CARLA Summer Institutes
The Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) at the University of Minnesota has provided high-quality professional development for language teachers for over 30 years. Launched in 1996, this internationally known program reflects CARLA's commitment to link research and theory with practical applications for the classroom. Each institute is highly interactive and includes discussion, hands-on activities, and networking.
Who Participates in the CARLA Summer Institutes?
CARLA summer institute participants—more than 8,100 to date—have come from every state and countries all over the world. They have included foreign/world language, ESL/EFL, heritage language and immersion educators at all levels of instruction, as well as program administrators, curriculum specialists, and language teacher educators.
A Snapshot of the 30th Annual CARLA Summer Institute Program
In 2025, CARLA offered eleven online and in-person summer institutes for language educators. Over 210 language educators from across the globe participated in the 30th annual CARLA Summer Institute program. Check out the impressive statistics below.
By the Numbers
- 11 summer institutes offered: 1 asynchronous and 6 synchronous online institutes, and 4 in-person institutes held at the University of Minnesota.
- 249 language educators engaged in the program in 2025: 219 participants and 30 instructors/guest presenters.
Participants hailed from 37 states + Washington D.C., and 9 countries outside of the U.S.: Austria, Brazil, Costa Rica, Egypt, Greece, Mexico, Philippines, Qatar, Sweden. - Teachers of 26 languages attended the institutes: Arabic, ASL, Chinese, Dakota, ESL/EFL, Filipino, French, German, Greek, Hawaiian, Hindi, Hmong, Iñupiaq, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lakota, Latin, Ojibwe, Persian (Farsi), Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Western Armenian.
- CARLA offered a total of 24 summer institute scholarships to language educators: 16 Priority Teacher Professional Development Scholarships, 4 Teaching Excellence in Action in Minnesota (TEAM) K-12 Scholarships, and 4 UMN P&A Language Instructor and Graduate Student Scholarships.
Fun Fact: Over the past 30 years, CARLA has offered 327 summer institutes to a total of 8,193 language educators from all 50 states and 75 countries/US territories.
What Participants Say About the CARLA Summer Institutes
It is clear from reading the institute evaluations that these professional development opportunities make a significant difference for language teachers and their students. Comments by participants show that CARLA is seen as the “go-to” center for resources and support for language instruction, and they greatly appreciate that our instructors are some of the best in the field.
Read some of the quotable quotes from 2025:
Asynchronous Institutes
I highly recommend this Summer Institute. It perfectly linked research and practice on L2 pragmatics, and provided lots of interesting and useful ideas on how to incorporate pragmatics instruction into my own teaching. As I'm completing the last activities, these past weeks I've been reflecting a lot on my own teaching and research, and I hope to continue further developing in the future the insights gained here. —2025 institute participant (Culture as the Core in the Second Language Classroom)
Synchronous Institutes
The "Empowering Language Teachers to Leverage AI for Student Success" summer institute, offered by CARLA, is a fantastic opportunity for language educators at the K-12 and collegiate levels to demystify AI in language teaching and learning. Participants gain insights into how AI works, its current applications, potential, and the threats it poses to language teaching and learning. Participants explore a wide range of AI tools, draft their classroom AI policy, and develop classroom materials using AI. The institute considers both the teacher's and student's perspectives on AI. I highly recommend this transformative institute for AI newcomers or instructors looking to elevate their AI expertise.—Julia Feldhaus (Empowering Language Teachers to Leverage AI for Student Success)
This Summer Institute was a truly enriching experience. I gained a deeper understanding of Dual Language Immersion and practical strategies I can bring directly into my classroom. I especially appreciated the opportunity to connect with other educators and share ideas. Thank you for creating such an inspiring and supportive learning environment!—2025 Participant (Introduction to Dual Language Immersion)
Seals of Biliteracy: Establishing and Expanding Programs in Schools or Districts was an in-depth 3 day conference with expert guests and on-point and relevant lectures and presentations. It provided the participants with the pertinent tools and resources to jump start or expand the Seals of Biliteracy program. The discussions with other participants were rich, inspiring and motivating! I feel I have new tools and I am better informed about the possibilities and outcome of the program and how it can affect bilingual students and families.—Malika Sadi-Goodman (Seals of Biliteracy: Establishing and Expanding Programs in Schools or Districts)
This summer institute will have a profound impact on my work as a teacher. Not only did I learn technical elements of teaching in DLI programs, but it was also inspiring to meet other colleagues working in similar programs who are passionate about what they do and have relevant ideas for addressing our students' learning needs.—Ingrid Brown (Secondary Dual Language and Immersion: Achieving the Promise of Continuation Programs)
As an educator in the field for 10 years, I wish I had taken this course years ago! It helped validate my thinking on best practices as well as strengthen my abilities and knowledge to improve my practices with my DLI students. I am so excited to apply and share my learning. This was such a worthwhile course that is sure to have so many positive benefits for immersion educators and their language learners!—2025 Participant (Teaching for Proficiency in Dual Language Immersion)
There wasn't a single dull moment in TeachTok: Social Media Hacks to Level Up Your Language Teaching Game - I found myself laughing, learning, and being moved by the stories we explored. I learned the technical aspects of Bluesky, Instagram, and TikTok, but more importantly, I discovered how to use these platforms meaningfully in second language education. If you're ready to transform your language teaching and find new ways to engage students, this course will exceed your expectations.—Saena Dozier (TeachTok: Social Media Hacks to Level Up Your Language Teaching Game)
In-person Institutes
Attending the CARLA Summer Institute on Creativity in the Language Classroom is an inspiring and transformative experience. This institute stands out for its strong foundation in research, paired with practical, innovative strategies that I can immediately apply in my classroom. The clear framework for multimodal instruction—kinesthetic, auditory, visual, and tactile—helps me think more intentionally about how to design engaging, inclusive language lessons.—Wenbo Yang (Creativity in the Language Classroom)
Every language teacher should attend this workshop to teach language effectively. IPIC is a game changer in this new brave world of AI. I will recommend it to all the language teachers I know.—Cari Jiménez (Building Blocks for Intercultural, Pragmatic, and Interactional Competence)
I genuinely loved the institute. I have never taken or attended a course or professional development that has been so useful and provided me with such practical tools to implement into my teaching than what this institute was able to accomplish in a week. It was expertly designed to lay the foundation of the framework, build upon the different knowledge processes, and create intentional time for planning instruction in a way that broke it down effectively. This was the key that I was missing in my instruction that has unlocked a multitude of opportunities when it comes to my teaching, and it has done so in a way that is grounded in research, intentionality, and effectiveness. I will most certainly be recommending it to my school and colleagues because it has impacted me in a very positive, applicable way. –Alli Malikowski (Using Target Language Texts to Support Students' Literacies Development)
This institute was truly wonderful - it was a great mix of learning and practicing, with lots of opportunities for discussion with my peers. Beth and Cassie are great facilitators, who fostered a very positive and safe space for us all to reflect, share ideas, develop new perspectives, and create meaningful relationships! —2025 Participant (Teaching Language Through the Lens of Social Justice)