The Advocacy Report from Washington 

Marisa Nathan, a longtime educator of multilingual students and their teachers in MN and WI, and Sagal Sabrie, a current MLL teacher in St. Paul Public Schools and a student at Augsburg University, attended the 2026 TESOL International Advocacy Summit that was held in Washington, D.C., from June 22nd through June 24th. The Advocacy Summit is a three-day advocacy event that brings together educators and leaders from around the country to advocate for legislation, funding, and support for Multilingual learners (MLLs) in education. This experience provided a channel for collaboration with advocates from across the US and a space to explore the legislation and funding that impact our Multilingual learners. Key issues explored this year included seeking increased federal funding for the Department of Education, support for the continuation of the U.S. The Department of Education and to maintain the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) and its workforce at the federal level, support for the Sensitive Locations Act, and support for English Language Programs and International Education in higher education.

In our meetings with members of Congress, we shared our personal narratives to paint a clear, real picture of how legislation and funding affect the students and schools we serve. We extend our gratitude to MinneTESOL, TESOL International, and NABE for providing this opportunity to both expand our knowledge and voice our experiences and concerns. The workshop offered valuable insights from policy experts, union leaders, congressional staffers, and other experts in their respective fields. From these presenters, we learned the significant risk that federal education funding faces under the current political landscape. These presentations offered an opportunity to connect our personal school system and classroom experiences to the specific laws and bills that affect our work. As we move forward in our careers, the Advocacy Summit created a concrete step on a journey of advocacy beyond the classroom.    

On the evening of Monday, June 22nd, we were warmly welcomed at TESOL International headquarters, where we met other advocates from around the country. This evening provided a welcoming space to share stories with other educators and explore the context of English education in other states. Additionally, we had the opportunity to engage in meaningful and inspiring conversations with various education leaders, including Montserrat Garibay, former Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director for the Office of English Language Acquisition and Senior Advisor for Labor Relations, Office of Secretary, U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Education and current representative for Texas House District 49. We jumped into the role of advocates, exploring ways to apply our expertise in the political world.

On Tuesday, June 23rd, we began preparing for our congressional meetings. It was a busy day, beginning with an overview of policy updates from Jeff Hutcheson, TESOL Director of Advocacy and Public Relations, and Margarita Machado-Casas, NABE’s Western Regional Representative. Following this overview, Lina Lenia from UnidosUS and Julie Sugarman from the Migration Policy Institute gave a detailed presentation on the federal context of PreK-12 public education policy. This included information on the importance of advocating for Title III funding, the status of Title III, and how the grant is being minimized. We learned how in the U.S. The Department of Education is being dismantled along with the dissolution of OELA.  They also included information about immigration enforcement and schools, ESSA waivers, and the Read Act and the importance of including oral language development, the use of background knowledge, biliteracy knowledge, and writing in addition to the foundational practices for our multilingual learners. This established the basis of our specific requests for our Congress members. Additional morning presentations included advocating for our newcomers and the federal context of adult education. In the afternoon, our focus was on higher education and on supporting our educators in the difficult context they work in. We wrapped up the day with a powerful and engaging story of personal resilience from Akbar Hossain, Secretary of Policy and Planning at the Pennsylvania Governor’s Office. Finally, Jon Bernstein of JNCL helped us prepare for the Hill visit with a workshop on how to be impactful when speaking with our representatives.

On Wednesday, June 24th, advocates set off to Capitol Hill, where we prepared to meet with our Representatives to advocate for their support regarding education funding and legislation. We received folders with “leave-behinds” that included our primary “asks” and were prepped in the morning with breakfast by Jeff Hutchenson and a keynote from Montserrat Garibay. Ready to embark, we spent the rest of the day in the House of Representatives and Senate Buildings meeting with our Congress Members from Minnesota. This included meetings with education staffers from Rep. Ilhan Omar, Senator Tina Smith, and Senator Amy Klobuchar. In all of our meetings, support for our requests was evident. We will remain in contact with congressional staffers moving forward and hope to strengthen our relationships with our congressional teams to secure education funding and relevant legislation.

Our specific asks included:

1. A. U.S. Public Education: Level-fund Title II-A of ESEA to improve the professional development of educators and support pipelines to address teacher shortages. Do not roll this into a “MEGA” grant, which will only dilute it. Increase funding for Title III of ESEA, which directly supports over 5 million MLEs and their ELT educators by providing supplemental funds for states and local districts to assist MLEs in reaching language proficiency and meeting state academic standards. We asked for $1 billion in funding.
2. The Protecting Sensitive Locations Act: Prohibits immigration enforcement actions by DHS officers or agents at or within 1,000 feet of sensitive locations, including: Medical treatment and health care facilities, Public and private schools and other education-related locations, Places where children gather, Places providing social services, including disaster or emergency response relief, Places of worship, such as churches, mosques, and synagogues. Religious or civil ceremonies or observances, during public demonstrations, such as a march, rally, or parade, and Government buildings. 
3. Support the U.S. Department of EducaƟon and the Office of English Language AcquisiƟon We seek your support for the U.S. Department of Education. The attempts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education through both the executive order that seeks to abolish it and the drastic and historic reduction in the workforce of the U.S. Department of Education, including the dissolution of the Oɭce of English Language Acquisition (OELA), have a detrimental impact on educators, learners, and communities. 

As we move forward, we would like to express our profound gratitude for this opportunity, provided by MinneTESOL, TESOL International, and NABE. This opportunity provided a crucial space to explore the legislation that directly impacts our students and the schools we serve. We emphasized the importance of the U.S. Department of Education’s Title I, II, and III funding under the ESEA, as well as the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act. Our meetings with congressional staffers and fellow advocates provided the foundation for long-lasting relationships with our congressional offices, ensuring continued advocacy for our Multilingual learners. We urge our fellow educators and advocates to join this important task of speaking up on behalf of our students, going beyond the classroom to advocate for change in our education and political systems.