Your Visits & Letters Made NCTE's
Literacy Education Advocacy Day a Success!
Nearly 60 NCTE members visited congressional offices in Washington, DC, and hundreds of NCTE members sent nearly 1,000 letters to their representatives on Literacy Education Advocacy Day, Thursday, April 22, 2010!
Agenda:
A morning of preparation, including
- an overview of A Blueprint for Reform, the Department of Education's recommendations for reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA); and
- preparation to deliver NCTE's two asks in visits with legislators and legislative staff members: (1) Cosponsor and vote for LEARN Act (HR 4027; S2740) and (2) Support teachers as professionals in defining teacher effectiveness.
Presentations by guest speakers, including
Massie Ritsch, Deputy Assistant Secretary for External Affairs and Outreach, U.S. Department of Education;
Brad Jupp, Senior Education Program Specialist, U.S. Department of Education;
Patty Murray, U.S. Senator and Sponsor of the LEARN Act (S. 2740); and
New York City teacher Jennifer Ochoa on what makes an effective Hill visit.
An afternoon of visits with your legislators and their staffers.
An early evening celebration and debriefing of what you have learned from the day and how to follow up.
Can't Make it to DC for Advocacy Day?
Show Your Support for Literacy Education Right at Home by Sending a Message to Your Legislators!
Advocacy can happen from home! Legislators and their aides value the classroom experiences and literacy education expertise that NCTE members offer and you can share what you know with them right from your home computer! So if you won't be in DC for NCTE's Literacy Education Advocacy Day, send your message to DC.
See the recording of our March 16 "Advocacy for Everyday Teachers" online session where Susan Houser, Clarissa West-White, Shelbie Witte, and Millie Davis told us how easy it is to advocate for literacy education! Make sure to go to the Elluminate site and follow all three steps to ready your computer before clicking on the session.
Read more about literacy education advocacy and how important your efforts are in "Teacher Advocacy: Teachers Speaking Up Through Advocacy Day—and Other Grassroots Activities—We Can Make a Difference in Literacy Education" from the March 2010 Council Chronicle.
See also "Inside NCTE Policy Work: Bringing Member Knowledge and Experience to Bear," an overview of NCTE policy work by Barbara Cambridge, Director of NCTE's Washington, D.C., office.
Watch Florida member Clarissa West-White's video account of her Advocacy Day experience.
No Place Like Home: Florida Holds Its First Advocacy Day!
After taking part in NCTE's Literacy Education Advocacy Day, members of the Florida Council of Teachers of English worked to establish an Advocacy Day in their state! See also Clarissa West-White's video account of the day's activities.
At right, Florida Representative Alan Williams (in center of back row, in front of window) poses for a picture during his April 7 meeting with members of the Florida Council of Teachers of English and students from Florida State University and Florida A&M University.
Nearly 50 NCTE Members Met with Congressional Staff and Legislators
at Last Year's Advocacy Day
See the May 2009 SLATE Update for stories from NCTE members about their experiences meeting with Congressional staff and legislators. In their discussions members focused on asking for support for a resolution recognizing October 20, 2009, as the National Day on Writing and for a comprehensive literacy bill.
Watch Clarissa West-White's video account of her 2009 Literacy Education Advocacy Day experience!
Two NCTE Members from Virginia Met with Their Congressman
(from left to right, above: Janice Suppa-Friedman,
Congressman Tom Perriello, Sarah Tanner-Anderson)
Six NCTE Members from Florida Attended the 2009 Advocacy Day
(left to right, above: FCTE's Clarissa West-White, April Blaze, Joan Kaywell;
Clint Cates, legislative aide to Senator Bill Nelson;
FCTE's Christiana Succar, Susan Houser, and Kathleen Blake Yancey)
Tell Us What You Did to Advocate for Literacy Education during Literacy Education Advocacy Month by Completing this Short Survey.