Prior to this TESOL had no member demographics by which to benchmark our population.

Based on recommendations from our Diverse Voices Task Force, TESOL is committed to gathering demographic data of its members. This effort was made more difficult by having an international membership base. We couldn’t use-centric questions and had to use terminology that would be understandable in a variety of cultures. Because of this we use multiple terms for the same thing, for example K-12, primary and secondary for 1 level teaching. In addition, we ask ethno-racial identity and race. For ethno-racial identity we allow individuals to choose all that apply, while for race they must select the single best response. We also provide definitions and a map to help individuals understand the various terms. The questions and response were developed over the course of 10 months with input from staff, task force members, the Board of Directors and a variety of volunteer leaders. All demographic questions are optional, in addition to entho-racial identify and race we also collect cognitive and physical impairments and, regardless of race, if the individual is part of a marginalized community where they currently live. Because so many of our members live and teach in a country other than their home country it is important to designate what country they are using when answering certain questions.

To date 30% of members and 75% of leaders have provided at least some demographic data for themselves.