TIRF was pleased to participate in the TESOL 2026 International Convention & Expo, held March 24–27 in Salt Lake City, Utah. As one of the largest global gatherings of English language educators—featuring hundreds of sessions and opportunities for professional exchange—the convention provided an ideal setting for TIRF to engage with colleagues, share research, and strengthen connections across the field. In this piece, we share updates from our Board meeting, Annual Community Gathering (ACG), “colleague session,” and invited session.

TIRF’s Board of Trustees met on March 24^th to review its progress and set priorities for the year ahead. Discussions focused on advancing TIRF’s Strategic Plan goals for 2026, strengthening TIRF’s services and DDG Fellows network, and ensuring long-term sustainability through funding and governance planning. Trustees also shared updates from TIRF Committees and Working Groups, highlighting contributions across the organization.

Shortly after the Board meeting, Trustees and Staff hosted TIRF’s Annual Community Gathering that brought together approximately 100 TIRF donors, awardees, external reviewers, partners, and supporters for an evening of connection and shared purpose. The event provided an opportunity to celebrate recent initiatives, strengthen relationships across the global English language education community, and reflect on TIRF’s growing impact. TIRF extends its sincere thanks to National Geographic Learning for its generous co-sponsorship in helping make the gathering possible.

TIRF’s “colleague session,” with thanks to TESOL International Association for the invitation to contribute as a key partner, was hosted on March 25^th and was entitled ““Unmasking AI: What Language Teachers Need to Know.” The presenters of the TIRF session include Onur Ural Burns (University of California, Riverside), Xiangying Jiang (Duolingo), Joyce Kling (TIRF), Nick Saville (TIRF), and Justin Shewell (TESOL International Association). TIRF is aiming to share a slidecast of the session in its newsletter next month along with Mentimeter poll results that were collected throughout the session. (Click here to sign up to receive TIRF Today.)

TIRF was also proud to spotlight the work of its awardees during a special session featuring recent recipients of the TIRF Doctoral Dissertation Grants (DDG) and the TIRF Kathleen M. Bailey Teacher-Research Award. The presenters, Dr. Jon Malone (2023 TIRF DDG Awardee; English Maryland Institute) and Grace Davis (2024 TIRF Bailey Awardee; EnGen), co-presented their session, “From Research to Impact: Recent TIRF Awardees Shaping English Education,” on March 26^th. They shared insights from their research and demonstrated how their work is shaping classroom practice and program development worldwide.

As in past years, TIRF’s presence at TESOL reflects its ongoing commitment to engaging with the international English language education community. By contributing to key conversations, showcasing impactful research, and fostering meaningful connections, TIRF continues to support educators, researchers, and institutions working to improve language teaching and learning worldwide.