TESOL Statement on the Executive Order Designating English as the Official Language of the United States

by Jeff Hutcheson |

TESOL International Association opposes the United States Presidential Executive Order (EO), issued 1 March 2025, Designating English as the Official Language of the United States. This EO establishes U.S. federal policy guidance that leads to discriminatory practices against multilingual learners of English, in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; by rescinding the 2000 EO 13166, which directed federal agencies to improve access for individuals with limited English proficiency, this EO creates barriers to full and equal participation in public services, including education, for the millions of multilingual learners of English living in the United States.

TESOL has a history of longstanding support for the right of all individuals to preserve and foster their linguistic and cultural origins and of opposing all measures that declare English the official language of the United States. By rescinding EO 13166, this order deprives individuals of full access to federal services and stands opposed to the rule of law, legal precedent, and federal guidance:

  • Civil Rights Act (1964): Schools may not discriminate against any person in the United States based on race, color, or national origin. (This includes language and does not make a distinction based on citizenship or lawful status.)
  • Equal Educational Opportunities Act (1974): Schools must take action to overcome all students’ barriers to participation in education, including language barriers, and access to information must be provided in a language that English learners and their families understand.
  • Lau v Nichols (1974): Schools must provide English learners with the ability to overcome educational barriers due to language difference. Providing the same education to English learners and non-English learners is not sufficient (i.e., equity ≠ equality).
  • U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Dear Colleague Letter (January 2015): Among the guidance in service to English learners and their families, this guidance outlined schools’ obligations to ensure meaningful communication with the parents of English learners in a language they can understand.

TESOL dispelled the myths supporting the designation of English as the official U.S. language in its 2005 Position paper on English-only Legislation in the United States (see also TESOL’s member resolution and 2000 position statement). Today, TESOL remains steadfast in this position. These myths remain just as relevant in our current context as they were twenty years ago. Designating English as the official language of the United States will not promote unity, empower multilingual learners of English, or promote a cohesive and efficient society.  TESOL is committed to ensuring that all have fair and equal access to public services, regardless of one’s home language. This EO stands in stark contrast to our nation’s rich and vibrant multilingual and multicultural past, present, and future.

TESOL and its members are committed to advancing the English language teaching profession to support the millions of multilingual learners of English around the world. TESOL’s core values recognize and celebrate the diversity of assets and voices of each learner and their family. Considering the 1 March 2025 EO and its potential impact on multilingual learners of English, TESOL will engage in the following:

  • Partner with peer associations advocating against this divisive policy to support and advance fair and equal access to public services, especially education.
  • Work with government agencies to ensure that the progress made over the past two decades, especially the development of each agency’s language access plan under EO 13166, is not only preserved but continues.
  • Petition congressional action that recognizes and values the linguistic and cultural diversity of our nation and supports the tenets of EO 13166 in encouraging improvement and access to government services for multilingual learners of English.
  • Submit public comment to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights briefing, Language Access for Individuals with Limited English Proficiency, on the importance of overcoming language barriers for access to government services.
  • Provide education and advocacy resources to our members and the public that serve multilingual learners and their families.

Our profession is resolute in serving multilingual learners of English, their families, and their communities with dignity and respect. For nearly 60 years, TESOL has advanced professional expertise in English language teaching while honoring learners’ home languages. We do so by valuing multilingualism, multiculturalism, and language rights.

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