Introduction

IN THIS CHAPTER we would like to address the impact visionary leadership can have on a field of research. Through forward-looking ideas and projects, an organizational leader's influence on those who test, research, and inquire into issues that build and deepen the knowledge base in second language acquisition and foreign language education is illustrated through an innovative professional development program that was developed during Helene Zimmer-Loew's tenure as executive director of the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG). The ripple effect of progressive leadership that inspires others to contribute actively to the well-being of a profession, or an organization, can be felt far and wide. The research studies described below provide substantial evidence of the powerful impact of an organization's forward-thinking leadership on classroom instruction and student learning.

“Going the Distance”: GOLDEN

In the early 1990s, when standards were first being developed in the language profession, it became clear that in order for professional standards to reach the classroom level, professional development opportunities addressing and modeling the principles promulgated in these standards would have to be created. In collaboration with the Goethe-Institut/InterNationes, critical topics were selected for professional development for teachers of German in the United States. The AATG and the Goethe-Institut New York selected a team of experts in the field to begin the process of developing the curriculum and determining how it would be delivered. Digital technology and the Internet were beginning to emerge at this time and offered the promise that professional development could be made much more accessible to teachers. Funding was received through the German Program for Transatlantic Encounters (Transatlantic Program), financed from the European Recovery Plan (ERP) funds provided by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology to develop the content of the selected online distance modules created by language experts associated with the Goethe-Institut/InterNationes. As chair of this project, dubbed “Going the Distance,” it became clear to Aleidine J. Moeller that online professional development for teachers had to present content using pedagogically sound strategies and tasks that engaged participants (German educators) in actively constructing knowledge and building skills, while also offering the opportunity to integrate them into the German classroom.