October Newsletter: Special events at NCTE and NCSS conferences & more

Please join us: happy hour in November

If you’re attending the National Council of Teachers of English or the National Council for the Social Studies conferences in Boston at the end of November, please join us for a happy hour. We’re hosting it from 5-7 p.m. on Saturday, November 23, at a great venue about four blocks from the Hynes Convention Center, where the NCSS conference is happening. If you’re attending either of the conferences, we’d love to see you!

See the invitation | RSVP to help us get a head count

Book signing at NCTE and NCSS conferences

Another thing to do if you’re attending the NCTE and NCSS conferences: Dan Rothstein and Luz Santana, co-authors of the book Make Just One Change: Teach Students to Ask Their Own Questions and co-founders at RQI, will be on hand to sign books. Drop by and say hello. They’ll be at NCTE the afternoon of Friday, November 22, and at NCSS the afternoon of Saturday, November 23.

Building worker power using the QFT

A group of organizations has released a new toolkit to help workers fight for rights amid rapid technological change, where things like artificial intelligence and algorithmic management systems increasingly control the experiences of workers. The toolkit, Building Worker Power in the Digital Age, includes different learning modules and workshop ideas, including “Our Questions, Our Knowledge,” using the Question Formulation Technique.

Check out the toolkit

Training opportunity for attorneys fighting for gender equity

The Legal Network for Gender Equity, hosted by the National Women’s Law Center, connects individuals facing sex discrimination at work, at school, and as patients receiving health care with legal help. It is a nationwide network of attorneys committed to helping people fight for their rights to be free from sexual harassment and other sex discrimination.

If you are a member or apply to be a member of the network, you can attend a training webinar by RQI’s Luz Santana and Naomi Campbell on November 12 from 3-4:30 p.m. Eastern time. You will learn how to help foster client engagement and self-advocacy skills in legal representation and network consultations. CLE credit available.

Voter engagement in communities and schools

You can help build a stronger democracy where all people, including those who have traditionally not voted, are motivated and determined to vote. The Right Question Institute’s nonpartisan “Why Vote?” Tool and accompanying resources focus on having people discover for themselves the value of voting. Direct service providers, educators, community organizers, and voter mobilization efforts can use the tool for voter engagement and education.

Visit our “Why Vote?” hub for free resources, videos, and guides.

Educators: Young people can gain knowledge and make a difference — even if their first election is a few years off. See our resources for working with young people, including these examples from the classroom:

Legal empowerment webinar: Watch the recording

If you missed our free legal empowerment webinar on October 23, you can still watch the recording. You’ll learn about a strategy to build people’s capacity to advocate for themselves, navigate systems, and take action on their own behalf — in the legal system and beyond.

Watch the recording

What we’re reading

Here are a few stories that caught our attention recently.

13 Poems by Living Poets to Teach in English Class Right Now — KQED MindShift

How Four Universities Graduate Their Low-Income Students at Much Higher Rates Than Average — The Hechinger Report

How Teachers Can Get Around the AI Problem — and Light up Their Classrooms in the Process — The Boston Globe

The Benefits of Raising Hopeful Kids in Cynical Times — KQED MindShift

Upcoming events

Here are some upcoming ways to learn with us.

Oct. 25: The Power of Asking Questions: New Hampshire Adult Education Fall Conference.

Oct. 29-30: Empowering the Voices of Clients and Customers at the SNAP Employment & Training National Forum. RQI’s Legal Empowerment Program director, Naomi Campbell, will be presenting.

Nov. 7: Encourage Curiosity, Spark Inquiry: Teach Students to Ask Their Own Questions. At the National Science Teaching Association conference in New Orleans.

Nov. 21-24: Find us at the National Council of Teachers of English conference.

Nov. 22-24: Find us at the National Council for the Social Studies Conference.

Nov. 23: Happy hour in Boston. If you’re at the NCTE or NCSS conference, please join us for a happy hour on Saturday. Here’s the invitation.

December 2024 to March 2025: Celebrating Rural Maine: Community Civics and Place-Based Inquiry. If you’re an educator in Maine, this professional learning series from the National Council for History Education and the Maine Department of Education is free. It incorporates the QFT.

The difference you make for the price of a coffee

The Right Question Institute is a small, independent nonprofit organization. When you make a recurring monthly gift of any size — the price of a cup of coffee, perhaps — you help bring free resources to teachers and schools. Plus, you help equip people in low-income communities with skills and strategies for solving problems, participating in decisions, and making their voices heard — contributing to a more inclusive educational system, society, and democracy. Recurring monthly donations help provide stability and predictability that make this work possible. Thank you for your support.

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