Advocacy corner: Starting to plan your syllabus for the summer and fall?

by Margaret Mohr-Schroeder, Kentucky MTEP team leader

This article is the third in a series of articles on advocating for your program. Read this month's list of approaches for incorporating advocacy into your preparation for teaching this summer and fall.

1. Check out the Toolkit for Local Advocates: Teaching Diverse and Inclusive Curricula Materials and Defending Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. The toolkit includes resources on finding culturally responsive lesson plans; advocacy letters, messaging materials, and op-eds; information on list of state bills*; and a critical race theory reading list.
   *Information on list of state bills provided by a memo from The National Labor Table. For up-to-date information, see the following page: Map: Where Critical Race Theory Is Under Attack.
   
2. Did you know that MTEP has a repository of position statements? Check them out at mtep.info/policy and include them for learning and discussion in your upcoming courses and seminars!
   
3. Keep track of active censorship bills in your state with the PEN America Index of Educational Gag Orders. PEN America’s 2021 report reflects 54 educational gag orders that state legislators introduced in the first nine months of 2021. They are actively tracking bills that emerged at later dates and updating the Index weekly.
   
4. Consider the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education’s list of resources and links around censorship for inclusion when building your syllabi.