(FRANKFORT, Ky.) -- Starr Lewis, associate commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Education's Office of Academic and Professional Development, is the recipient of the 2004 NCTE/SLATE Affiliate Intellectual Freedom Award.
The award was announced by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), which said:
"Starr Lewis served on the committee that designed the state mandated writing portfolio. The original version was to have a writing assessment that articulated some common goals for Kentucky students' communication skills, but still provide opportunities for student voices and student choice. Starr Lewis continues to work for intellectual freedom in all areas of education across the state of Kentucky."
Lewis was nominated by the Kentucky Council of Teachers of English, an affiliate of NCTE. A resident of Louisville, she has been employed by the Department of Education since 1992.
Since 1997, the NCTE/SLATE (Support for the Learning and Teaching of English) Intellectual Freedom Awards have recognized individuals, groups or institutions that have advanced the cause of intellectual freedom. The awards are given in two categories -- a national Intellectual Freedom Award and state, regional and provincial affiliate awards. The winners will be honored at the NCTE Annual Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, on November 21.
NCTE, with more than 60,000 individual and institutional members worldwide, is dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of English and language arts at all levels of education. SLATE serves as NCTE's intellectual freedom network and seeks to implement and publicize the policies adopted by NCTE.
For more information about NCTE, visit the organization's Web site, here.
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