Information Sheet For New NCTE Commission Members -- Appendix J

The letter of invitation to serve on an NCTE Commission described the basic function of your commission and outlined some of your responsibilities.  These pages provide more information on membership.
 
Commissions deal with definable branches of knowledge within the English language arts— composition, curriculum, language, literature, media, and reading.   Commissions tend to have highly similar statements of function, focused on advising the Executive Committee and the Council at large about developments within the branch of knowledge represented by the commission.  This advisory function also exists for Standing Committees, but they have a stronger orientation towards action. 
 
Responsibilities of Commission Members
Commission members are required to attend the convention meetings scheduled for Monday and Tuesday of convention week and are also urged to attend the convention meeting immediately preceding their terms. A per diem of $50 per day is provided.  The Council is unable to provide travel expenses. Commission service is valued as a major Council role and members must resign from NCTE activities or decline invitations that involve conflicting obligations (e.g., convention workshops or other meetings that occur at the same time as commission meetings). Commission members are expected to respond to correspondence/e-mail from the chair, who will gather ideas from committee members and follow through with projects. Each commission has one annually recurring project— to develop two concurrent convention program sessions that deal with the commission’s area of concern?
 
Functions of Commissions
Historically, Commissions have had four functions:  deliberation, advisement, coordination, and to a lesser extent, project development.
 
The deliberative and advisory functions are built into the charge of each commission and constitute its major responsibilities.  Each commission annually identifies key issues in its area of concern; reviews the Council’s activities, publications (other than journals), and convention events in that area; and makes such recommendations to the Executive Committee as the commission deems appropriate.
 
The coordinative function of commissions might involve liaison with appropriate NCTE committees.  Sometimes a commission will recommend to the Executive committee the establishment of a committee and will monitor the work of pertinent committees in order to prevent overlap and to encourage fulfillment of the committees’ charges.

Although commissions are urged not to undertake projects that might interfere with their broader function, occasionally a commission will initiate a special project with the permission of the Executive Committee.  In the past projects have included drafting resolutions for consideration at the Annual Board of Directors Meeting; submitting manuscripts for possible publication (preceded by a prospectus to the NCTE Editorial Board); and developing position statements.
            
The NCTE Editorial Board routinely seeks the advise of the commission director on manuscripts (or prospectuses) within the commission’s expertise.  Photocopying costs, postal charges, and   the time needed for review and reconciliation of reviews preclude distribution of such manuscripts to all commission members.   The Director may wish to report to the group on manuscripts reviewed.  The Director may also receive occasional queries from the Executive Committee concerning advice on current issues.  In such cases, the Director might elect to consult the entire commission.
 
Executive Committee and Staff Liaisons
Every NCTE Commission and Standing Committee has an Executive Committee Liaison and a Headquarters Staff Liaison. The Executive Committee Liaison helps to bring the group’s points of view to the Executive Committee upon request, and interprets Executive Committee actions to the Commission.  The Headquarters Staff Liaison monitors substantive aspects of Commission work but is predominantly responsible for helping with logistics and providing information.
 
The underlying theme of the above paragraphs is the importance of Commissions to the Council.  In each Commission, expert scholars, researchers, and teachers provide direction for the Council’s activities in a major area of English Instruction.  Within this broad common goal, various kinds of differences exist.  There is often a wide diversity of viewpoints.  The leadership and membership of a Commission at a given time might emphasize a different aspect of the group’s functions.  But diversity of viewpoint and differences in working style are not incompatible with the smooth and efficient functions of Commissions.   Historically, the Council’s strength has been derived from the fact that it is a forum for exploring diverse ideas and taking actions on the collective insights of leaders in the profession.  As a Commission member, you are now a more vital part of that forum.
 
If you have any questions, contact your Commission Director, Executive Committee or staff liaison officer listed at the bottom of your invitation letter.