NYS TESOL Professional Concerns

News & Events

2009 TESOL Advocacy Day

On June 24, 2009, Past NYS TESOL President Cornelia Randolph joined 22 other TESOL members representing 18 U.S. based affiliates in Washington, DC for TESOL Advocacy Day 2009. The morning event featured issue briefings and workshops, capped by visits to Congressional offices on Capitol Hill in the afternoon. The goals of Advocacy Day were not only to lobby on key issues for TESOL, but also to provide an interactive learning experience for affiliate representatives on elements of advocacy. By the end of the day, TESOL members had visited the offices of more than 70 representatives and senators.

Responding to recent Congressional action, TESOL Advocacy Day 2009 was focused on Adult ESL and the efforts to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). To maximize the impact of TESOL Advocacy Day, key members of Congress serving on the education and appropriations committees in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives were identified for meetings. This year, Cornelia Randolph met with New York State staff members from the offices of Representatives Tim Bishop, Paul Tonko, Carolyn McCarthy, and Senator Gillibrand.

Additional information about TESOL Advocacy Day, including photographs and video of the interactive workshop, will be available in the next issue of Dialogue. If you are interested in learning more about your Congressional representatives, and the legislative issues TESOL is tracking, go the TESOL U.S. Advocacy Action Center at http://capwiz.com/tesol.