LANGUAGE LEGACY

In 1976, the Joint National Committee for Languages began as an informal coalition of eight national language teaching associations, and now has grown to over 60 members, including national, regional, and state organizations. JNCL is an entirely member-funded nonprofit education policy association, and it represents more than 300,000 professionals under its three-tiered governance. The most widely known JNCL activity is its annual Delegate Assembly in Washington, DC where members promote public awareness of language issues.

Since its creation in 1988, the National Council for Languages and International Studies has engaged in public advocacy on behalf of languages and international education. NCLIS is a nonprofit trade association that serves as an "action arm" for the language and international education community by translating professional priorities into national policy.

JNCL-NCLIS now represent over 60 national and regional organizations encompassing virtually all areas of the language field: the major and less-commonly taught languages, including English and English as a second language, bilingual education, the classics, linguistics, exchanges, research, technology, and translation.