Statement on U.S. Presidential and Congressional Elections

As an association representing the English language teaching profession and the multilingual learners of English it serves across the globe, TESOL International Association issues the following statement on the U.S. national elections:  

With its worldwide membership, TESOL International Association (TESOL) advances the English language teaching (ELT) profession: classroom teachers, university professors, researchers, consultants, and teacher educators, who serve significant numbers of multilingual learners of English (MLE). The U.S. federal government plays an essential role in influencing education policy, funding, and other resources that are vital for the success of ELT professionals and the achievement of their students.  In addition, domestic U.S. education policies can greatly impact ELT professionals outside the United States.  Regardless of today’s election results, TESOL will continue to advocate, in a non-partisan way, for policies and practices that elevate the ELT profession. 

The TESOL community embraces key values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access, alongside professionalism, respect, integrity, and lifelong learning in advocating for policies that uphold and elevate the rights and needs of all learners and their educators, especially those navigating the complexities of language learning. To this end, we will provide the newly elected administration and congressional leaders with priorities for the federal government in supporting MLEs and ELT professionals at all educational levels. 

TESOL International Association welcomes the opportunity to work with the next administration and the 119th U.S. Congress on these issues. View TESOL policy recommendations.