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ATESL at 48: On the Eve of Accreditation
by Dennis Muchisky
In her ATESL plenary presentation to the NAFSA Annual Conference in
Chicago in 1992, Betty Wallace Robinett recalled the origins of the
organization's English-language section:"It was right here in Chicago in 1950 ... that a group of us from the University of Michigan and other colleges and universities came to an annual NAFSA conference. My colleague at Michigan, Robert Lado, had requested that we be allowed to hold a small session for persons interested in teaching English to foreign students during this conference for foreign student advisers, which is what NAFSA's focus was at that time. Our group of TEFL teachers that convened here in Chicago was small, but we were all enthusiastic about the possibility of sharing experiences with others in our own field." From that humble beginning came the English Language Section of NAFSA, composed of teachers at universities and colleges engaged in teaching English to foreign students.
- Introduction
- What's in a Name?
- Country Cousins on Campus
- Status is as Status Does
- Fly Your Standard
- Gravitas et Civitas
- Bibliography
Introduction
When the English Language Section became an integral part of NAFSA and
pressure was brought to bear to change the name of the organization to
one less restrictive in its denotation, it was strongly suggested that
the NAFSA acronym be maintained, and it was decided that "student
affairs" would replace "student advisers." However, National
Association of Foreign Student Affairs struck people as rather
inappropriate. David Harris proposed that the preposition "for" be
used, and so it was. It has always seemed to me to be highly
appropriate that English Language Section members were the ones whose
suggestions for the name change were finally adopted....In 1964 the English Language Section became the Association of Teachers of English as a Second Language (ATESL); ... according to Harold Allen's records, David Harris was its first chairman. In 1989, the name was changed again to Administrators and Teachers in English as a Second Language, better reflecting the make-up of the membership but retaining the same acronym.
What's in a Name?
For ATESL, more than just our name has changed over the years.
Virtually everything about our profession, from how we view language,
to the way we teach language and the goals of that teaching, is far
different than it was in 1950. Yet in spite of the changes, the bases
of professionalism that Paul Chalmers cited in his 1959 presentation at
the New York conference are still relevant. In his paper he cites four
criteria by which to measure a profession. I would like to examine
ATESL in light of those criteria. The first two follow:- A profession requires for its practice a body of knowledge and a set of skills unique to itself. Often this body of knowledge and its accompanying set of skills have become sufficiently complex to require a special form of education, a school, or a special curriculum.
- A profession is primarily an intellectual activity.
Looking through the directory gives a good sense of how specialized the field of ESL has become. Courses offered by various programs include: linguistics (phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax), methodology, materials development, testing, bilingual education, multicultural education, language acquisition, computer applications, sociolinguistics, brain and language, teaching of reading and writing, research design and statistics, the impact of cultural differences in TESL, and internship in ESL. Not all programs offer all these classes of course, and there are many other courses offered that I have not mentioned, but the list is representative.
As the number of schools offering degrees in ESL has increased, the number of job candidates with degrees in "related fields" has decreased. It is becoming less common for students to retread into ESL after having had an international experience and more common to find people who have chosen ESL as a career path and pursued a TESL degree before entering the job market. More often, too, do we find programs staffed by faculty with degrees in ESL rather than degrees in other fields.
The large number of ESL preparatory programs is driven by a need for ESL teachers at all levels of education. In ATESL, we focus on postsecondary programs. In 1964, the first edition of English Language Programs in the United States (ELOPUS) was published by the Institute for International Education. It contained 34 programs; the current edition contains 478. Over the years, in spite of political and economic changes in a number of countries, there has been constant growth in the number of international students coming to the United States and in the number of English language programs designed to serve those students.
Although there are innumerable educational opportunities for the prospective ESL teacher, the same cannot yet be said for someone planning a career in ESL administration. For the most part, the current generation of program directors are former teachers who happened to be in the right-or wrong-place at the right time, and we have had to learn and sometimes create our positions as we went along.
But just as the profession of ESL teacher has developed over the years, so has the profession of ESL administrator. In 1982 when we were still an association of teachers, NAFSA published Pat Barrett's The Administration of Intensive English Language Programs. Last year Mary Ann Christison and Fredricka Stoller's Handbook for Language Program Administrators was published. Comparing the scope of the two volumes gives a sense of the changes that have occurred in our field.
The Barrett book, a slim volume of just over 100 pages, contains the following major headings: "Overview," "Students," "Faculty," "Program," "Testing and Evaluation," and "Research." The section on faculty contains one six-page article.
The Christison and Stoller text contains these major headings: "On the Nature of Intensive English Programs," "The Language Program Administrator as Leader," "The Language Program Administrator as Promoter," "The Language Program Administrator as Organizer," "The Language Program Administrator as Visionary," and "Principles and Resources for Language Program Administrators."
The titles of the two texts are themselves indicative of the changes that have occurred in the field. The earlier text refers to administration in a generic sense. The emphasis is on the "what" of administration rather than the "who." Administration seemed to be a job that could just be added on to one's teaching load. Barrett's text reflects the needs of an earlier decade: a need for basic information on how to set up an intensive English program (IEP), and the text focuses on the components of a program.
The Christison and Stoller book, on the other hand, refers to "administrators." Its focus is on the variable responsibilities of IEP administrators, and it is purposely called a handbook in recognition of the fact that many in the field, "learned to be language program administrators much like apprentices in a twelfth-century craft guild: We looked for master language program administrators who had learned the craft by trial and error." (p. vii)
As administrators, we do not simply schedule classes, hire faculty, and order texts. Our concerns and responsibilities extend across the campus and into the community, and the handbook recognizes these various responsibilities. Among the topics that receive detailed treatment in the Christison and Stoller text, but that were not mentioned (or mentioned only briefly) in the Barrett book, are: strategic planning, empowerment of faculty, gender issues, financial planning, time management, grants and projects, outreach on and off campus, and training for international teaching assistants. This list reflects the multifaceted role of most IEP administrators, who find themselves not only dealing with internal issues related to students and faculty, but also with university-wide issues, such as recruitment, admissions, and standard setting.
Country Cousins on Campus
In one sense, it is fair to say that IEPs have arrived. Our parent or
host institutions may not be aware of exactly what it is that we do or
how we do it, but there is a growing awareness of the importance of
international students to the academic and financial well-being of the
university, and by extension of the need for an ESL program. However,
we have arrived as poor relatives.Within NAFSA, ATESL is the only section that lists an academic degree among its qualifications. It is not, however, the degree that our colleagues at many universities and college carry. IEPs are staffed primarily by faculty with MAs. In addition, we teach noncredit classes, we teach more hours, we teach on a 12-month basis, and we teach foreign students.
We are different from the rest of the university, and those differences are not going to go away. Nor do they need to, I think, for ESL programs to gain academic legitimacy. What will help is a proactive stance on the part of the IEP administration. One of the chapters in the Christison and Stoller book is titled "The Quest for Academic Legitimacy," by Frederick L. Jenks. Jenks says:
Language program status may be improved by educating different constituencies through available media; the participation of staff, faculty, and students in community and university activities; and IEP-produced literature designed to present the educational benefits associated with the program's existence and the economic impact of the IEP. (p.118)
As long as the MA remains the terminal degree in the field, IEP faculty will not be considered the academic equals of the doctored professoriate. However, as academic employees of the university we have every right to expect equal benefits and faculty status. Realistically, however, as Jenks points out:
Faculty status will depend on the IEP's fiscal reliability and its ability to finance the yeoman's share of faculty salaries and benefits. Faculty status is more readily achievable when the IEP provides comprehensive fiscal support; initially, that status may have to be bought and paid for by the IEP. (p.115)
Status Is as Status Does
IEP faculty status within a university system is one of the major
issues facing IEP administrators in on-campus programs. IEPs provide a
vital service to the university in preparing international students for
academic careers. In addition, IEPs frequently provide an important
source of income to the university. These factors must be called to the
attention of university officials. It is worth noting that the
University Consortium of Intensive English Programs (UCIEP) may choose
to deny an IEP membership if its faculty does not receive benefits.Gaining faculty status and benefits is crucial to the continued development of IEPs as integral components of university education. It is a goal that should demand a significant amount of an administrator's time. At the same time, it is also important that IEP faculty conduct research, present papers at professional conferences, and be involved with the major professional organizations in the field. If we want to be treated like academics, then we must act like academics.
Turning once again to a comparison of the two texts, I would say that Barrett's book is written to serve as a guide for someone who might be considering starting an IEP. The Christison and Stoller text, on the other hand, could be used as a textbook in a course on IEP administration. Unfortunately, not many programs offer such courses. Among the 33 institutions listed in the TESOL program directory that offer the doctorate, only one offers a course in ESL administration. In providing opportunities for newcomers to develop the skills necessary for successful program administration, NAFSA's Professional Development Program is filling a strongly felt need. Joining the newcomers at the workshops that have been conducted to date have been many working professionals who have been in the field for several years. Additionally, the ATESL Foundations Workshop has been offered on a university campus to MA TESL students, and plans are underway to offer it in conjunction with TESOL programs.
As is the case with the other professional sections, ATESL plans to develop additional offerings aimed at upper-level administrators who have been in the field for a number of years, and also to develop a forum to bring together senior administrators on an ongoing basis to address issues of current interest. We will be carrying the twelfth-century craft-guild format into the twenty-first century. The master program administrator is still our best training source.
I believe that we meet Chalmers's first two criteria of professionalism. Clearly our body of knowledge and set of skills has over the years become sufficiently complex to require specialized forms of education. In his article Chalmers does not define intellectual activity except through example. He says:
I remember visiting a Catholic preparatory school and examining the folder of a student.... He had indicated that when he grew up, he hoped to be either a priest or a deep-sea diver. I take it that only one of these would be thought of as a professional career.
No matter which one of these two Chalmers believes to be a professional career requiring intellectual activity, we in ATESL are safe. There are times when we need to be father-confessors, and other times when we are so swamped that we would need to look up to find a deep-sea diver.
Fly Your Standard
The third criterion cited for a field to be considered a profession is this:- It has high standards and these are self-imposed.
The accreditation initiative is comprehensive and demanding. The commission's standards for IEPs were developed over a period of two years to cover the standard areas mandated by the U.S. Department of Education: curriculum; faculty; facilities, equipment, and supplies; administrative and fiscal capacity; student services; recruiting; length and structure of program of study; student achievement; and student complaints. Programs are required to perform a self-study prior to a site visit by an evaluation team made up of senior professionals chosen by the commission. TESOL's accreditors hope to make the first site visits in fall 1998; conceivably, the first program could be accredited as early as December of this year. The TESOL accreditation commission held a workshop for applicant IEPs before the TESOL meeting in Seattle in March; another such workshop will precede NAFSA's 50th annual national conference in Washington in May.
The accreditation process has the potential to bring about significant change among IEPs as we review our programs. Review allows us to identify our strong and weak points and to make changes where we need to. It also encourages dialogue among program administrators. The process will be time-consuming and intensive, both for individual programs and for the field as a whole. The outcomes will ensure an even higher standard of professionalism within the field.
Gravitas et Civitas
Chalmers's final criterion is this:- A profession is of a serious nature and its members have a sense of responsibility to society.
Let me turn once again to Betty Wallace Robinett's presentation from the Chicago conference. She ended her talk by saying:
In addition, I believe that there are personal characteristics that define us as members of this profession. Some of you may have heard me refer at another time to a list of personal qualities an ESL professional should possess, qualities that I believe bind us all together. I believe it bears repeating here. This list was drawn up by Harold Allen after consultation with many of his English-teaching professional colleagues in the field. It formed part of a talk he gave at Potsdam, NY, in 1979 entitled "What It Means to Be an ESL Professional." He said that in addition to clearly delineated academic preparation, the professional in our field should have the following eight personal characteristics: a love of the English language, a critical faculty (i.e., sound judgment), an urge to [improve] oneself, a sense of self-subordination (i.e., commitment and dedication), a readiness to go the extra mile, cultural adaptability, professional citizenship, [and] a feeling of excitement and enthusiasm about one's work, and the ability to infuse others with this sense of excitement.
I think this list fairly describes us as teachers. I also think that it is worth reproducing here, because the relationship that exists between student and teacher is critical in determining how much learning will take place in a classroom. We can couch the issue in terms of any number of language-acquisition theories or methodologies, but ultimately it is the teacher who makes it work.
As I was writing this, one of the teachers in my program made the comment that perhaps we are a "subprofession." She explained that what she meant was that she felt an architect or an engineer could learn to do what she does, but that she could not learn to be an engineer. That was not false modesty on her part, but I have seen this teacher work with students at all levels from beginners to teaching assistants on a daily basis for 10 years, and I could not disagree with her more. Very few people could do what she does in the classroom. She has the ability to excite and interest her students and to find materials that are appropriate to their level. When she can't find the right material, she creates it and then presents it in a way that engages the whole class. She does this with an equanimity and air of confidence in herself and her students that astonishes me. She is an outstanding teacher and a complete professional, and fortunately she is not unique: Our field is made up of just such people. Building a bridge or designing a building is different but no more demanding.
Chalmers's final point is that a profession must have a sense of responsibility to its community, and this we also have. Programs try to integrate students into the local community through homestays, field trips, and speaker's programs that take students into the schools and to meetings of local organizations. International student fairs draw people to the campus. In many areas, IEPs are a repository of ESL expertise that local school and volunteer organizations can draw upon in working with immigrants and refugees.
We are a growing profession, and this is an exciting time. ESL is an established field of study, and although we may not share the same benefits as our tenured brothers and sisters, we can begin to make the case for ourselves. The matters of faculty status and accreditation will be the main focus of the field in the years to come. The two go hand in hand. By working toward accreditation we further establish our professionalism, and we do so in a very real way. Meeting the TESOL accreditation standards will require a lot of effort on the part of both administrators and teachers. The review and documentation required for accreditation will make programs stronger and give faculty a better sense of the overall scope of the IEP. Administrators will have a better sense of the individual talents on their faculties, and the whole field will be better able to represent itself within the academic realm.
The PDP initiative is equally exciting and important to the field. Teacher training programs must of necessity concentrate on preparing teachers for the classroom. At best we would expect one or two courses related to administration to be included in a graduate TESL program. The PDP draws upon a pool of experienced administrators who are also trained teachers. It has been my experience that those of us in administration love to talk about what we are doing, and that because our faculty are focused on students, we feel we have no one but our ATESL colleagues who will listen to us. The PDP gives us the opportunity to move back into the classroom once again and share our knowledge. It also meets a critical need. Because programs are larger and more integral to universities, and because the range of administrative duties has expanded, it is not practical for an administrator to move into a position with no background or training. The next generation of administrators will come with PDP training.
The first 50 years have been years of growth; the next 50 look to be years of professionalization.
Bibliography
Barrett, P., ed. The Administration of Intensive English Programs. Washington, DC: NAFSA, 1982.Christison, M. and F. Stoller, eds. A Handbook for Language Program Administrators. Burlingame, CA: Alta Publishers, 1997. Available from NAFSA Publications, 866.538.1927.
Garshick, E., ed. Directory of Professional Preparation Programs in TESOL in the United States and Canada, 19951997. Alexandria, VA: TESOL, 1995.
Jenks, F. "The Quest for Academic Legitimacy: Building for Language Program Entry into Institutional and Community Infrastructures." In Christison and Stoller, A Handbook for Language Program Administrators.
Robinett, B. W. "The Relationship between NAFSA-ATESL and TESOL." Presentation at the annual national conference of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, Chicago, IL, May 1992.
TESOL Commission on Accreditation. "The TCA Standards for Intensive English Programs." Alexandria, VA: TESOL, 1998.
