Florence Steiner Award for Leadership in World Language Education (K-12)

The Florence Steiner Award honors the memory of a teacher, department chair, professional speaker, and ACTFL President-Elect who was widely known and appreciated for her professional knowledge, her ability to communicate with teachers, and her wit. Working from her position as World Language Department Chair in the Glenbrook, Illinois, Public Schools, she inspired a generation of world language teachers and challenged them to improve their teaching through better communication of the goals and outcomes of second language education with the public, administrators, colleagues, and students.

The Florence Steiner Award for Leadership in World Language Education was originally supported by the generosity of the Illinois Foreign Language Teachers Association (IFLTA). The recipient of this award receives an honorarium.

Procedures for Nomination

The nomination dossier must include the following documents (in order):
1. A cover letter introducing the nominee and other dossier materials to follow, signed by nominator or by self-nominee (not to exceed 500 words).
2. Curriculum vitae of the nominee (not to exceed 10 pages or 4500 words).
3. A narrative addressing the award criteria (not to exceed 4500 words).
4. Letters of support – maximum of 3; including but not limited to colleagues, supervisors, current or former students, and administrators.
5. Other supporting documentation not to exceed 10 pages or 4500 words (e.g., photos, artifacts, articles, etc.) that documents the nominee’s special honors and awards, innovative curricular programs the nominee has developed, and evidence of leadership in world language education (see rubric for specific criteria and indicators); supporting materials may include links to video and audio files.
Complete nomination dossiers must be submitted through the online form in one PDF file by the deadline.

NOTE: No member or officer of the ACTFL or Language Connects Foundation Board of Directors may write a letter of support for any award nominee or actively shepherd the nomination of an award nominee. No member or officer of the ACTFL or Language Connects Foundation Board of Directors, or ACTFL employee is eligible for nomination for any award while holding these positions.

Procedures for the Selection Committee

The award Selection Committee will be co-chaired by a member of ACTFL, invited by the current ACTFL President.
Committee members will be selected from those that apply as volunteers.
Committee members rate and rank the dossiers using the award rubric and return their ratings and rankings to the Committee Chair or Co-Chairs by an agreed upon date.
The Committee may meet as many times as needed to decide on the award recipient.
At the discretion of the Committee, the award may or may not be presented during a given year.

PDF View Evaluation Rubric

Florence Steiner Award Rubric

PDF 2024 Awards Program

Explore Descriptions of Recent Awardees

- 2024: Debbie Callihan-Dingle, North East Independent School District (TX)
- 2023: Mark Linsky, Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (GA)
- 2022:
  - Angelika Becker, Carmel High School (IN)
  - John Carlino (posthumous), NYSAFLT and NECTFL
- 2021: Janice Holter Kittok, Educator in Service, LLC
- 2020: Carmen Scoggins, Watauga High School (NC), Appalachian State University (NC)
- 2019: Keith Cothrun, American Association of Teachers of German (AATG)
- 2018: Toni Theisen, Thompson School District, CO
- 2017: Janine Erickson, Denver Language School (Retired)
- 2016: Greta Lundgaard, Plano Independent School District
- 2015: Rita Oleksak, Glastonbury Public Schools
- 2014: Ken Stewart, Chapel Hill, NC
- 2013: Laura Terrill, Indianapolis, IN
- 2012: Jacqueline Van Houten, Kentucky Department of Education
- 2011: David Jahner, Decatur, GA
- 2010: Yu-Lan Lin, Boston Public Schools
- 2010: Lynne Tatlock, Washington University, St. Louis
- 2009: Margot Steinhart, Northwestern University
- 2009: Sheri Spaine Long, University of Alabama-Birmingham
- 2008: Paul Sandrock, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
- 2008: Jana Sandarg, Augusta State University
- 2007: Helene Zimmer-Loew, American Association of Teachers of German, Cherry Hill, NJ
- 2007: Hiroko Kataoka, California State University-Long Beach, CA;
- 2006: Virginia Gramer, Hinsdale School District, Hinsdale, IL
- 2006: Aleidine Moeller, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
- 2005: Jo Sanders, Anchorage, AK
- 2005: Sally Sieloff Magnan, University of Wisconsin, Madison
- 2004: Peggy Boyles, Putnam City Schools, Oklahoma City, OK
- 2004: Robert Terry, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA
- 2003: Martha Singer Semmer, National Network for Early Language Learning, Breckenridge, CO
- 2003: Frank W. Medley, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
- 2002: Ann Tollefson, Language Associates International, Casper, WY
- 2002: Emily Spinelli, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, MI
- 2001: Marie Trayer, In-Vision, Omaha, NE
- 2001: Carine M. Feyten, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
- 2000: Donna L. Clementi, Appleton West High School, WI
- 2000: Rebecca M. Valette, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA
- 2000: Judith Liskin-Gasparro, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
- 1999: Joanna Breedlove Crane, Alabama State Department of Education, Montgomery, AL
- 1998: Martha G. Abbott, Fairfax County Schools, Falls Church, VA
- 1997: Kathleen M. Riordan, Springfield Public Schools, Springfield, MA
- 1997: Joann P. Thrush, Madison Area Technical College, Madison, WI
- 1996: O. Lynn bolton, Nathan Hale High School, West Allis, WI
- 1996: Marcia Harmon Rosenbusch, Iowa State University, Ames, IA
- 1995: Elizabeth Hoffman, Nebraska Department of Education, Lincoln, NE
- 1995: Ray Verzasconi, Oregon State University, Corvallis
- 1994: Gladys C. Lipton, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD
- 1994: Diane Birckbichler, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
- 1993: Helena Curtain, Milwaukee Public Schools, Milwaukee, WI
- 1993: Renate Schulz, University of Arizona, Tucson
- 1992: Carolyn L. Andrade, Cincinnati Public Schools, Cincinnati, OH
- 1992: William E. De Lorenzo, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
- 1991: Christine L. Brown, Glastonbury Public Schools, Glastonbury, CT
- 1991: Robert Di Donato, Miami University, Oxford, OH
- 1990: Dorothea Bruschke, Parkway School District, Chesterfield, MO
- 1990: Irene Thompson, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
- 1989: Dora R. Kennedy, Prince George's County Public Schools, Upper Marlboro, MD
- 1989: Kenneth D. Chastain, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
- 1988: Frank M. Grittner, Wisconsin Department of Education, Madison, WI
- 1988: Carol Ann Pesola, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
- 1987: Kenneth A. Lester, Connecticut State Department of Education, Hartford, CT
- 1987: Phillip J. Campana, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN
- 1986: Maria Wilmeth, Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax, VA
- 1986: Gerard Ervin, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
- 1986: Edwin Cudecki (posthumous), Chicago Public Schools, Chicago, IL
- 1985: Barbara Elling, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY
- 1984: Constance Kay Knop, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
- 1984: Eleanor Lien Sandstrom, Greater Philadelphia Public Schools, Philadelphia, PA (retired)
- 1983: Lynn A. Sandstedt, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO
- 1983: Myriam Met, Cincinnati Public Schools, Cincinnati, OH
- 1982: Kay Lyons, Half Hollow Hills High School, Dix Hills, NY
- 1982: Robert G. Mead, Jr., University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
- 1981: Nancy Ann Humbach, Cincinnati, OH
- 1980: Charles Hancock, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD
- 1980: Anthony J. Mollica, Wentworth County Board of Education, Ontario, Canada
- 1979: Edward Allen, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
- 1979: Stephen L. Levy, Roslyn Public Schools, Roslyn, NY
- 1978: Joseph A. Tursi, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY
- 1977: Robert J. Ludwig, Mount Pleasant High School, Schenectady, NY
- 1977: Wilga M. Rivers, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

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Florence Steiner Award