NCTE/SLATE Steering Committee on Social and Political Concerns
Function: 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 (Support for the Learning and Teaching of English) will serve as NCTE's intellectual freedom network.
During the past year, SLATE continued to support intellectual freedom in its fight against censorship.
Millie Davis, NCTE/SLATE Field Representative, continues to respond with letters of support to members and letters of information to school systems involved in censorship issues. Millie assumed this responsibility on the retirement of Charles Suhor last year.
In the online SLATE Newsletter, Editor Fred Barton continues to report on current issues dealing with legislative agendas, classroom practices, and issues dealing with censorship. Two issues were published online this year.
At the annual meeting in November of 2004, Starter Sheets were renamed FYI sheets, in order to clarify the purpose of these valuable reproducible resources for teachers about specific issues and classroom procedures, are currently being updated. FYI Sheets are now available online at www.ncte.org.
SLATE also honored groups and/or individuals nominated by the Affiliates who had advanced the cause of intellectual freedom with the NCTE/SLATE Intellectual Freedom Award.
The SLATE chair attended the Regional Affiliate meeting in Myrtle Beach in August, 2005.
At the 2005 annual convention in Pittsburgh, SLATE will offer two, back-to-back sessions, "Who Is NCLB Failing? Students, Schools, Teachers, and University Professors, Part I" And Who Is NCLB Failing? Student, Schools, Teachers, and Reading Professors, Part II."
Pat Cordeiro, Chair
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