One of the highlights of the October 2023 SSTESOL virtual conference was the two-hour Advocacy Panel, where our panelists shared their expertise related to local, state, and national advocacy with attendees.

The panel opened with a presentation by Dr. Kate Menken of Queen’s College, City University of New York titled “We are the Policymakers: An Advocacy Framework & Action Plan.” Dr. Menken shared concrete steps that multilingual education advocates can promote positive change in language policy. She also shared insights from advocacy work in New York that can serve as an example for advocates and organizations in other states. Dr. Julie Sugarman of the Migration Policy Institute presented on Advocacy for Newcomer Multilingual Learners, in which she highlighted newly-published research on recent immigrant children arriving at U.S. schools. She also suggested specific actions that teachers working with multilingual students can take to support policy shifts and promote awareness related to larger issues around data and definitions, funding, and intake and placement. We were also fortunate to have TESOL Director of Advocacy & Public Policy Jeff Hutcheson join us to discuss Advocacy for the Profession and Learners. He shared advocacy events, resources, and tools for immediate action available through TESOL International’s Advocacy Action Center, as well as federal legislative priorities.

Dr. Rosa Castro-Feinberg, a retired scholar from Florida International University and a well-known advocate for multilingual learners, discussed specific and immediate actions Florida-based educators can take in a presentation titled “What Educators Can Do Now to Improve Teaching and Learning Conditions AFTER the Elections.” Her presentation focused on three important concepts in advocacy, communication, coordination, and contact with policy makers and influential individuals. She closed her presentation by reminding attendees that in advocacy, “Sometimes we win and sometimes we learn.” Finally, Dr. Ryan Pontier from Florida International University, shared an informative presentation on Addressing Your Local Legislative Delegation, in which he underscored the importance of taking the time to speak to delegates and share expertise on multilingual education since policy makers may have limited knowledge or awareness of the issues students, teachers, and administrators face. Dr. Pontier also outlined steps for crafting a concise and respectful message for addressing delegations and reminded attendees that change is only possible if we put in the effort to share our experiences with policy makers.

Attendees reported that they left feeling inspired and empowered by the panel. SSTESOL hopes to capitalize on the momentum generated by the panel as we plan our advocacy efforts for the upcoming year.

If you are interested in sharing ideas, planning, or participating in our advocacy efforts in ways big or small, please let us know by completing this short survey: https://forms.gle/93F1C679dzfdrDjD6