Improving communication through better understanding of language and culture

Timeline

Click on the green arrow icon to learn more about the selected landmark events and how they were influential in shaping CAL.

Links in lime color below lead to external sites containing additional information on many of the historical topics below.

CAL Events	Date	U.S. and World Events
	1957	Sputnik Launched
	1958	National Defense Education Act
CAL Founded Dr. Charles A Ferguson named CAL's first president Linguistic Reporter, newsletter for the applied linguistics field, is launched Conference on English Teaching Abroad	1959
	1960	U.S. foreignborn population reaches 9.7 million
	1961	Peace Corps is created
Conference on EFL/ESL testing CAL becomes independent, non-profit organization	1964	Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 Civil Rights Act of 1964
CAL conducts survey of Master’s degree ESL/EFL programs focusing attention on the need to establish standards for these programs.	1965	Elementary & Secondary Education Act
ERIC Clearinghouse on Applied Linguistics and the Uncommonly Taught Languages (1966-1969) The Social Stratification of English in New York City	1966	TESOL Created Adult Education Act
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) CAL begins work on language textbooks for the Peace Corps	1967	ACTFL Created
	1968	Bilingual Education Act
Urban Language program Teaching English to Speakers of Choctaw, Navajo and Papago	1969	TESOL Created

Learn more about CAL's history throughout the decades: