NCTEAR 2026 Conference
“Each Other’s Bond”: Researching, Practicing, and Sustaining Literacies of Love”
March 6 - 8, 2026
The Pastides Alumni Center, The University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
Call for Proposals
Proposals Due Date: October 20th, 2025, at 11:59 PM
“Each Other’s Bond”: Researching, Practicing, and Sustaining Literacies of Love”
March 6 - 8, 2026
The Pastides Alumni Center, The University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
Call for Proposals
Proposals Due Date: October 20th, 2025, at 11:59 PM
We are each other’s harvest; we are each other’s business; we are each other’s magnitude and bond," Gwendolyn Brooks
Inspired by the wisdom of Gwendolyn Brooks, who reminds us that "we are each other’s harvest; we are each other’s business; we are each other’s magnitude and bond," the 2026 NCTEAR conference envisions a transformative gathering of literacy scholars, educators, and community members, united by a shared commitment to the principles of love in research and teaching.
Our conference aims to highlight the profound impact of love (Wynter et al., 2019; Boutte et al., 2023) as a revolutionary force in the pursuit of educational equity and justice. In these challenging times, when the very essence of literature, literacies, and freedom of speech are under attack in P-12 classrooms, school boards, and college campuses, we are called to ask: Where is the love? How can we develop pedagogies and scholarship founded on love for students and communities?
We recognize that fighting against oppression in education is an act of love for humanity, as all individuals deserve dignity, freedom, and equitable opportunities. We ask, “What are the decolonizing methodologies and epistemologies that challenge dominant narratives and honor the rich literacies and languages of Black, Latinx, Asian, and Indigenous students in schools and communities?”
Our theme, Each Other’s Bond: Researching, Practicing, and Sustaining Literacies of Love, invites submissions that address the following questions:
Presenters are encouraged to explore answers to these questions and others from various contexts of pre-K-16 English language arts education and literacy research, including after-school and community settings, as well as students whose first language is not English.
Please consider submitting a proposal for NCTEAR 2026, attending the in-person conference on March 6-March 8, 2026, and contributing to these discussions.
Proposals are due by October 20, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST. To submit your proposals, please go to link.
Direct URL: https://forms.gle/4gdHYpuNZ2Q9AVmD6
Inspired by the wisdom of Gwendolyn Brooks, who reminds us that "we are each other’s harvest; we are each other’s business; we are each other’s magnitude and bond," the 2026 NCTEAR conference envisions a transformative gathering of literacy scholars, educators, and community members, united by a shared commitment to the principles of love in research and teaching.
Our conference aims to highlight the profound impact of love (Wynter et al., 2019; Boutte et al., 2023) as a revolutionary force in the pursuit of educational equity and justice. In these challenging times, when the very essence of literature, literacies, and freedom of speech are under attack in P-12 classrooms, school boards, and college campuses, we are called to ask: Where is the love? How can we develop pedagogies and scholarship founded on love for students and communities?
We recognize that fighting against oppression in education is an act of love for humanity, as all individuals deserve dignity, freedom, and equitable opportunities. We ask, “What are the decolonizing methodologies and epistemologies that challenge dominant narratives and honor the rich literacies and languages of Black, Latinx, Asian, and Indigenous students in schools and communities?”
Our theme, Each Other’s Bond: Researching, Practicing, and Sustaining Literacies of Love, invites submissions that address the following questions:
- How can love be enacted as a pedagogical and scholarly stance in literacy education to affirm students’ identities, languages, and literacies?
- In what ways can literacy scholarship challenge educational policies and practices that suppress freedom of speech, cultural expression, and critical inquiry?
- What does it mean to cultivate “each other’s harvest, each other’s business, and/or each other’s bond” in literacy classrooms, research spaces, and communities?
- How are educators and scholars using decolonizing methodologies to uplift Black, Latinx, Asian, and Indigenous literacies and languages in the face of systemic oppression?
- What does love look like in classrooms that engage with innovative literacy strategies?
- What does love look like in literacy research that is community-engaged, justice-driven, and rooted in solidarity?
Presenters are encouraged to explore answers to these questions and others from various contexts of pre-K-16 English language arts education and literacy research, including after-school and community settings, as well as students whose first language is not English.
Please consider submitting a proposal for NCTEAR 2026, attending the in-person conference on March 6-March 8, 2026, and contributing to these discussions.
Proposals are due by October 20, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST. To submit your proposals, please go to link.
Direct URL: https://forms.gle/4gdHYpuNZ2Q9AVmD6
Submission Guidelines
For this year’s conference, we will be using Google Forms for proposal submissions. Please follow the steps below to submit your proposal. You may also access these instructions as a pdf.
If you are experiencing technical difficulties submitting your proposal, please contact us at [email protected].
Timeline
- Conference proposals due October 20, 2025
- Notification of conference proposal acceptance December 15, 2025
Required Information for Proposals
You will be asked for the following information when submitting your proposal for NCTEAR 2026:
- Author(s) and//or Presenter(s)
- Corresponding author
- Authorship order
- Proposal title
- Session format
- Individual paper
- Symposia
- Roundtable
- Alternative format
- Session abstract
- Keywords
- Full proposal w/references
Submitting your Proposal
- Access the proposal submission form from this link.
- You will see the Call for Proposals on the first page, with a button that says “Proceed to Submission” at the bottom.
- Please fill in all fields on the submission form.
- When asked to indicate the corresponding author, please enter in only one email address.
- At the end of the form, you may indicate any audio-visual requirements or accessibility accommodations you require for your session.
- Click on the “Submit” button. You will receive a confirmation e-mail of your submission and a copy of your proposal.
Strands
(1) Research Strand
These presentations will showcase research findings related to language and literacy, addressing compelling questions, tensions, and uncertainties—both within individual projects and in the broader field.
(2) Research to Practice Strand
These presentations will focus on specific, interactive teaching practices or research findings related to literacy instruction. They will emphasize collaboration among educational partners, including schools, community organizations, and higher education institutions. Sessions should highlight innovative strategies that honor the diverse literacies and languages of Black, Latinx, Asian, and Indigenous students in schools and communities.
- Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle, Secondary, College.
Submission Types
(1) Individual Papers
We invite proposals for individual papers that explore compelling questions, tensions, and uncertainties—both within specific projects and across the field—that focus on narratives of hope. While conferences are often a space for sharing projects in a linear, tidy manner, we encourage presenters to consider the messy, complex, and untidy aspects in their proposals, and to do so in ways that are interactive and generative.
Proposals for individual papers can present empirical or conceptual work. Proposals should include:
- Title
- 100-150 word abstract
- For empirical research: question(s) or purpose(s), methodology, theoretical framework, findings, and a brief discussion of the central questions, tensions, and/or uncertainties explored.
- For conceptual work: a clear description of the theoretical or conceptual argument, its basis or warrants, and its contribution to the field.
Proposals should be clearly written and no more than 800 words in length in length (excluding references). All proposals for individual papers will undergo a masked review, so no identifying information should be included.
(2) Symposia
A symposium includes a series of three presentations plus a chair (and discussant if desired). The presentations should be related (e.g., addressing a topic from multiple perspectives or reporting different aspects of a larger study) and aim to foster interactive, generative discussion that advances social change in literacy research. We especially welcome symposia proposals that explore questions, tensions, and uncertainties in ways that promote dialogue among presenters and attendees.
Proposals for a symposium should include:
- Title
- 100-150 word abstract
- A description of the symposium, including titles and descriptions of the individual papers—covering questions or purposes, methodology, theoretical framework, findings, and a brief discussion of central themes and uncertainties.
Proposals should be clearly written and no more than 800 words in length (excluding references).
(3) Roundtables
Our works-in-progress roundtable sessions are designed for presenters to share ongoing empirical work with a small group of colleagues and engage in extended discussions.
Proposals for a work-in-progress roundtable should include:
- Title
- 100-150 word abstract
- A description of the work, including research question(s)/purpose(s), theoretical framework, methodology, and the data to be shared.
Proposals should be clearly written and no more than 800 words in length (excluding references).
(4) Alternative Format Sessions
We invite proposals for sessions using formats other than those above (e.g., performances, visual or multimodal representations, immersive theater, installations, etc.). These sessions should last no longer than 90 minutes.
Proposals for alternative format sessions should include the following:
- A cover sheet
- A title
- A 100-150 word abstract
- A clear description of the session
- A list of participants including names, affiliations, and emails
Proposals should be clearly written and no more than 800 words in length (excluding references). The review for alternative format sessions is not masked, so including identifying information is allowed.