Welcome to the first issue of TIRF Today of 2018. This is the year that TIRF turns twenty. On behalf of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, I am pleased to announce that we are launching a year-long celebration of TIRF’s 20th anniversary. It was in June of 1998 that the

Stony Brook University and TIRF are working together to co-sponsor a new opportunity for professionals around the world. “Professional Development for Program Directors” will be offered July 9-20, 2018 in Long Island, New York, USA. The purpose of the TIRF-Stony Brook University program is to help both in-service and prospective

We are delighted to announce that Dr. Andy Curtis has been elected to a three-year term on the TIRF Board of Trustees. Dr. Andy Curtis received both his MA in Applied Linguistics and English Language Education and his PhD in International Education from the University of York in England. He is

Editor’s note: Dr. Polina Vinogradova received a TIRF DDG in 2008, and since that time she has been a loyal TIRF supporter. In November 2011, she agreed to be interviewed by TIRF for its newsletter and website. In March 2015, she reflected on her DDG experience during a video-recorded interview.

We are pleased to announce the publication of the sixth book in TIRF’s partnership with Routledge Taylor Francis. The new volume, Global Perspectives on Language Education Policies, has been edited by TIRF Trustees, Jodi Crandall and Kathi Bailey. The volume includes a foreword by Joe Lo Bianco and an epilogue

TIRF will be hosting a panel presentation at this year’s TESOL Convention in Chicago. The title of the session is “TIRF-Sponsored Research on Language Educational Policies: Contexts and Realities” and will be held on Wednesday, March 28th from 1:00 to 2:30pm in Room E253d of the convention center. The fifty-word

Editor’s note: The following piece has been adapted for inclusion in TIRF’s newsletter. The original content was shared with the Foundation from TESOL International Association’s front office. The upcoming 2018 TESOL Convention will be held in Chicago, Illinois, USA from March 27th to 30th. At the Convention, attendees can keep

TIRF colleagues will be panelists in a colloquium at the 2018 AAAL Conference in Chicago. The focus of the colloquium is on “Language Education Policy: Bottom-Up Voices and the Power of Agency.” Language education policy involves both top-down and bottom-up processes with official policies interpreted and transformed by teachers and

With the New Year just around the corner, we are pleased to announce the opening of TIRF’s 2018 Doctoral Dissertation Grants (DDG) competition. The Foundation’s DDG program is designed to provide awards for doctoral students nearing the completion of their studies. TIRF recently released its 2018 DDG call for proposals

Earlier this month, TIRF shared its year-end appeal with its newsletter readers around the world, as well as with its donors and prospective donors. With just a few days left until 2018, we are hoping to encourage a few more individuals to give a gift to TIRF to help support

Thanks to TIRF’s Research Advisory Committee (RAC), the Foundation has recently added two new research priorities to help focus its work: (1) Content-based Instruction (CBI), and (2) Teaching English to Young Learners. The RAC has also provided revisions to each of the existing TIRF research priorities, in part to help

We are very happy to announce that this year’s application window for the British Council Assessment Research Awards and Grants is now open. Applications and nominations are invited for four categories: (1) Assessment Research Grants; (2) Assessment Research Awards; (3) International Assessment Award; and (4) Innovation in Assessment Prize. The deadline

Perhaps every culture has as a part of its holiday festivities the tradition of a meal with family members. This year, my mom and my brother and I went to my Aunt Holly’s house for Christmas Eve dinner. Aunt Holly has five children, fourteen grandchildren, and four great grandchildren, as

The British Council has produced a new publication entitled, English Across the Fracture Lines, edited by Elizabeth J. Erling. The publication is free to download and can be found online at the following link: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/Pub_English_Across_Fracture_Lines.pdf According to the British Council website, “This volume takes stock of contexts around the globe