by Audrey Fisch
As part of my responsibilities as President of the New Jersey Council of Teachers of English, I attended NCTE in Baltimore, and the Annual Business Meeting of NCTE on Friday evening of the convention. Below, find some of my notes from the meeting, which I offer in the hope of keeping NJCTE members informed about NCTE.
Our own NJCTE Board Member Joe Pizzo, NCTE Historian, offered a moment in NCTE history, a signature feature of the NCTE Annual Business Meeting. We hope to publish his comments shortly on the NJCTE blog.
President’s Report, Franki Sibberson
- 5 revised policy statements, 5 sunsetted
- 2 new task forces to study mentoring and the convention
- 2 new leadership awards – people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ award
- Advocacy and Leadership Event in DC – 22 travel awards offered by NCTE to participants
- The 2020 convention will feature scholarships – folks can donate
- Funding from NCTE this year paid for placards highlighting LGBTQ+ and anti-racist statements posted throughout the convention center
- Funding will continue for at least another two years for the early career educator of color leadership award
Emily Kirkpatrick, Executive Director Report
- First year of positive membership growth in 18 years
- 9% growth in books program revenue
- Financial audit – highest possible ranking
- Convention – 3163 presenters, 8600 attendance, 86% K-12, 48% first-time (overall high-water mark)
- Increase in proposal submissions
- NCTE Reads – 2019: 805 participants, summer book study, Workshopping the Canon
- Summer Institute – Continuing the Journey, attendance grew by 21%, veteran and mid-career teacher focus
- TYCA first national convention – 327 attendees
- Leadership and advocacy – record attendance, meetings with legislative offices, keynote Laura Wides-Munoz
- James Squire Center – policy research moving to Notre Dame under Ernest Morrell
- Registration now open for the 2020 Leadership and Advocacy Summit – April 6-7, 2020
- Partnerships with Library of Congress – releasing artifacts from Walt Whitman collection, largest attendance for any LOC event for educators
- Teaching with primary sources, grant-funded $273,442
- Affiliate leadership meeting Summer 2019 – 31 states (NJCTE was there!)
- 2020 affiliate leadership meeting – July 17-19, Omaha, NE, to recognize affiliates in rural states and west of the Mississippi (NJCTE hopes to be there!)
- 2019-2020 new ambassadors – 2-year term, elementary to community college
- Webinar on Little Women
- Partnered with Nimbus, a multicultural agency, worked on 2019 National Day of Writing, design for 2020 convention
- Emily Kirkpatrick – attended Harvard Kennedy School program on leading diverse organizations
NCTE Convention 2020 – Nov 19-22, Denver, CO, Theme: ¡Confluencia! Songs of Ourselves. Call for proposals now open. Submit at convention.ncte.org by January 15, 2020.
And congratulations to the NJCTE Board and membership on recognition by NCTE for four 2019 affiliate awards: 2019 Website of Excellence Award, 2019 Newsletter of Excellence Award, 2019 Kent D. Williamson Affiliate Membership Award, 2019 Affiliate of Excellence Award!
Thanks also to Michelle Haiken (@teachingfactor) for hosting NJCTE for our second annual NCTE/NJCTE Convention Breakfast. We enjoyed yummy treats at the Bun Shop in Baltimore. And we were particularly grateful to see our own NJDOE representative, Erika Leak, at the meetup as well as NJCTE Spring 2020 Conference co-chair, Valerie Mattessich.
Meanwhile, I hope everyone enjoys a few days of family, food, and reading over the Thanksgiving break.
New Jersey Council of Teachers of English 