The 2011 Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, a joint conference with the Indiana Foreign Language Teachers Association, focused on trends, innovations, and national programs that are picking up steam as the first decade of the twenty-first century ends. Several innovations have the potential to unify world language goals with universal educational goals. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, newly organized pathways in Career and Technical Education, and the adoption of national Common Core standards are just a few such initiatives that are building steam. At the 2011 conference, more than 165 workshop and session presenters brought information and expertise from across 17 states and across the nation to enlighten conference attendees. Trends and innovations on the themes of assessments, activities and strategies, technology, and the teaching of culture were especially well represented. This volume examines the ways of approaching language instruction with the new generation of students in mind and creating more learning opportunities to promote the acquisition of the twenty-first century knowledge and skills.