Constitution

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(REVISED OCTOBER 2000)
Constitution

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR TEACHING AND CURRICULUM

ARTICLE I - NAME AND PURPOSES

Section 1. The name of the organization shall be the American Association for Teaching and Curriculum (hereinafter referred to as the "Association" and abbreviated as "AATC"). The Association is to have perpetual existence.

Section 2. The purposes of the Association shall be:

A. To constitute a national learned society for the scholarly field of teaching and curriculum.

B. To promote the scholarly study of teaching and curriculum.

ARTICLE II - MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Any person willing to further the purposes of the Association shall be welcome to membership.

Section 2. There shall be several categories of membership; all members have voting rights unless otherwise noted.

A. Regular members constitute the basic membership category of the Association;

B. Charter members are those Regular members who were in support of the Association's founding on October 1, 1993, and who are listed in the Directory of Charter Members.

C. Emeritus members are those who previously were Regular or Contributing members but who now are retired or who no longer hold full-time salaried positions;

D. Student members are those whose primary role is that of student in an institution of learning;

E. Institutional members are those organizations interested in promoting the Association's goals. Institutional members are non-voting.

Section 3. The Executive Council may establish additional categories of membership.

Section 4. All voting members shall have the full rights and privileges of the Association and shall have an equal opportunity to be elected to office and to serve on committees, commissions, and boards.

Section 5. The membership year shall be the calendar year, Membership dues shall be determined by the Executive Council. A raise in dues shall not be; retroactive and shall be effective at the beginning of a forthcoming membership year.

ARTICLE III - OFFICERS AND STAFF

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Section 1. The Executive Council:

A. Shall be the principal policy-making body of the Association and may adopt all rules and regulations necessary for the conduct and maintenance of the Association;

B. Shall have three categories of members: the elected officers (the President, President-Elect, Immediate Past-President, and Council Members-at-Large); the appointed officers (the Executive Secretary); and the appointed staff. The officers may vote in Council proceedings; the staff shall not vote but will participate in Council deliberations;

C. Shall appoint the non elected officers and staff authorized in Article III and appoint committee, commission, and board members where authorized;

D. Shall have control and management of the funds of the Association and shall determine the annual dues, the convention registration fees, and other assessments.

Section 2. Decisions of the Executive Council shall be by majority of those present and voting.

Section 3. Policy decisions of the Executive Council shall be presented to the membership for ratification at the Annual Business Meeting whenever one-third of the Council members present and voting request to do so.

Section 4. The chief executive officer of the Association shall be the President, who shall succeed for a one-year tem to that position from the office of the President-Elect. The President shall preside at meetings of the Association and the Executive Council.

Section 5. The President shall become the Immediate Past-President and shall serve on the Executive Council for a one-year tem after serving as President.

Section 6. The second executive officer of the Association shall be the President-Elect. The President-Elect shall be elected annually for a one-year term and shall succeed to the office of President at the end of the President's term.

Section 7. Nine members shall be elected as Members-at-Large of the Executive Council for three-year terms. Three of these officers shall be elected each year. Mid-term at-large vacancies on the Council shall remain unfilled until the next regular election, at which time they may be filled for the remainder of their term through the regular election procedure.

Section 8. General requirements for elected officers are:

A. Nominees for office shall be members of the Association at the time of nomination and, if elected, shall maintain membership in the Association during their term of office.

B. Any officer who fails to maintain membership in the Association or who fails to perform the duties of office satisfactorily may be removed from office by a vote of two-thirds of the Executive Council present and voting.

C. No person shall hold more that one office, elected or appointed, simultaneously.

D. Newly-elected officers shall take office at the meeting of the Executive Council following the Annual Business Meeting. They shall replace the outgoing officers of the Council, who shall meet with the Council for the last time at the Executive Council meeting prior to the Annual Business Meeting.

Section 9. The Association shall have the following officers appointed by the Executive Council. They shall serve on the Executive Council and shall not have the right to vote in the proceedings of the Council.

A. The Executive Council shall, by majority vote, appoint an Executive Secretary who may receive a salary as determined by the Council. The Executive Secretary shall advise the Council, ensure that the Association policies are implemented in a timely manner and represent the Association in business matters. The Executive Secretary shall serve on the Executive Council in an ex-officio capacity.

1. The Executive Secretary shall serve for three years and may be reappointed by the Executive Council. The Executive Secretary shall keep the minutes and current records of the Association and the Executive Council. This person shall manage the funds and the records of financial transactions. The individual shall prepare notices of meetings, shall conduct elections, shall direct membership campaigns, and shall prepare financial statements and budget proposals, report at Annual meetings, and as called upon from time to time, assist the President in matters which pertain to the general operation of the Association..

2. The Executive Secretary shall advise the Nominating Committee on the membership status of persons being considered for election to office, and shall advise the President about the membership status of persons holding elective or appointive offices or committee membership. This person shall do any other duties thought appropriate by the Executive Council.

Section 10. The Association shall have the following staff appointed by the Executive Council. The staff may participate, but shall not have a vote in Executive Council proceedings.

A. The Editor of the AATC Newsletter shall be appointed for a three-year term and may be reappointed. The editor shall be responsible for preparing and distributing accounts of the activities of the Association and soliciting other material for the newsletter.

B. The Editor and Managing Editor of Curriculum and Teaching Dialogue (CTD) shall be appointed for three years and may be reappointed. They shall publish CTD and shall prepare an annual financial report of the journal's activities and a proposed budget for the operation of the journal.

C. The Historian of the Association shall be appointed for three years and may be reappointed. The Historian shall maintain the historical records of, and at the direction of the Executive Council, publish historical information about, the Association.

Section 11. The Executive Council may appoint additional staff to carry on the work of the Association.

Section 12. Terms of office shall begin immediately following the close of the Annual Business Meeting or on January 1 following election or appointment, whichever is earlier.

Section 13. All staff of the Association shall be expected to maintain a duplicate set of operating records.

ARTICLE IV - COMMITTEES, COMMISSIONS, BOARDS

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Section 1. General requirements:

All appointees to committees, commissions, and boards shall be members of the Association at the time of their appointment and shall maintain their membership throughout their appointments.

Section 2. There shall be a Nominating Committee appointed each year by the Executive Council. The President and the three Executive Council members in their third year of office will be responsible for developing a list of suggested members to be submitted to the Executive Council during its second meeting at the Annual Convention. The Executive Council shall then appoint a Nominating Committee of not less than three members from the list of suggested members, or from suggestions from the floor of the Annual Business Meeting. The incoming President will name the chair of the committee from among those appointed. The Nominating Committee shall perform the duties outlined in Article VI, Elections.

Section 3. There shall be a Program Committee appointed each year by the President-Elect, to be responsible for planning and conducting the Annual Convention.

Section 4. There shall be an Editorial Advisory Board for Curriculum and Teaching Dialogue The Immediate Past President shall be an ex-officio member and the chairperson of the Board. The Board shall consist of eighteen members appointed by the Editor and approved by the Executive Council. The term of office shall be three years, and the appointments to office shall be staggered so that six of the members are appointed each year. The Board shall establish policy for and advise the Editor on the operation of Curriculum and Teaching Dialogue.

Section 5. The Executive Council may establish other committees, commissions, and boards to carry on the work of the Association.

Section 6. All chairpersons of committees, commissions, and boards shall be expected to make annual business and financial reports to the Executive Council, to maintain a duplicate set of operating records throughout their terms of appointment, and, at the expiration of their terms, to turn those records over to (1) their successors, and (2) the Historian.

ARTICLE V - MEMBERSHIP DIVISIONS

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Section 1. The members of the Association shall have an opportunity to affiliate with one or more of the below-listed membership divisions when they join the Association and when they renew their membership:

1. Teaching

2. Curriculum Studies

3. Learning and Instructional Delivery Systems

4. Student, School, Society, and Culture

5. Teacher Education and Professional Development

6. Subject Areas

7. Instructional Technology

8. Assessment and Evaluation

9. Research Methods

10. Historical and International Studies

Section 2. When a given Division has at least a hundred members, the members affiliated with that Division shall elect a Division Vice-President, who shall serve a two-year term. Each Division Vice-President will be a member of the Program Committee.

ARTICLE VI - ELECTIONS

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Section 1. Elections shall be held annually.

Section 2. Procedure:

A. The Nominating Committee shall be established according to the provisions outlined in Article IV, Section 2.

B. The names of the members of the Nominating Committee shall be announced to the membership of the Association. The Nominating Committee shall solicit names of possible nominees from the membership in the AATC Newsletter and shall, at its discretion, identify other possible nominees.

C. The Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate of nominees for office. The Committee shall ensure that the slate broadly represents membership characteristics. Members of the Committee shall not be eligible for nomination for office. Nominees must be paid-up members of the Association at the time of their nomination and shall have indicated their consent and commitment to be nominees. The Committee shall nominate at least two persons for each office to be filled.

D. The Executive Secretary shall oversee the distribution to the membership of the report of the Nominating Committee and a ballot, which shall include a biographical sketch of each nominee. There shall be at least twenty-five days allowed for the vote after mailing the ballot, and the ballots shall be returned to the Executive Secretary no later than five days prior to the first day of the Annual Convention. The ballots shall remain sealed.

E. By the first day of the Annual Convention, and prior to the first meeting of the Executive Council, the President shall appoint a Board of Tellers, consisting of three voting members of the Association, one of whom shall be designated Chairperson. The Executive Secretary shall deliver the ballots to the Board of Tellers, who shall count them and report the outcome to the President and the Executive Secretary. The results shall be posted immediately at the registration desk and announced at the Annual Business Meeting. The nominee receiving the largest number of votes for an office shall be declared elected. In the case of a tie vote, a secret-ballot election during the Annual Business Meeting shall determine the elected candidate.

F. Although newly-elected officers of the Association formally assume their duties following the Annual Business Meeting, they are expected to attend the first Executive Council Meeting as non-voting members.

ARTICLE VII - MEETINGS

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Section 1. The Executive Council shall set the time and place of the meetings of the Association.

Section 2. There shall be one Annual Business Meeting of the Association.

Section 3. There shall be at least two meetings of the Executive Council held during the Annual Convention, one of which shall be held before and one of which shall be held after Annual Business Meeting.

Section 4. Robert's Rules of Order, current edition, shall be used to conduct meetings except where it may conflict with procedures stated in this Constitution.

ARTICLE VIII- FINANCES

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Section 1. Revenue of the Association shall be disbursed only by direction of the Executive Council.

Section 2. Revenue accruing to the Association shall be used entirely for the work of the Association. No part of the income of the Association shall be paid to any member as wages or salary, but officers and others performing duties for the Association may be reimbursed for expenses related to their duties.

Section 3. The Association's financial accounts, including the accounts of Curriculum and Teaching Dialogue (CTD), shall be audited according to procedures established by the Executive Council.

Section 4. In the event the Association is dissolved, the officers, after provision to pay the liabilities of the Association, shall give the assets of the Association to organization(s) that are operated exclusively for charitable, educational, or scientific purposes and which qualify as exempt organization(s) under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. In making this determination, the officers may use a court of competent jurisdiction of the place in which the President of the Association resides.

ARTICLE IX - INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES

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Section 1. With a recognition that the promotion of the scholarly study of teaching and curriculum cannot be restricted by national boundaries the Association shall encourage membership by person who are not citizens of the United States

Section 2. It shall be considered part of the future agenda of this Association to take appropriate steps to assist in bringing about the establishment of an International Division of the Association for Teaching and Curriculum.

ARTICLE X - AMENDMENTS

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Section 1. Amendments to this Constitution may be initiated by the Executive Council (by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members present) or by any twenty paid Association members who may submit to the Executive Council amendments in writing.

Section 2. Proposed amendments shall be distributed by mail to the membership, together with an explanation of the amendments. Ratification shall be by a mail ballot returned to the Secretary-Treasurer. At least twenty-five days shall elapse between mailing the amendments and close of the voting.

Section 3. The effective date of amendments to this Constitution shall be immediately upon notification to the President by the Secretary-Treasurer of the result of the vote. The membership shall be notified of the adoption of the amendment within a reasonable time.