NCTE celebrates Literacy Education Advocacy Month from mid-March until Advocacy Day in April. While most people can't make it to Washington, DC, for Advocacy Day, everyone can make a difference right from where they live and work. Read our tips for speaking out and choose an activity or two from our list below to do to help support literacy education or develop an activity of your own and share it with us (public_info@ncte.org).
1 minute 5-10 minutes 15 minutes 30 minutes
45 minutes 1-2 hours A few hours or more
Share this list of Literacy Education Advocacy Activites or NCTE's 2013 Government Policy Platform with a colleague
Send details about Literacy Education Advocacy Day to a colleague
Tweet to Congress or write a Facebook entry about the need for public support for literacy education
Sign up to receive Advocacy Day updates and other tips for speaking out
Respond to an action alert
Look up all of your elected officials (local to national) on Congress.org
Register for NCTE's Literacy Education Advocacy Day
Read NCTE's 2013 Government Policy Platform
Call the home offices of your Members of Congress to schedule a visit while they're at home Feb. 19-22, Mar. 25-Apr. 5, or Apr. 29-May 3, or May 28-31
Read our tips on visting your Member of Congress while they're at home Feb. 19-22, Mar. 25-Apr. 5, or Apr. 29-May 3, or May 28-31
Read Clarissa West-White's article on starting a statewide advocacy day
Listen to these podcasts by teachers who are making their voices heard
Tell us what you did to advocate for literacy education this month or at anytime throughout the year!
Learn how NCTE takes positions on literacy education issues Literacy Education Advocacy Day
If you attended Advocacy Day, please send NCTE your report
Post a 3-5 minute video on YouTube about evaluating teachers on more than test scores or that describes how you've made your viewpoint about literacy education in public
Visit the Teachers Speak Up website for strategies and teachers' stories to help you speak out on important education issues
Watch "Finding Our Voice – Speaking Out to Build Support For Our Work," a 2012 Web seminar with Steven Zemelman and Harry Ross.
Post something in the Connected Community about your students and teaching and how they connect to an education issue represented in the platform in the news today
Watch NCTE's "Advocacy for the Everyday Teacher" video
Write a letter to your local newspaper supporting the teachers in your local schools.
Speak about education at the Rotary Club or another service organization in your community
Teach a lesson about writing letters to policymakers, from principals to legislators
Talk with your family about how each member can influence your School Board
Attend Advocacy Day
Organize a Statewide Advocacy Day