Dive Deeper: Everyday Advocacy Institute, 2022

by EA Editors

If you’ve been drawn to this site, you already know that some of the biggest issues facing teachers today stem from lack of understanding about what we teach and why we teach in the ways we do—research-based, thoughtful pedagogy that helps students to become critically and compassionately literate. Whether it’s banning/censoring diverse and YA books, mandating standardized tests in a time of COVID, or creating grading structures that are inequitable for too many students (or something else that impacts you in your local setting), we think that an Everyday Advocacy approach can give you the courage and the skills to raise your voice and make change. We encourage you to check out the real stories on this site of what some amazing teachers are doing to change the public narrative about literacy education: both in this Teacher Stories Section and sprinkled throughout the site.

And if this sounds like just what you need to revitalize your commitment to teaching, especially in these overwhelming times, we hope you’ll consider joining us this summer for a free NWP-sponsored Deeper Dive into Everyday Advocacy to learn ways to both proactively and responsively shift the narrative surrounding literacy education. The Institute focuses on learning strategies to engage in--and ultimately change--conversations about literacy/literacy instruction in your schools and communities. Over the 2 ½ days, you’ll learn to:

• Identify an issue that impacts you and your school community, apply EA strategies to that issue, and create an action plan for change;

• Share your work with others, getting feedback and support along the way;

• Brainstorm ideas and develop a plan to bring this work back to your site, helping other teachers learn how to raise their voices in smart, savvy, strategic and safe ways.

Logistics

The Institute will be hosted in NWP's Teacher Studio and held from July 12 – 14, 2022, via Zoom. We ask folks to be available from 10:00 am-5:00 pm EDT on Tuesday and Wednesday, and 10:00 am-3:00 pm on Thursday—although we won’t be on Zoom all day! We will have some whole group Zoom time; some individual work time (at your kitchen table, in the back yard, or where you’re most comfortable); some small group time; and some break time. We’ll send out an exact schedule closer to the start of the Institute.

Let's make some change together!

How to Enroll

All educators are welcome: please follow the QR code in the poster above to fill out this interest survey, and we'll be in touch. If you're already an active member of NWP's Teacher Studio, search the Deeper Dives for the Everyday Advocacy Institute or follow this link for direct access.

Co-Facilitators

This virtual workshop is co-led by Cathy Fleischer and Sarah Hochstetler. Cathy, a recently retired professor at Eastern Michigan University and co-director of the Eastern Michigan Writing Project, has offered workshops for six years on Everyday Advocacy. Sarah, a professor of English Education at Illinois State University and Instructional Coach in Lawrence, Kansas, has collaborated on Everyday Advocacy initiatives with Cathy since 2019.