TESOL International Association aims to deepen respect for the TESOL profession, its practitioners, and the profession's student constituency. TESOL's advocacy program addresses issues that affect the profession worldwide and offers English language educators the opportunity to get involved.
Once a year, English language educators from across the United States meet to learn about the inner workings of Congress, receive hands-on training on the fundamentals of advocacy, gain knowledge about the current political climate and trends as they relate to TESOL's priorities, and meet with members of Congress to share their thoughts.
The action center is a free resource for all advocates, TESOL members and non-members alike, to find and contact their members of the United States Congress and state legislatures. Advocates can respond to action alerts from TESOL to contact their members of Congress, find legislation, and sign-up for action alerts from TESOL.
United States citizens eligible to vote in elections are encouraged to register to vote in their state of residence. To register to vote, visit this page and follow the prompts.
Working with the families of English learners and building strong communities is one of the biggest challenges that many English language professionals face. Recognizing this, TESOL International Association developed the Community and Family Toolkit, a resource for English language professionals to use at all levels in order to connect with families and build strong communities.
Anticipating the implementation of the
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the chief statute that funds primary and secondary education in the United States,
TESOL Press has released a
free resource kit to help TESOL professionals navigate the new law as it relates to English language learning and teaching.
The Trump administration has recently instituted changes in U.S. immigration and refugee policies that have an immediate impact on English language learners and educators. To help teachers and learners understand and respond to this evolving situation, TESOL has provided a list of statements, letters, and resources. This list will be updated regularly, so please share it widely and check back often.
As the largest piece of federal legislation to address adult education and workforce training, the
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) provides a significant amount of funding to adult English language learner programs across the country.
TESOL Press has released a
free resource kit to help adult educators better understand the law and its impact on Adult English learners.
The page has other resources as well.
TESOL has partnered with the United States Census Bureau and National Coalition for Literacy to provide free resources for TESOL educators to use in their communities and classrooms. The decennial census in the United States determines funding amounts for federal grants and programs, so conducting a complete and accurate census will ensure English language learning programs receive proper federal funding.
TESOL International Association is frequently required to take positions on key issues in English language education and make comments on important government policies and legislation. TESOL’s letters and alerts address the issues that affect the profession.
To help improve public policy and understanding, TESOL takes official positions on a broad range of issues related to the field of English language teaching and learning. These positions are approved by the TESOL Board of Directors.