With generous funding from the R. Howard Dobbs Foundation, we are able to fund the two goals of Project ATOL. 

As the State of Georgia continues to attract international businesses, our students must be equipped to function seamlessly in the careers these businesses bring. WL teachers are critical in developing in our students not only language proficiency but also cultural competence, the combination of which provide soft skills desired by prospective employers. Yet, WL teachers are difficult to hire and subsequently retain in our state, which lessens the opportunities of our students to develop critical skills for their future. 

Two ways to increase WL teacher retention in our state are (1) to provide content-specific mentoring to new teachers across Georgia and (2) to provide professional learning and professional community-building opportunities to the teachers in Georgia’s rural schools. With these in mind, I would like to introduce you to the Advancing Teachers Of Languages (ATOL) Project, a joint effort of ACTFL and The Small Town and Rural Language Teachers (STaRLT) nonprofit.

The allusion to an atoll is appropriate for this project, as WL teachers are frequently islands unto themselves in schools. The goal of Project ATOL is to connect these islands to support teachers and the development of strong language students in Georgia. Below are richer descriptions and budget documents for both objectives of Project ATOL.

Project ATOL Objective 1:
​WL Mentoring Program

Attrition rates are higher for teachers in early career years. To combat this reality, schools across the nation implement mentoring programs that pair new teachers with veterans who can assist in the transition to a classroom. What is often the case with WL teachers, however, is that their mentor teaches a different content area (e.g., Math or Science) and therefore cannot provide adequate support to develop teaching skills specific to language acquisition. These novice WL teachers start their careers as islands within the school ecosystem. For this reason, Project ATOL has developed a hybrid mentor program that connects novices with veteran WL teachers.

​This model has been modified from a successful program in another state to fit the Georgia context. It is a yearlong mentoring program that moves through three focus phases to support new teachers: first, classroom management; next, development of individual goals; and last, grounding teaching in professional learning. The model requires monthly synchronous meetings between mentees and mentors, participation in quarterly virtual program meetings, and participation in the annual FLAG conference. The mentor program provides both support for new teachers as well as leadership opportunities for veteran teachers, thereby highlighting their value in the teaching profession. 

​If you are interested in being a mentor or mentee, please see our page dedicated to the Mentor Program here. 

Project ATOL Objective 2: Professional development grants for rural WL teacher

WL teachers in Georgia’s rural schools are frequently islands unto themselves: they can be the only teacher of languages in their school or in the entire district, thereby missing out on content-specific professional learning and professional networks of fellow WL teachers. This professional isolation is a contributing factor to both burnout and turnover. The ATOL Project seeks to alleviate this isolation by partnering with the STaRLT community to provide grants to attend the annual FLAG conference, which is the state’s preeminent professional development event.

The FLAG conference is the state’s only multi-day professional learning opportunity specific to the WL content area. What is concerning is that rural WL teachers represented less than 5% of the attendance in the 2023 FLAG conference. In addition to participation in the annual conference, bigger districts with larger WL teaching staff are more likely to have a professional community for WL teachers to access that is not available to Georgia’s rural WL teachers. Project ATOL grant recipients will represent both sides of the professional learning coin: they will receive professional development during the FLAG conference, then provide professional development to others in the STaRLT community by sharing how they implemented what they learned at the conference. 

If you are a World Language teacher in one of Georgia's rural school districts (see map here), you are eligible to apply for a Project ATOL grant to cover your FLAG 2025 conference fees and accommodations. The application can be accessed here. ​