| Name and Purpose | Membership | Officers and Staff | Committees, Commissions, Boards | Membership Divisions |
| Elections | Meetings | Finances | International Activities | Amendments |
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Amended October 13, 2006
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 a national learned society for the scholarly field of teaching and curriculum and is to have perpetual existence.
Section 2. The purpose of the Association shall be to promote the scholarly study of teaching and curriculum.
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Section 1. Any person willing to further the purpose of the Association shall be welcome to membership. With recognition that the promotion of the scholarly study of teaching and curriculum cannot be restricted by national boundaries, the Association shall encourage membership by persons who are not citizens of the United States.
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 and are considered in good standing if their membership is paid and Association participation is fulfilled;
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 members but who now are retired and who no longer hold full-time salaried positions;
D. Student members are individuals enrolled in an institution of learning;
E. Institutional members are those organizations interested in promoting the Association's goals. Institutional members are non-voting.
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 fiscal year of the Association. Membership dues shall be determined by the Executive Council. Any change in dues shall be effective at the beginning of the forthcoming membership year.
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ARTICLE III - OFFICERS AND STAFF
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 (Newsletter Editor, CTD Editor and Associate Editor, Historian, Program Chair, Webmaster, and listserv coordinator). 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 at a scheduled meeting. On a tie vote the motion is brought to the full Executive Council.
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 term 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 term 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 may be filled by appointment by the Executive Council or shall remain unfilled until the next regular election.
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 than one office as an officer, 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 have the right to vote in the proceedings of the Council.
A. The Executive Council shall, by majority vote, appoint an Executive Secretary from the membership of the Association who may receive a stipend as determined by the elected members of 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.
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 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 fulfill any other duties thought appropriate by the Executive Council.B. The executive Council may, by majority vote, create additional appointed offices.
Section 10. The Association shall have the following staff appointed from the membership 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 of Curriculum and Teaching Dialogue (CTD) shall be appointed for three years and may be reappointed. The Editor shall publish CTD and shall prepare an annual report of the journal’s activities.
C. The Editor of CTD may appoint and/or dismiss an Associate Editor with approval of the Executive Council.
D. 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.
E. There shall be a Program Chair appointed each year by the President-Elect.
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 officers and staff of the Association shall be expected to make annual reports to the Executive Council and maintain a duplicate set of operating records throughout their terms of appointment, and, at the expiration of their terms, turn those records over to (1) their successors, and (2) the Historian.
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ARTICLE IV – COMMITTEES, COMMISSIONS, BOARDS
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 President-Elect consisting of Association members in good standing. The Nominating Committee shall perform the duties outlined in Article V, Elections.
Section 3. The Program Chair is responsible for distributing a call for Conference Proposals, soliciting proposal reviewers, collecting and sending proposals for review, sending notification of proposal acceptance, arranging the Conference Program for printing, and planning and conducting the Annual Conference. The Program Chair may appoint a committee to help the Chair in all needed areas.
Section 4. There shall be an Editorial Advisory Board for Curriculum and Teaching Dialogue. Past President shall be an ex-officio member and the chairperson of the Board. The Board shall consist of members appointed by the Editor and approved by the Executive Council. The Advisory Board shall review CTD issues and report to the Immediate Past President. If requested, the Advisory Board shall also advise the Editor directly on the operation of CTD.
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 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.
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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 through a call posted on the organization’s website and shall, at its discretion, identify other possible nominees.
C. The Nominating Committee, with the advice of the Executive Council, 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 members of the Association in good standing at the time of their nomination and shall have indicated their consent to be a nominee and commitment to serve as an elected officer. The Committee shall try to nominate at least one person above the minimum number for all positions to be filled.
D. The President Elect shall oversee the distribution to the membership of the ballot via mail or online. The ballot shall include a biographical sketch of each nominee. There shall be at least twenty-five days allowed for the vote after the ballot is mailed or posted online. The votes will be sent to the President Elect who will inform the Executive Council, and the Newsletter Editor will place the election results in the pre-conference Newsletter and on the AATC listserv.
E. Election results will be announced via the Association listserv or the summer newsletter. 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.
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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 Conference, 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 Annual Business meetings except where it may conflict with procedures stated in this Constitution.
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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. Officers and others performing duties for the Association may be reimbursed for expenses related to their duties. As stated in Article III, Section 10A, the Executive Secretary may receive a stipend.
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.
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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 Association members in good standing who may submit to the Executive Council amendments in writing.
Section 2. Proposed amendments shall be distributed to the membership, together with an explanation of the amendments. Ratification shall be by ballot returned to the Executive Secretary or designee. At least twenty-five days shall elapse between distributing the amendments and the close of voting.
Section 3. The amendments shall take effect immediately upon notification to the President by the Executive Secretary or designee of the result of the vote. The membership shall be notified of the adoption of the amendments within a reasonable time.
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