In 1990 the U.S. Department of Education created its Language Resource Center Program under Title VI of the Higher Education Act and established three Foreign Language Resource Centers in the country. Sixteen years later, the number of LRCs has grown to fifteen. In August 2006, the National Heritage Language Resource Center (NHLRC) at the University of California-Los Angeles and the Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language and Literacy (CERCLL) at the University of Arizona joined the group of LRCs.

Language Resource Centers (LRC) are to conduct research on and serve as resources for improving the foreign language teaching and learning environment in the United States. While each center has its unique focus, all LRCs carry out activities in the following general areas:

• Research on innovative methods for teaching foreign languages, including the use of advanced educational technologies
• Development of new teaching materials
• Development of foreign language performance tests
• Publication of instructional materials in the Less Commonly Taught
  Languages
• Dissemination of research results, teaching, learning and assessment
  materials
• Affordance of educational opportunities for language teaching professionals

The focus of the Center for Advanced Language Proficiency Education and Research, located at the Pennsylvania State University, is on improving the environment of advanced-level foreign language teaching and learning, and assessment.

The LRC Network created a common web site, on which you can find a searchable database of teaching/learning materials and professional development materials produced by the LRCs as well as a combined database listing all of the LRC professional development opportunities for the current academic year. View the LRC Portal.