This article features the California Association of Teachers of English (CATE) Board, a state affiliate of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), whose members en(and de)plane traditionally four times a year for weekend board meetings. An important and influential state affiliate, CATE serves California teachers and students as well…

NCTE's core values, posted on the website (http://www.ncte.org), are writing, literature, diversity, integrated language arts, knowledgeable and caring teachers, advocacy, and public education ("NCTE Core Values"). In this article, the author focuses only on writing, diversity, and advocacy, considering just a few ways in which the organization…

When new scholars join an organization as large as the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the size of its Conventions can be daunting. This author was fortunate because NCTE members embraced her and helped her find her way in the field after a first presentation in 2001. After the presentation, she was invited to meet with a few of…

What does committee work entail? The author outlines the effort and the satisfactions. This essay is a sound byte of what needs to be said about the professional benefits one can experience when becoming a full-fledged, participating NCTE member through committee or task force work.

Support for the Learning and Teaching of English (SLATE) is a vital part of National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), serving as the "action wing" for members. Along with providing expert testimony at state and national hearings, SLATE's presence in the intellectual arena has most often taken the form of newsletters and "Starter Sheets,"…

When works of teacher scholars were recognized with major National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) research awards, and the sections and conferences instituted research initiatives of their own, many were filled with the soaring hope that a new synergy was in the making. The "Research in the Teaching of English" (RTE) Alan C. Purves Award,…

A recent book that appeared a few years ago, "How Early America Sounded" by historian Richard Cullen Rath, connects well with much of the new, exciting, interdisciplinary and rhetorical research that the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) have supported, promoted, and…

If members of the Two-Year College English Association (TYCA) had not set a place for the author at the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) table, she may not have participated on the national level to improve the teaching and learning of writing. Like others in TYCA, the author had taken a circuitous route to the two-year college,…

The Conference on English Education (CEE) Executive Board authorizes the creation of commissions that focus on a particular area of interest of discussion and action for the field. Commissions meet at the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Annual Convention to plan and promote their activities aligned with English language arts teacher…

Reading through her files, the author takes a journey back in time to 1991 when a few lesbians and gay men met in a conference room at the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Annual Convention in Seattle to discuss issues relating to their lives and their teaching. It was at this meeting that NCTE first discussed forming a new group…

The debate over the place of new literacies extends throughout the history of English teaching and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). English teachers have had some help dealing with the onslaught of new media. From the start, NCTE has provided support for English teachers interested in branching out beyond a print-dominated…

The author began teaching in 1959, so he has been in the profession for half of the National Council of Teachers of English's (NCTE) first 100 years. In this article, the author details the work of NCTE in his lifetime and forecasts needs for the second century. For the author, NCTE means: celebration of successes and collegiality; conversations…

Hispanics in an overwhelmingly white organization will gather together, women of whatever "race" in male-dominated situations, poor people among the middle class. They find those with whom they believe they have a cultural or economic kinship and act accordingly. The author shares how he found a personal community in his professional organization.

Using his own experiences as a reader, the author advocates for increased attention to diverse literatures. Since joining National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) in 1997, the author has worked with members who include preservice, beginning, and experienced educators and scholars; they have formed committees and founded groups for…

"Missing Chapters: Ten Pioneering Women in NCTE and English Education" is the first historical text to explore the impact women have had on English education. It is true that women have been a vital part of National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) since the Council's founding in 1911 when 13 of the 34 founding members were women. As part of…