Professor of Russian Dan Davidson Named to Commission on Language Learning
In response to a bipartisan request from members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences has created a national commission to examine the current state of language education, project what the nation’s education needs will be in the future, and offer recommendations for ways to meet those needs.
Bryn Mawr Professor of Russian and Second Language Acquisition and Director of the Russian Language Institute Dan Davidson is among those chosen for the commission. Early this year, Davidson testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations on the need for support of international exchange, research, and training programs with the regions of the world critical for U.S. national security and economic competitiveness.
The Commission on Language Learning will be composed of national leaders in education, scientific and humanistic research, business, and government. Their primary task will be to suggest a range of options for improving—and making more widely available—a set of educational approaches, services, and technological innovations. The commission will work with scholarly and professional organizations to gather available research about the benefits of language instruction at every educational level, and will help to initiate a nationwide conversation about the need for greater investment in languages and international education.
Initial support for the Commission is provided by a $220,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, along with resources from the Academy’s New Initiatives Fund.
For the full list of members and more information, visit the American Academy of Arts and Sciences website.