Your Voices and Ideas are Key to Developing #NCTE24 - National Council of Teachers of English
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Your Voices and Ideas are Key to Developing #NCTE24

Field Notes

The 2024 NCTE Annual Convention, carrying the theme “Heart, Hope, Humanity,” is already developing for November 21–24 in Boston, Massachusetts! Your engagement is what makes our conferences shine, and NCTE welcomes your early and ongoing involvement.

Important Policy Changes and Opportunities to Present 

NCTE leaders, including the Executive Committee, staff, and Presidential Team, have created many new pathways to expand the voices involved in developing and participating in the Annual Convention. This includes new policies and an array of exciting new opportunities for members to create and drive the content of #NCTE24.

Multiple Speaking Roles

To create room for new content and presenters on the 2024 Annual Convention Program, NCTE has adopted a policy of limiting individuals to speaking in no more than three (3) sessions at the Annual Convention.

New Individual Submission Option

A new category of sessions has been created for individual speakers wishing to propose a 30-minute session focused on a specific topic. These sessions will not be combined with other speakers or topics and will occur daily throughout the Annual Convention. These sessions may be proposed through the Call for Proposals form.

Workshops 

Workshops will be held on Thursday morning and will be mostly unopposed by other sessions. This provides dedicated time for attendees who desire sessions that provide deeper exploration opportunities—workshops are typically three (3) hours in length. Workshops may be proposed through the Call for Proposals.

Classroom Idea Exchange 

The Classroom Idea Exchange will offer opportunities to present on specific classroom strategies, including lesson plans. The NCTE Classroom Idea Exchange centers teacher expertise and facilitates an inspiring and affirming exchange of teaching ideas. Presenters will share 5-minute presentations on a specific lesson, activity, or assignment followed by Q&A. Attendees will benefit from access to a high volume of classroom ideas in one extended session. An NCTE member–led working group will continue to hone this model over the next year. Interested presenters can submit their proposals here, and if you are interested in participating in the working group, submit your interest here.

Call for Proposal Reviewers and Online Coaches  

You can play an important role in the selection of sessions and/or advising literacy educators who are developing proposals for consideration. All proposals accepted through the online Call for Proposals portal receive three or more peer reviews. Online peer reviewers will be asked to review 10 to 15 proposals between February 5 and February 26, 2024.  

Online coaching is an excellent way to share insight and mentorship with peers! Submit your interest for either of these roles through this link by December 15, 2023! 

Additional information on the Call for Proposals, including individual submissions, workshops, and the Classroom Idea Exchange, can be found on this page of the Convention website. Additionally, the deadline for all proposals has been extended by two weeks. This change gives more time flexibility to the NCTE community and to those wishing to share their expertise at #NCTE24. The deadline for all proposal submissions is 9 a.m. ET, Wednesday, January 31, 2024. 

Convention is such a fulfilling experience for so many attendees with a variety of entrance points of participation. I hope you consider the best way for you to get involved, and we’ll see you in Boston! 

Emily Kirkpatrick
Emily Kirkpatrick is an experienced senior executive with deep expertise in organizational strategy, programmatic innovation, external communications, and fundraising in the education and nonprofit space. Ms. Kirkpatrick assumed her position as the Executive Director of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)—the oldest and one of the largest literacy and education organizations in the United States—in November 2015, overseeing the professional home to English language arts teachers from preK through university and amplifying the voices of educators through connection, collaborations, and a shared mission to improve the teaching and learning of English. Prior to NCTE, Ms. Kirkpatrick served in multiple leadership roles at the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL), an organization dedicated to eradicating poverty through education solutions for families. During her tenure at NCFL, Ms. Kirkpatrick created the award-winning digital learning platform Wonderopolis®, which reached millions of children across the globe and which was recognized by TIME Magazine as one of the top 50 websites of 2011.   A transformative leader, Ms. Kirkpatrick has dedicated her career to public service and civic engagement, seeking to increase national literacy and social mobility, amplify educator voices, and advance the inclusion and empowerment of women.   A native and longtime resident of Kentucky, Ms. Kirkpatrick has also served in planning and public relations roles at the Kentucky Office of the Secretary of Education, Arts and Humanities, and advanced the inclusion of women in public service positions while at the Kentucky Commission on Women. She earned her MBA with honors from Bellarmine University and her BA from Centre College in Kentucky.