Dear TIRF Board Members and Supporters,
I hope those of you who attended the TIRF Annual Community Gathering in Long Beach, California during the 2025 TESOL Convention enjoyed the occasion featuring Kathi Bailey, Past President of TIRF, AAAL, and TESOL. What a remarkable achievement! We owe our appreciation and gratitude to Kathi Bailey, an icon in our field, for her lifelong contributions to teaching and her dedication to supporting and encouraging research by practicing English language teachers.
To honor Kathi’s legacy, the TIRF Board of Trustees established the TIRF Kathleen M. Bailey Teacher-Research Award in 2023, offering a USD 1,000 grant to recipients, as well as research and publications mentoring opportunities. The first recipients were awarded just last year. This award is designed to recognize and support research conducted by teachers, while also fostering the creation of new knowledge about language teaching and learning. It aims to develop research skills for both new and experienced educators. One of the award recipients, Grace Davis, was recognized at the TIRF gathering in Long Beach.
During the event, I highlighted some of TIRF’s accomplishments and milestones. To date, we have awarded nearly US $1 million to support activities and grants aligned with TIRF’s mission. We have awarded over 200 Doctoral Dissertation Grants (DDGs) to doctoral students worldwide. Additionally, we have partnered with over 30 organizations, agencies, and entities to advance our goals. More than 60 individuals have served or are currently serving on the TIRF Board, and we have completed over 260 research projects in around 30 countries, involving approximately 300 researchers.
On behalf of TIRF, I would like to recognize our long-standing partners, including TESOL International Association, the British Council, Cambridge, ETS, Duolingo, National Geographic Learning, the Center for Applied Linguistics, and the U.S. Department of State, among others.
TIRF’s success is the result of everyone’s hard work and collaboration. Thanks to the ongoing support and contributions from the TIRF community, we have been able to offer additional initiatives such as Program Reviews, TIRF Talks, TIRF Insights, the TIRF Symposium, and TIRF Research Publications, alongside our signature DDG program. Visit the TIRF website to learn about these activities.
Looking ahead, we aim to strengthen TIRF’s research agenda, form more topic-specific committees and working groups, and dispatch additional speakers and reviewers to provide professional services on behalf of TIRF. I invite you to join us in advancing language education through research. If you are interested in getting involved, please reach out to our Chief Operating Officer, Ryan Damerow ([email protected]), to express your interest and make a meaningful impact in the field.
Thank you to all TIRF supporters around the world!
Warm regards,
Jun Liu, PhD
TIRF President
