Middlebury Interactive Languages CEO Jane Swift Named to REAL Commission

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. -- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Middlebury Interactive Languages (MIL), the premier academic leader in world language instruction for K-12 students, announced today that its CEO, former Massachusetts Governor Jane Swift, has been appointed to the Recommendations for Education and Advancement of Learning (REAL) Agenda Commission. Swift brings more than two decades of leadership in education technology, public policy and administration to the REAL Commission, which has brought together leaders in education technology from industry and academia to develop a research and policy agenda for the Obama Administration and the nation.

“The goals and work of the REAL Commission align perfectly with our mission at Middlebury,” said Swift, who was appointed chair of the commission’s Content and Curriculum Working Group. “Middlebury Interactive uses the latest technologies to help students master a world language, which makes the student – and the nation as a whole – more globally competitive. I look forward to working with my REAL Commission colleagues and federal leaders to create an agenda for the bipartisan Digital Promise initiative that propels American efforts to provide educational excellence.”

The REAL Commission was formed by the TechAmerica Foundation to support Digital Promise, a national center created through bipartisan support in Congress to deliver innovations that transform teaching and learning. The REAL Commission will help develop a strategy to guide Digital Promise and identify any policy hurdles that inhibit progress. The commission held its first meeting on January 19 in Washington, D.C., and discussed its goals with U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra. The commission will submit its recommendations to the Obama Administration in April.

Prior to Middlebury, Swift served as the Senior Vice President of Government Solutions and Strategy for ConnectEDU, a Boston-based private education technology company focusing on student college and career transitions. Swift earned a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Trinity College, in Hartford, Connecticut.

As a three-term state Senator, Swift assisted in drafting the landmark 1993 Mass. Education Reform Act. As Governor from April 2001 to January 2003 she implemented many of the critical components of the new law. Recognizing the gains made under Swift’s watch, the U.S. Department of Education in January 2003 declared Massachusetts schools a national model.

About Middlebury Interactive Languages

Middlebury Interactive Languages is the premier academic leader in world language instruction for K-12 students. A joint venture of Middlebury College and K12 Inc., MIL is a national leader in providing greater access to superior world language programs and a key contributor to the success of digital learning initiatives to provide students with the skills they need to be competitive in a 21^st Century global marketplace.

MIL offers a portfolio of world language products as a total solution, both online and in brick-and-mortar schools, using proven academic methods to meet national ACTFL standards. Products include the Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy, offering an intensive four-week residential immersion program and day programs for middle school students; Middlebury Interactive courses, intensive online coursework for Grades 3 – 12, and MIL Professional Development.