Editor’s note: This piece is based on an announcement distributed by the International Language Testing Association (ILTA). In a message sent earlier this month, the International Language Testing Association (ILTA) announced that Dr. Barry O’Sullivan has been honored with the 2025 Cambridge/ILTA Distinguished Achievement Award. Given annually, this important award
Just last month, TIRF announced Dr. Scott E. Grapin and Ms. Eunae Kim as the co-recipients of the 2026 TIRF James E. Alatis Prize for Research on Language Planning and Policy in Educational Contexts. Their article is entitled “District Supervisors’ Sensemaking and Implementation of English Language Development Standards: WIDA 2020
Earlier this month, TIRF hosted two, one-hour mentoring webinars led by its current Doctoral Dissertation Grant (DDG) Fellows. The sessions were designed for doctoral students looking for practical advice on navigating the TIRF DDG application process. Across the webinars, TIRF’s DDG Fellows discussed topics such as refining research questions, managing
We are pleased to announce the opening of TIRF’s 2026 Kathleen M. Bailey Teacher-Research Award (hereafter, the “TIRF Bailey Award”). Recipients of the TIRF Bailey Award will receive $1,000 and will have an opportunity to receive mentoring services from the Foundation. The TIRF Bailey Award is meant to recognize Dr.
The 2026 TESOL Convention & Expo is arriving next month! In this piece, we highlight our activities at the upcoming convention taking place in Salt Lake City, USA. TIRF will host its spring Board meeting on Tuesday, March 24th. The TIRF Board meetings brings together the majority of Trustees in
We are pleased to announce the co-recipients of the 2026 TIRF James E. Alatis Prize for Research on Language Planning and Policy in Educational Contexts. Dr. Scott E. Grapin and Ms. Eunae Kim have been selected as this year’s recipients of TIRF’s Alatis Prize. Their article is entitled “District Supervisors’
Dear TIRF Supporters, As many of you know, my day job is serving as a university president. I am constantly mindful of the mounting challenges facing higher education and the uncertain future of universities. Traditional notions of excellence are increasingly shaped—and constrained—by global rankings, while relentless pressure for research productivity
We are pleased to share key details for two major events in 2026 that bring our field together for research, practice, and professional growth. TESOL 2026 International Convention & Expo AAAL 2026 Annual Conference Whether you are presenting research, strengthening connections, or gaining fresh insights, both gatherings offer dynamic opportunities
To bring the “I” in TIRF—International—to life, we update the TIRF Awardee Map each year following the announcement of our newest grant and award recipients. This interactive Google Maps resource highlights where TIRF-supported scholars are originally from around the world (i.e., their hometowns) and reflects the growing global reach of
The application window for TIRF’s 2026 Doctoral Dissertation Grants (DDG) program is now open. The Foundation’s flagship program is designed to provide awards for doctoral students nearing the completion of their studies. There are two different types of DDGs offered from TIRF and its partners this year. Once again, we
We are deeply grateful to everyone who supported TIRF during our 2025 year-end appeal. Thanks to the generosity of our global community, the campaign was a wonderful success—raising $16,000 from supporters worldwide, with an additional $11,000 contributed by TIRF Trustees through their matching gifts—totaling $27,000 to help fund TIRF’s programs
(Updated February 17, 2026: Two webinar recordings are available on TIRF’s website—the morning session and the evening session.) We’re pleased to invite you to TIRF’s 2026 Doctoral Dissertation Grants (DDG) Fellows Mentoring Webinars—a valuable opportunity for potential applicants and their supervisors—to hear directly from TIRF DDG awardees, gain practical guidance
We are pleased to announce the approval of a new TIRF Research Topic—Artificial Intelligence (AI)—now published on the Foundation’s website. This new topic reflects the rapidly growing influence of AI across language teaching, learning, assessment, and research, and responds to increasing global interest from educators, researchers, institutions, and policymakers. AI-enabled
We are pleased to announce the release of a major new resource from TIRF — AI Ethics: Policy Guidance for Language Education. The paper, authored by TIRF Trustee Michael Carrier, is now available on our website to download for free. This comprehensive framework offers practical, accessible guidance on the ethical
