CATESOL
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CATESOL is the independent California and Nevada affiliate of the international organization Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).
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[edit] Mission statement (from www.catesol.org)
CATESOL's mission is to promote excellence in education for English language learners and a high quality professional environment for their teachers. CATESOL represents teachers of English language learners throughout California and Nevada, at all levels and in all learning environments. CATESOL strives to:
- improve teacher preparation and provide opportunities which further professional expertise
- promote sound, research-based education policy and practices
- increase awareness of the strengths and needs of English language learners
- promote appreciation of diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
[edit] Governance and organization
CATESOL is governed by a Board of Directors, elected by the membership. The Board consists of an executive committee and level board members, who represent elementary, secondary, adult, and college/university constituencies; the presidency and the level board members rotate between northern and southern California annually.
[edit] Conferences, events, and activities
CATESOL holds an annual state conference, in spring (March or April), which features papers, colloquia, workshops, plenary speakers, intensive pre-conference institutes, publishers' exhibits, and other events. The annual conference rotates between northern and southern California. Recent past state conferences have taken place in San Francisco (2006 and 2002), Long Beach (2005), Santa Clara (2004), Pasadena (2003), Ontario (2001), Sacramento (2000), and Reno, Nevada (1999).
The organization also hosts three regional conferences yearly in the fall (San Diego, Los Angeles, and Northern California). Eight chapters host bi-annual professional workshops to assist English as a Second Language teachers at the local level. The eight chapters are: Capital Area, Los Padres, Northern Nevada, Orange County, Saroyan, Southern Nevada, Steinbeck, and Yosemite.
CATESOL takes, when circumstances arise, formal positions on a variety of sociopolitical issues, including secondary and post-secondary education, language policy, and distance education.
[edit] Publications
CATESOL publishes a quarterly newsletter (CATESOL News) with teaching ideas, information about chapter events, discounts at conferences, and professional networking opportunities. CATESOL also publishes a refereed academic journal, The CATESOL Journal, which appears in December and features articles on theory, research, pedagogy, and educational policy related to the teaching of English to speakers of other languages, including U.S.-born bilinguals, “Generation 1.5” students, immigrants, and international students. The organization also publishes proceedings from CATESOL conferences.
