John Segota, CAEAssoc. Exec. Dir. for Public Policy & Professional Relations

TESOL International Association

2016 Colorado TESOL Conference

2

“Let us not be content to wait and

see what will happen, but give us

the determination to make the

right things happen.”

- Horace Mann

The Call for Advocacy

3

• Population Shift

• Equity

• Immigration

• Assessment

• Teacher credentialing

• Status of the field

TESOL P-12 Professional

Teaching Standards

4

Standard 5.b – Professional Development,

Partnerships, and Advocacy

Candidates take advantage of professional

growth opportunities and demonstrate the

ability to build partnerships with colleagues and

students’ families, serve as community

resources, and advocate for ELLs.

NBPTS ENL Standards

5

Standard IX – Professional Leadership and

Advocacy

Accomplished teachers of ELLs contribute to

the professional learning of their colleagues

and the advancement of knowledge in their

field in order to advocate for their students.

TESOL Standards for ESL/EFL

Teachers of Adults

6

Standard 8 – Commitment and

Professionalism

Teachers continue to nuance their understanding of

the relationships between second language teaching

and learning through the community of ELT

professionals, the broader teaching community, and

the community at large. The knowledge, in turn,

informs and changes both the teachers and the

communities.

What is advocacy?

7

According to Merriam-Webster:

• An active verbal support for a cause or

position.

• The act of advocating, or speaking or

writing, in support (of something).

Comes from the Latin advocatus, meaning

“one called to aid”

Types of advocacy

8

• Self advocacy

• Case/personal

advocacy

• Cause/public/

issue advocacy

Framework of advocacy for ELLs

9

• Currency

• Defensibility

• Futurity

Herrera & Murry (1999)

Ripple Effect

10

Group of teachers advocating for ELs

in district

Group of teachers advocating for ELs

in school

Same teacher advocating for ELs outside classroom

One teacher advocating for

ELs in classroom

Staehr Fenner 2013

Knowledge is credibility

11

• Facts – focus - issues

• Policies & procedures

• Options

• Resources

• Documentation

Know Your Rights

12

• Laws – Local, State, Federal

• Contracts

• Rules & Policies

• Preferences &

Social Expectations

Spheres of influence

13

Professional

PublicPrivate

Networks

14

• Who do I know?

– Personal networks

– Professional networks

• What resources do

they have?

• Who do they know?

Understanding the wider context

15

English Learner Education

Negative forces

Positive forces

Stakeholders

16

• Group 1 – Directly impacted

• Group 2 – Decision makers

• Group 3 – Local groups

• Group 4 – National /

International groups

Building Relationships

17

• Be friendly, and make a connection

• Organize an event, and invite stakeholders

• Visit offices and classrooms

• Tell people about yourself

• Be interested

• Follow up

• Volunteer

Strategies

18

• Personal expertise

• Opportunities for

collaboration

• Conversations

• Observation

• Modeling

• Professional Development

• Mutual respect

Ingredients

19

ADVOCACY

Strategy

Networking

Education

Success

20

21

“If teachers were to translate their commitment to

individual children into active political engagement in

the struggle to shape tomorrow's schools - if they

were to begin insisting on pressing issues with

administrators, parents, politicians - their numbers

would command attention. They would be heard.”

- Patricia Hinchey

Advocating for English Learners

22

1. Need for Advocacy

2. Creating a Shared Sense of Responsibility

3. How Teachers Can Collaborate

4. Advocacy Overview for Administrators

5. Increasing EL Families’ Involvement as Advocates

6. Advocacy Through Effective Instruction

7. Advocating for ELs in Assessment

8. Advocacy for ELs’ Success Beyond Grade 12

More information

23

http://www.slideshare.net

Twitter: @JohnSegota

E-mail: jsegota@tesol.org