017, conference presentations grants are intended to help defray the costs of presenting original research at a local, state, regional, or national conference for language professionals.

“Research in Action” Video Outreach Program 

Beginning in 2025, the NFMLTA launched a series of short video segments designed to share the findings of award-winning, cutting-edge research in a way that is accessible to professionals at all stages in their careers and to suggest practical, research-based classroom practices that are applicable across languages, instructional contexts, and levels from Pre-K through post-secondary. Conference sessions based on the 2025-2026 YouTube series on “mirroring” and the teaching of pronunciation were presented in 2025 at NECTFL and SCOLT.

Webinar Outreach Program 

To serve the field more broadly, in 2026 the NFMLTA partnered with Avant Assessment in co-hosting a webinar entitled “A Focus on Language Access: From Snapshots to Stories.” The webinar explored longitudinal language enrollment patterns and the way policies shape equitable access to language education. A second webinar entitled “Making Languages Count: The Power of Credentialing as Advocacy” will become available in Fall 2026.    

 

In Celebration of 110 Years

In addition to funding the work associated with publishing The Modern Language Journal and supporting the work of JNCL-NCLIS, in celebration of the federation’s 110 years, in 2027 the NFMLTA will provide $110,000 in grant funding for symposia and for other outreach activities, including two new opportunities for Pre-K – 12 language professionals. 

NFMLTA Regional Roundtable Grants

The NFMLTA will begin offering funding for small conferences for Pre-K-12 teachers at the local, district, county, state, or regional level to collaborate on curricular innovations, program development, proficiency-based initiatives, Seal of Biliteracy work, teacher recruitment and retention efforts, intercultural learning, community partnerships, or other projects that advance language education and can be shared with the profession at large.

NFMLTA Partner Grants

One hundred ten years after its founding in 1916, 21 language associations are now official partners with the NFMLTA. Partner organizations were invited to join the federation and hold a seat on the board of directors. To honor the NFMLTA’s 110 years and thank our partner associations for their many contributions over the federation’s first 10 decades, beginning in 2027, the boards of directors of our partner associations will be eligible to apply for grants to launch advocacy initiatives, host professional learning programs, engage in leadership development, or support membership growth, research projects, or collaborative work that benefits Pre-K –post-secondary language professionals in their region, state, or local area.  

 

Conclusion

Since 1916, the NFMLTA has sought to bring together educators across all languages, instructional levels, and contexts and to link scholarly research and instructional practice. Over 110 years, the NFMLTA has funded a top-tier, international scholarly journal, advocated for languages, rewarded outstanding research into the teaching and learning of languages, provided financial support for research, offered a variety of approaches to the dissemination of research findings, and increasingly sought to make research findings accessible to all Pre-K–post-secondary professionals. We are extremely grateful for the vision offered by the founding officers and delegates from the NFMLTA’s charter organizations. These insightful individuals saw a need and embraced the opportunity to define, organize, and unite our profession.  In addition, we are thankful for 110 years of commitment and generous, creative service on the part of the more than a century of executive committees, boards of directors, and journal editors.  We, the current stewards of the NFMLTA, look forward to imagining, re-imagining, and supporting the work of the NFMLTA into the next 100 years. 

 

Notes

1 Méras, A. A. (1916). Possibilities in a reading lesson. The Modern Language Journal, 1(1), 10-17.
2 Holbrook, R. T. (1916). The Editing of French Texts for Schools and Colleges. The Modern Language Journal, 1(1), 18-32.
3 Purin, C. M. (1916). The direct teaching of modern foreign languages in American high schools. Modern Language Journal, 1(1), 43-51.
4 W. A. Hervey. (1916). Oral Practice–Its Purpose, Means and Difficulties. Modern Language Journal, 1(1),79-91.
5 Kayser, C. F. (1916). The federation and the proposed modern language journal. The Modern Language Journal, 1(1), p. 3.
6 (1931), Constitution of the National Federation of Modern Language Teachers. The Modern Language Journal, 15(6), 477. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1931.tb06784.x Also note that shortly after 1916, additional language-specific and regional organizations were also formed — AATSP in 1917, AATI in 1924, AATG in 1926, AATF in 1927 — and became constituent members of the NFMLTA.
7 https://nfmlta.org/modern-language-journal/
8 Constitution of the National Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations, Article II. The Modern Language Journal,15(6), 1931, 477. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1931.tb06784.x
9 This emphasis was reflected in the “New and Notes” section in The Modern Language Journal, Volume 1, Issue 3: A very cordial letter recently came to the managing-editor’s office from a Modern Language Association. In it there was the suggestion made that the material for The Journal should come from high school teachers of modern languages as well as from college men and women. In the present number, all the articles but one were written by teachers in secondary schools. Nothing would please us more than to have as many practical contributions as possible from this field. As was pointed out in the first number, The Journal is, before all else, intended to help the secondary school teaching of modern languages. We believe that, in the long run, greater good will come, if we can interest the secondary teacher to write from his experience.
10 Kayser, C. F. (1916). The federation and the proposed modern language journal. The Modern Language Journal, 1(1), p. 1.
11 News and Notes (1916). The Modern Language Journal, 1(1), p. 41.
12 See Benseler, D. P. (1991). On scholarship and professional service: The modern language journal turns seventy-five. Modern Language Journal, 75(1), 1. and Magnan, S. S. (2000). From the editor: MLJ policies and practices: Their evolution from 1916 to the year 2000. Modern Language Journal, 1-4.
13 Note that at the time this award was created, it was known as the Paul Pimsleur Award for Research in Foreign Language Education.
14 Note that at the time this award was created, it was known as the Emma Marie Birkmaier Award for Doctoral Dissertation Research in Foreign Language Education.