May 2003
Volume 28, Number 3
SLATE Newsletter
Support for the Learning and Teaching of English
National Council of Teachers of English
Welcome to the third e-mail version of SLATE Newsletter! You will receive this online newsletter three times a year, at the e-mail address NCTE has on file for you. We are excited to be able to use this new format to send you terrific articles and important details about issues that affect the teaching of the English language arts. You may access this issue, as well as an archive of past Newsletters, SLATE Starter Sheets, and other SLATE-related material at http://www.ncte.org/about/issues/slate?source=ql
Thanks for taking a moment to read this issue. If you have questions or suggestions, please contact Millie Davis, NCTE Staff Liaison, at NCTE Headquarters (mail to: phone: 800-369-6283, ext. 3634). Share These Materials
SLATE Newsletters are offered as resources for dealing with current issues affecting the teaching of English language arts. Reproduce these materials and use them to help promote better understanding of the goals of English teaching.
IN THIS ISSUE:
· From the Front Line
· X-Rated Children’s Books
· Creating Highly Qualified Teachers
· Implications of Reading First
· NCTE Supports the Student Flexibility Act of 2003
· Minnesota Affiliate Takes Action on Proposed Standards
· POP: Why I’ve Quit Worrying About Censorship
· Your SLATE Committee
· Take a Stand or Share Your Views with Policymakers
· Call for Personal Opinion Papers: SLATE Newsletter
· Call for Manuscripts: SLATE Starter Sheets
· Call for Manuscripts: SLATE Newsletter From the Front Line
Book Bannings Less Frequent with NCTE/SLATE Defense
by Charles Suhor, NCTE/SLATE Field Representative
http://www.ncte.org/about/issues/slate/116525.htm
Book challenges often make news.
To read a news story in which Charles Suhor is quoted, click here. http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/5032798.htm
X-Rated Children’s Books
Four nationally known experts on censorship respond to a letter from a parent upset by the book the school librarian chose to recommend to her daughter. See the letter exchange at
http://www.ncte.org/about/issues/slate/116543.htm
Creating Highly Qualified Teachers
by Michelle Tremmel, Editor SLATE Newsletter and Region 5 Representative
The No Child Left Behind Act demands that all students be taught by highly qualified teachers. In her editor’s column, Tremmel discusses how we might create such professionals. Read the article at http://www.ncte.org/about/issues/slate/116544.htm
For information on the No Child Left Behind Act visit http://www.nclb.gov.
Implications of Reading First
by Fred Barton, Region 4 SLATE Representative
Teachers and schools are just beginning to feel the effects of the No Child Left Behind Act as they choose curricular materials to meet the regulations of the legislation. Fred Barton describes the implications he sees regarding the requirements of No Child Left Behind.
http://www.ncte.org/about/issues/slate/116545.htm
NCTE Supports the Student Flexibility Act of 2003
The Executive Committee of the National Council of Teachers of English voted on May 2, 2003, to support Senate Bill S.956 -- the Student Testing Flexibility Act of 2003. http://www.ncte.org/about/issues/slate/116546.htm
MCTE Takes Action on Proposed Standards
The Minnesota Council of Teachers of English (MCTE) had grave concerns about the Minnesota standards proposed in March and the speedy process that was being used to develop them. They took action to voice their concerns. Visit the MCTE Web site at http://www.mcte.org/standards for their and other organizations' positions and for information on the standards development process to date. For explanations, see "Someone Stole My State" by Sandy Hayes, MCTE Executive Board Member and Web Master: http://www.ncte.org/about/issues/slate/116547.htm
Currently the Minnesota State Senate has adopted SF639, the Kelley Bill, an alternate bill supported by teachers. As the bill moves to a conference committee with the Minnesota House, MCTE members continue to both track the legislation and express their views to their legislators.
POP: Why I’ve Quit Worrying About Censorship
by Jeffrey Dunn
In this Personal Opinion Paper, Dunn conjectures today’s commodification of knowledge has far more deleterious effects than those of censorship. http://www.ncte.org/about/issues/slate/116550.htm
Your SLATE Committee
SLATE Steering Committee Members are elected to serve by region. Find your SLATE Representative and contact information at http://www.ncte.org/about/issues/slate/106928.htm
Take a Stand or Share Your Views with Policymakers.
Check out these resources:
NCTE Action page at http://www.ncte.org/about/issues/slate/116552.htm
NCTE Issues/Positions at http://www.ncte.org/about/issues/slate/116552.htm
Opinions/Editorials at http://www.ncte.org/about/issues/slate/116552.htm
Call for Personal Opinion Papers: SLATE Newsletter
You are invited to submit a Personal Opinion Paper (POP) for publication in the SLATE Newsletter. POPs can be on any sociopolitical issue that affects the teaching and learning of English language arts. Recent topics have included student testing and grading. Send a POP of no more than 500 words in length to Michelle Tremmel, Editor, SLATE Newsletter, 526 NE 5th St., Ankeny, IA 50021-1913; phone: 515-965-1376; fax at Iowa State University: 515-294-6814; .
Call for Manuscripts: SLATE Newsletter
SLATE Newsletter is looking for short articles of 250-500 words on issues related to the teaching of the English language arts. Send your contribution to Michelle Tremmel, Editor, SLATE Newsletter, 526 NE 5th St., Ankeny, IA 50021-1913; phone: 515-965-1376; fax at Iowa State University: 515-294-6814; .
Call for Manuscripts: SLATE Starter Sheets
SLATE—Support for the Learning and Teaching of English—began 25 years ago in an effort to promote NCTE positions on issues to English language arts teachers. It is ironic, then, that the topics of major concern at that time, are the topics that are still being debated today. Some of these issues include: the “back-to-basics” movement, censorship, standardized testing, ESL, phonics, class size, and of course, accountability. Since many of the Starter Sheets have information that was gathered from sources that are more than 10 years old, much of the statistical information is outdated. The SLATE Steering Committee is attempting to update these Starter Sheets.
For this reason, your help will be greatly appreciated. If you have written an article or are interested in a specific topic, please contact Maryann Manning, 4344 Clairmont Avenue S, Birmingham, AL 35222; office phone: 205/934-8359; about the possibility of updating or writing a SLATE Starter Sheet.
Some linked documents are provided in PDF format and can be viewed using the free Adobe Acrobat Reader program. To download a copy of Adobe Acrobat 5.0 here. http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
SLATE Newsletter is distributed by e-mail by the National Council of Teachers of English, 1111 W. Kenyon Road, Urbana IL 61801-1096; 800-369-6283.
Copyright 2003
National Council of Teachers of English
http://www.ncte.org
http://www.ncte.org/SLATE/
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