Elementary at NCTE
The Elementary Section Steering Committee of NCTE is committed to the pursuit of justice and equity. We believe that in an open democratic society we cannot argue for democracy and humanity unless we create for our children a more just and caring world. To this end we are dedicated to the support and development of emancipatory pedagogies that counter official policies and mandates that narrow the possibilities for the teaching of the language arts in public schools. We believe that it is essential that we resist any attempt that is made to separate school based language arts programs from the socio-cultural realities of children’s everyday lives. Our task is to support the work of teachers as they work closely with their students and their families to build classrooms where everyone has an opportunity to participate in the conversation with a renewed consciousness of worth and possibility of their own language use and the literacies that they share.
Featured Elementary Stories
A Moment Like This
Cameron Carter, Elementary Lead Ambassador, Columbus, OH
Their Courage: My Why
Stella Villalba, ELL Teacher & Coach, Lead Ambassador, New Albany, OH
Featured Elementary Publications
Community Literacies en Confianza: Learning from Bilingual After-School Programs
After-school programs focused on English learners, author Steve Alvarez suggests, offer a way for parents, teachers, and volunteers to come together to navigate school systems and the English language, share stories, and work to develop facility in reading and writing across languages.
Digital Reading: What’s Essential in Grades 3-8
Authors William L. Bass and Franki Sibberson invite us to consider what is essential in integrating technology into the classroom, focusing especially on authenticity, intentionality, and connectedness.
2023 NCTE
Annual Convention
The NCTE Annual Convention offers access to more than 690 sessions led by literacy educators, for literacy educators.
Learn More RegistrationLanguage Arts
This is the premiere journal for the teaching of language arts, focusing primarily on issues concerning children of preschool through middle school age. This peer-reviewed publication draws a diverse readership of teachers, researchers, teacher educators, policymakers, administrators, and all those with an interest in language, literacy, literature, and culture.
Elementary Awards
Learn about these awards recognizing educators and journal articles and how you can nominate for them:
Leadership
The Elementary Section Steering Committee (ESSC) members are elected by the NCTE membership each year to a four-year term. The Chair is elected from within the ESSC to a two-year term and serves on the NCTE Executive Committee representing the interests of the elementary membership.
NCTE Professional Dyads and Culturally Relevant Teaching (PDCRT)
The PDCRT project, initiated by the Affirmative Action Committee of the Early Childhood Education Assembly (ECEA) of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) was developed to create a space within NCTE to support early childhood Educators of Color and educators who teach Children of Color, children who are emerging bi/multilinguals, and children from low-income households in studying about culturally relevant pedagogies and generating, implementing, documenting, evaluating, assessing, and disseminating classroom practices and process reflections from work done in preK to fifth-grade classrooms.
Early Childhood Education Assembly
The Early Childhood Education Assembly (ECEA) supports teachers of young children with a strong emphasis on promoting thoughtful practices that enhance the teaching and learning of young children within and across diverse communities.
Children's Literature Assembly
The Children’s Literature Assembly (CLA) provides a forum, undertakes programs and projects of special concern to people interested in children’s literature, promotes the field of children’s literature, and serves as a clearinghouse for information on children’s literature.
Why become an NCTE member?
We’ll give you 25,000 reasons.
With more than 25,000 members, we’re a leading partner to and professional home for teachers of English and language arts at all levels. Explore how you can benefit from NCTE membership.
Join Today!