MIDTESOL advocacy goal statement:
The mission of Mid-America Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages is to strengthen the effective teaching of English in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska to people whose native language is a language other than English while respecting their individual language rights.
In order to achieve this mission, our organization works to educate community members and policymakers on how decisions affect English language learners and their educators. This education can come in many forms, including:
- visiting elected officials to share the impact of policies on students and educators
- sharing statistics, research, and other information via social media, in-person, email, or other platforms
- inviting elected officials to visit schools and programs to see the impacts of policies, first-hand
- emailing, calling, or otherwise contacting elected officials to share the impact of policies on students and educators
MIDTESOL will not initiate a call for action on introduced legislation or a pending regulation, nor will MIDTESOL ask or expect members or legislators to vote for or against, or amend, introduced legislation.
Advocacy Award
MIDTESOL offers an Advocacy Summit Award for a member to attend the TESOL Advocacy & Policy Summit with an experienced MIDTESOL attendee. Application details are communicated with MIDTESOL members via email and in the Spring edition of MIDTESOL Matters.
Resources
- Colorin’ Colorado’s Advocacy Page
- SCCOE Advocacy Ideas document
- Overview of Legislative Process
- TESOL Advocacy Resources
TESOL Regional Affiliate Advocacy Pages
- California and Nevada TESOL Advocacy and Policy Page
- Illinois TESOL Advocacy Page
- Michigan TESOL Advocacy and Policy Page
How to Take Action
- Find and contact your U.S. Congressional Representatives.
- Find and contact your federal, state, and local elected officials.
- Attend MIDTESOL Conference to meet and collaborate with other professionals.
- Like and share MIDTESOL social media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn
- Identify misconceptions in your schools/community and share nuanced/accurate information from reputable sources
- Attend TESOL Advocacy Summits and trainings