The Texas Association for Literacy Education (TALE) is a state-level chartered ILA council that was recently recognized with ILA’s 2015–2016 Advocacy Award. To qualify for this award, state and provincial councils must have a fully functioning legislative committee and a particular issue that the council addressed through targeted legislative advocacy activities.
We believe taking an active role in educational advocacy is essential for the effective influencing of public educational policy.

TALE began its journey in July 2014 with the creation of a fully functioning Advocacy Development Committee that consisted of a director and four active committee members. The mission was to educate about, advocate for, and support the importance of lifelong literacy learning in and through education by building alliances and creating a network among literacy educators and other educational stakeholders.

Identifying the issues at hand

During the 2014–2015 membership year, TALE’s Advocacy Development Committee identified two specific issues to address.

First, TALE sought to create awareness and promote action among its membership with several public education topics that were addressed during the 84th Texas Legislative Session, such as the expansion and improvement of pre-K programs and alternatives to high-stakes testing.

The second issue was the commencement of the Texas State Board of Education’s (SBOE) review and revision process for the mandatory state standards—the English Language Arts and Reading Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (ELAR TEKS)—which delineate the required knowledge and skills for students in kindergarten through grade 12.

TALE became an active participant in a statewide literacy coalition consisting of literacy organizations that work collaboratively with other stakeholders. Included were Coalition of Reading and English Supervisors of Texas, National Writing Project of Texas, Texas Association for Bilingual Education, Texas Association for the Improvement of Reading, and Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts. We also worked with the Texas Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and Texas Association of School Administrators.

Each group worked with other literacy stakeholders—community members, parents, and publishers of state-approved education materials—to advocate ELAR TEKS revisions and provide feedback.

Educating our members

TALE used a variety of outlets, both print based and electronic. We published articles in quarterly newsletters, the Texas Journal of Literacy Education peer-reviewed journal, and the proceedings from TALE’s annual conference. We also kept members informed by sending e-mails and posting relevant information on an established advocacy website.

With the ELAR TEKS review and revision process, TALE collaborated with the literacy coalition to develop and distribute advocacy resource packets among all SBOE members. These packets included a joint letter, suggested framework for the ELAR TEKS, and talking points for testimony given at an SBOE committee meeting.

The framework identified high-priority learning standards that emphasized depth over breadth, a clear description of content and depth of knowledge, and skills necessary for student success on state standardized assessments and for fostering college and career readiness. TALE also held coalition workshops for framework creation and sent representatives to attend and observe SBOE committee meetings, which resulted in revisions made to the framework.

For example, the new framework embodied the interconnectedness of the English language arts and integrated the following strands within each grade level: foundational language skills, comprehension, response, collaboration, multiple genres, author's purpose and craft, composition and presentation, and inquiry and research.

Organizing our efforts

TALE demonstrated an organizational plan that promoted a commitment to building advocacy skills within its membership by establishing an advisory board for the Advocacy Development Committee, which included TALE’s executive officers and board members.

During monthly board meetings, the director of the Advocacy Development Committee reported on the committee’s activities. Communicating information among members is critical, so TALE established procedures to streamline dissemination of information among its members, such as e-mailing legislative action alerts and communications encouraging members to contact their elected officials regarding specific legislative issues.

TALE’s organizational plan also included creating a service network of 30 literacy experts throughout Texas as part of TALE’s involvement with the literacy coalition. This network’s purpose was to elicit feedback from K–12 teachers, administrators, and central office staff members regarding the proposed revisions to the ELAR TEKS. Organized by grade bands, the network examined proposed revisions within their assigned band and provided feedback addressing what they liked and what needed to be changed.

Feedback obtained was compiled and shared with the statewide literacy coalition.

Final thoughts

As TALE grows, we remain dedicated to our ongoing, strategic advocacy efforts. Our success comes from two main aspects: (1) identifying issues that require significant advocacy efforts and employing strategies that educate, organize, and activate, and (2) incorporating a strong collaborative spirit into advocacy work.

Advocacy efforts must be tailored to state and provincial councils’ unique needs and diverse challenges in order to effectively influence public educational policy.

Advocacy work truly takes a village, and we have built many collaborative relationships within our literacy community. Creating and maintaining relationships among council members and others is essential to advancing these efforts.

Laurie A. Sharp, an ILA member since 2002, is the Dr. John G. O’Brien Distinguished Chair in Education at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, TX. Along with serving as president-elect of TALE during the 2016–2017 membership year, she is the director of the Advocacy Development Committee. Roberta D. Raymond is an assistant professor in the School of Education at the University of Houston–Clear Lake in Houston, TX. She is the past-president of TALE during the 2016–2017 membership year.