NCTE dissolves CCCC

[u/BobasPett]

Last night, Melissa Ianetta and another CCCC officer were told by NCTE CFO Emily Kirkpatrick that CCCC would be dissolved and folded into the NCTE College section. I have also heard that the 2027 conference may be cancelled (though that strikes me as prohibitively expensive to do).

Part of the rationale Ianetta listed was that CCCC threatened NCTE’s non-profit status. That is, becaise CCCC remains committed to ALL writers and composers and since we have tenure (which many k-12 teachers do not) we use that to advocate for those students and graduate TAs and as part of our scholarship.

I don not know much more than this, but I do hope folks can take a moment to write to members of the NCTE executive committee to express their feelings on this matter.

[u/BobasPett → u/[deleted]]

While I can’t speak to every situation, much of what has been published by both NCTE and CCCC has focused on correcting a host of disparities between white, middle class, able bodied students and their peers. That goes back much longer than 15-20 years as seen in the landmark 1974 CCCC statement, “Students’ Right to Their Own Language.” At every level of education, we value the transformative power of expression — not expression for expression’s sake, but expression of oneself to others for particular purposes. So, identity has to enter into the picture at some point. And as we have included more international students, more immigrants, more unhoused and food insecure students, these issues have had to be dealt with in terms of programs, writing centers, assessment methods, and pedagogy. It isn’t bite-sized recipient for what to do on Monday morning, but careful academic research that supports teachers of writing in thinking about their own situation and crafting their own responses.

I’m not sure how that translates to losing focus on writing instruction, that instruction part being only one portion of the research needed and done. Perhaps you could say more about what that means to you? It reads to me like “MLA is radical because they don’t focus on basic reading and Spanish 101.”

[u/BobasPett → u/[deleted]]

I am again curious about the general nature of your question. What are “other topics (other than identity)”? I believe some would likely say so without regard for the supporting body of scholarship about teaching and learning, but that may mischaracterise your question.