HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is a United States professional organization dedicated to "improving the teaching and learning of
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
and the language arts at all levels of
education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...
. Since 1911, NCTE has provided a forum for the profession, an array of opportunities for
teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
s to continue their professional growth throughout their careers, and a framework for cooperation to deal with issues that affect the teaching of English." In addition, the NCTE describes its mission as follows: The NCTE is involved in publishing journals (such as ''College Composition and Communication'' and ''
College English ''College English'' is an official publication of the American National Council of Teachers of English and is aimed at college-level teachers and scholars of English. The peer-reviewed journal publishes articles on a range of topics related to the ...
'') and books that address the concerns of English language arts educators. Since the 1970s, it has issued annual Doublespeak Awards and Orwell Awards. It also issues the NCTE Intellectual Freedom Award


History

As stated on the official NCTE website, The National Council of Teachers of English was founded in 1911 by a group of educators in Chicago, Illinois, known as the English Round Table of the National Education Association. This group wanted to create a professional response to changing needs and values regarding education, particularly English language education. The impetus for this early effort was a concern that school curricula were becoming too narrow and were incapable of addressing the needs of an increasingly diverse student population. A special committee was formed to address these issues. Since this time the NCTE has provided a forum for English teaching professionals to continue their professional growth throughout their careers, in addition to providing a framework for cooperative action pertaining to issues that affect the instruction of English. These concerned educators at first set themselves a limited task: to explore the problems arising from a rigid, narrowly defined approach to English language instruction. Soon, however, it became apparent that more was needed, and that only a national professional organization would have the ability to affect policy decisions. By 1919 the original investigatory committee had grown large enough to become such an organization. Because of its open-door policy regarding membership, the NCTE from the first maintained a divisional structure, with separate groups representing elementary, secondary, and postsecondary educators. Over the next several decades the organization continued to grow. By 1948 it was clear that the simple divisions based on grade level were inadequate, and the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) was formed to address the special needs of communication and composition teachers at the university and community college level. This reliance on committee organization proved to be extremely useful, for it permitted interested groups to concentrate their focus on particular issues or trends. Membership grew dramatically in the second half of the twentieth century, and over the years new committees were formed, leading to the five-conference structure in place at the beginning of the twenty-first century. A notable past president was Lou L. LaBrant in 1954 who lived to be 103 and taught for 70 years.


Structure

NCTE offers its members opportunities to grow professionally by interacting with colleagues in all sides of English teaching. Individuals belong to any of four broad Sections of membership – Elementary, Middle, Secondary or College. They may also join other groups centered on various teaching specialties within English, each with its own journal, meetings, and projects. Major interest groups, called Conferences, serve teachers of college writing and rhetoric; teacher educators in higher education and in-service posts; teachers with an interest in whole language; and English department chairs, K-12 supervisors, and other English instruction leaders. Assemblies are informal special interest groups, ranging in focus from computers in English to research, which meet at NCTE conventions. A notable example of this last sort of group is the Children's Literature Assembly, which publishes the ''Journal of Children's Literature''. Commissions monitor and report on trends and issues in the teaching of language, composition, literature, reading, and media. Nearly 50 committees and task forces carry out projects on issues and topics in the teaching of English, among them testing and evaluation, censorship, instructional technology, response to literature, teacher preparation and certification, and English in urban schools. In addition to commissions, standing committees are charged with focusing on issues and/or areas of continued concern that affect the English language area of study. There are three standing committees; the committee against censorship, the committee on diversity and inclusivity, and the committee on global citizenship.


The Committee Against Censorship

The committee against censorship's charge is "to solicit and receive reports of censorship incidents from NCTE members, constituent groups, and sources outside the Council; to serve as a resource on current patterns of censorship; to continue to raise awareness of censorship issues; to serve as an advisory committee to NCTE Headquarters considering the kinds of support and services that an Intellectual Freedom/Anti-Censorship Center could provide; to promote policies for literature adoption that allay the possibility of censorship; to help NCTE develop rationales for the teaching of controversial texts, and to develop a white paper that further explores students' right to write and all of its implications." This committee also is charged with determining the winner of the NCTE's


The Committee on Diversity and Inclusivity

The committee on diversity and inclusivity's charge is to "advise NCTE on efforts to foster diversity and inclusivity among members and potential members, including (but not restricted to) in terms of race, ethnicity, sex and gender identity, age, economic status, physical ability, and teaching circumstances. Work in concert with the Executive Committee and Executive Director on specific assignments that ensure equity and diversity within membership. Identify strategies to employ the resources and values of diversity and inclusivity to advance NCTE's mission for all members, our students, and our constituencies. Provide annual or biannual analyses of the effectiveness of NCTE diversity and inclusivity initiatives (programs, awards, events, etc.), and to make recommendations based on that analysis. Identify existing research or resources that can support a diverse NCTE membership and their professional needs. Identify gaps or opportunities that might be met with new research or resources."


The Committee on Global Citizenship

The committee on global citizenship's charge is "to promote interest and knowledge of global connections and issues across the Council, including convention sessions, publications, social media, and Council projects;To promote discussions of the learning needs of students in schools and colleges who come from global contexts and of instructional strategies for teachers of these students; To encourage discussions of the teaching of English and world Englishes in global contexts as well as in North American schools and colleges with increasingly globally diverse students;To provide awareness of literacy education in global contexts in order to provide a mutual exchange of pedagogical ideas and issues;To encourage the integration of global and international literature and of strategies for intercultural understanding within schools and colleges; and to engage the Council in an exploration of the changing needs of literacy teaching and learning in an increasingly global society and as members of a broader global community."


Awards

The NCTE offers several awards for organizations performing work consistent with NCTE’s mission. These awards include: *Children’s Book and Poetry Awards *Diversity Awards *Educator Awards *Leadership Awards *Research Awards *Student Writing Awards *Publication Awards


Strategic governance

In November 2003, the NCTE Executive Committee adopted a new model of policy-oriented style of governance for the Council. They have studied the meaning and ramifications of the following issues for the organization as a whole.


Journals

NCTE published the following journals: * ''College Composition and Communication'', journal of the Conference on College Composition and Communication * ''
College English ''College English'' is an official publication of the American National Council of Teachers of English and is aimed at college-level teachers and scholars of English. The peer-reviewed journal publishes articles on a range of topics related to the ...
'' * ''English Education'', journal of English Language Arts Teacher Educators * '' English Journal'' * ''English Leadership Quarterly'', journal of the Conference on English Leadership * ''FORUM: Issues about Part-Time and Contingent Faculty'', sponsored by the Conference on College Composition and Communication * ''Language Arts'' * ''Research in the Teaching of English'' * ''Talking Points'', journal of Literacies and Languages for All * ''Teaching English in the Two-Year College'' * ''Voices from the Middle'', journal of the Middle Level Section


''Teaching English in the Two-Year College''

''Teaching English in the Two-Year College'' is an official publication of the council and is aimed at teachers and scholars in two-year colleges. The
peer-reviewed Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work ( peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer revie ...
academic journal An academic journal or scholarly journal is a periodical publication in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as permanent and transparent forums for the presentation, scrutiny, and ...
covers a range of topics related to the teaching of English language arts at the college level, including all areas of composition (basic, first-year, and advanced); business, technical, and creative writing; and the teaching of literature, along with other areas of professional concern. It sometimes publishes special issues devoted to specific themes. It is abstracted and indexed by
EBSCO databases EBSCO Information Services, headquartered in Ipswich, Massachusetts, is a division of EBSCO Industries Inc., a private company headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. EBSCO provides products and services to libraries of very many types around the ...
and the
Modern Language Association The Modern Language Association of America, often referred to as the Modern Language Association (MLA), is widely considered the principal professional association in the United States for scholars of language and literature. The MLA aims to "st ...
. It was established in 1973 and the following persons are or have been editors-in-chief: *Ruth Shaw and Keats Sparrow (co-editors, 1974–1975) *Keats Sparrow and Frieda Purvis (co-editors) *Bertie Fearing and John Hutchens (1980–1987) *Nell Ann Pickett (1988–1994) *Mark Reynolds (1994–2001) *
Howard Tinberg Howard B. Tinberg (born March 6, 1953) is professor of English at Bristol Community College, Fall River, Massachusetts, United States. He was fired from Bristol community college after it became public his romantic relationship with a student who ...
(2001–2006) *Jeff Sommers (2006–2016) *Holly Hassel (2016–2020) *Darin Jensen (2020–present)


Political activities

The NCTE is engaged in a variety of political issues affecting English Education and does so primarily through Steering Committee on Social and Political Concerns (SLATE). According to the NCTE website, SLATE attempts to "influence public attitudes and policy decisions affecting the teaching of English language arts at local, state, and national levels; to implement and publicize the policies adopted by NCTE. As part of its political action function, SLATE will serve as NCTE's intellectual freedom network."


NCTE and SLATE

NCTE and Slate are involved in many political issues, some of which include: * No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) * Banned Books * Striving Readers Act


Present and future

The NCTE currently has a reported 35,000 members and subscribers in the United States and internationally. This membership is composed of teachers and supervisors of English programs ranging from elementary, middle, and secondary schools to faculty in college and university English departments as well as teacher educators, local and state agency English specialists, and other professionals in directly related fields. Sponsoring over 120 regional, state, provincial, local, and student affiliates within the United States, Canada, and Asian countries, the NCTE continues its rapid annual growth.


See also

*
Composition studies Composition studies (also referred to as composition and rhetoric, rhetoric and composition, writing studies, or simply composition) is the professional field of writing, research, and instruction, focusing especially on writing at the college leve ...
* '' English Journal'' *
English studies English studies (usually called simply English) is an academic discipline taught in primary, secondary, and post-secondary education in English-speaking countries; it is not to be confused with English taught as a foreign language, which ...
*
National Day on Writing National Journalism Day, also known as National Day on Writing, is a United States national celebration of writing which first took place on November 12, 2009, with a second year celebration on November 12, 2010. Sponsored by the National Council o ...
* Donald H. Graves


Notes


External links

* {{Authority control Teacher associations based in the United States Education reform Organizations promoting literacy Organizations established in 1911 Composition (language) Educational organizations based in Illinois 1911 establishments in Illinois Champaign, Illinois