Leo Benardo (March 13, 1928 – July 31, 2016) was a foreign language educator and the second president of the

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) is an organization aiming to improve and expand the teaching and learning of all languages at all levels of instruction. ACTFL is an individual membership organization of more than ...

Early life and education

Benardo was born and raised in the Bronx, NY. He was a 1944 graduate of William Howard Taft High School at the age of 15. He matriculated at the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...

where he was Phi Beta Kappa in his junior year and graduated in 1947.

Career

Benardo was Director of Foreign Languages of the New York City School System from 1966 to 1987 and supervised some 1,300 foreign language teachers. In 1966 and 1967, Benardo wrote and appeared in 30 television programs televised weekly — first on WPIX Channel 11 and later on the New York City Board of Education outlet in programs entitled ''Methods of Teaching Foreign Languages''. These programs are kinescoped and stored. Benardo co-authored ''English: Your New Language'', a textbook series for non-native English students published in 1967 by

Silver Burdett Silver Burdett was an American primary education textbook publishing imprint previously operated by Pearson Education, which is a division of media conglomerate Pearson PLC. The trademark was last owned by Savvas Learning Company. History Sil ...

. Benardo served as the second president of the

(ACTFL) in 1969. He was actively involved in the early organizational process of ACTFL. The ACTFL Leo Benardo Award for Innovation in K-12 Language Education was established in 2014 and is granted annually. Benardo was President of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

, Gamma Chapter at the

in 1989. Benardo was President of New York Academy of Public Education from 1990 to 1992. For 27 years, Benardo taught Spanish, French, and Comparative Literature at

Baruch College Baruch College (officially the Bernard M. Baruch College) is a public college in New York City, United States. It is a constituent college of the City University of New York system. Named for financier and statesman Bernard M. Baruch, the colle ...

until 2014.

Honors and awards

* ''

Chevalier de l'Ordre des palmes académiques Chevalier may refer to: Honours Belgium * a rank in the Belgian Order of the Crown * a rank in the Belgian Order of Leopold * a rank in the Belgian Order of Leopold II * a title in the Belgian nobility France * a rank in the French Legion d'h ...

'', 1974 * Nelson H. Brooks award from the Northeast Conference, 1988

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benardo, Leo People from the Bronx 2016 deaths City College of New York alumni Language teachers Baruch College faculty Chevaliers of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques Educators from New York City 20th-century American educators 21st-century American educators