There is an old adage from the days of blacksmithing that says, “Strike while the iron is hot!” Its meaning is that we must take action at the right moment before the opportunity is gone. In the case of a blacksmith or iron-worker, this meant striking the horseshoe to shape

It is with heavy hearts that we share the following news with readers of TIRF Today. Mrs. Penelope “Penny” Alatis passed away earlier this month on August 15th at her home with loved ones by her side. Penny was the wife of long-time TIRF Trustee and co-founder, the late Dr.

The competition for the 2020 TIRF James E. Alatis Prize for Research in Language Policy and Planning in Educational Contexts is underway. The 2020 Alatis Prize competition marks the fifth year of TIRF offering the program. For the 2020 competition, a prize of $500 will be awarded for an article

Editor’s note: This article was written by Lynn Armitage and was originally published on May 23, 2019 by WIDA at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research within the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education. To access the complete research report, please click here. For access to a brief of the

Editor’s note: In this piece, TIRF Trustee Spiros Papageorgiou, Managing Senior Research Scientist in the Center for English Language Learning and Assessment at Educational Testing Service (ETS), shares information about his activities this summer. In early July, TIRF Trustee Spiros Papageorgiou logged his longest flight ever, from Newark airport, near

Editor’s note: In this piece, TIRF Trustee and Publications Committee Chair, Dr. Andy Curtis, shares his experience of co-teaching and learning in Lithuania. My professional activities over the last year have provided a good example of the interconnected world of international education. An invitation to speak at a conference in

Editor’s note: There is still time to get involved in TIRF’s midyear appeal! Please consider supporting TIRF today by setting up a monthly, recurring donation. With the summer solstice now behind us, or the winter solstice for our friends south of the equator, TIRF has begun its midyear appeal. Each

The competition for the 2020 TIRF James E. Alatis Prize for Research in Language Policy and Planning in Educational Contexts is underway. The 2020 Alatis Prize competition marks the fifth year of TIRF offering the program. For the 2020 competition, a prize of $500 will be awarded for an article

ETS is currently accepting proposals for the Jacqueline Ross TOEFL® Dissertation Award. According to the ETS website, the purpose of the 2020 Jacqueline Ross TOEFL® Dissertation Award is to recognize doctoral dissertation research that makes a significant and original contribution to knowledge about second or foreign language tests and testing

On July 4, most of the US celebrates Independence Day. Typical festivities include baseball games, picnics, barbecues, fireworks, and – in some places – parades. I am not talking about the pageantry of the big events, like the New Year’s Day Rose Parade or the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, with

Editor’s note: Dr. Nick Saville (left) from Cambridge Assessment English writes on how research is very much in the driver’s seat when it comes to developing assessment solutions in Cambridge. Cambridge Assessment English has been involved in the TIRF community for more than 20 years and we’ve worked together on

With the summer solstice now behind us, or the winter solstice for our friends south of the equator, TIRF has begun its midyear appeal. Each summer, TIRF invites its supporters to make a donation to the Foundation. However, this year, we are seeking a specific type of donation from our

Editor’s note: In this piece, TIRF Trustee Michael Carrier (left) shares updates from his activities in May and June. Last month, TIRF Board member Michael Carrier finally surfaced from several weeks of seclusion in a recording studio, where he produced a series of radio programs for the Foreign Office of

Last month, TIRF became aware of an interesting development from our colleague Prof. Mohammed Ali Salmani Nodoushan (Iranian Institute for Encyclopedia Research in Iran), who was pleased to report that the International Journal of Language Studies (IJLS) has now made available free to download all of its past issues. According