Literacy Now

Last month, ILA unveiled Standards for the Preparation of Literacy Professionals 2017 (Standards 2017), the first-ever set of national standards guiding the preparation of literacy professionals. Developed by literacy experts across the United States, Standards 2017 establishes criteria for literacy professional preparation programs across the country anddescribes what candidates for the literacy profession should know and be able to do in professional settings.

Several sessions at the ILA 2018 Conference, taking place in Austin, TX, July 20–23, tie to Standards 2017 in terms of its topics or roles. In this three-part blog series, Standards 2017 project cochairs Rita M. Bean, University of Pittsburgh, PA, and Diane E. Kern, University of Rhode Island, identify sessions you don’t want to miss:

Add these Friday offerings to your schedule*:

• Institute 01: ILA 2018 Research Institute: Best Practices in the Teaching of Reading: Led by researchers in the field, this all-keynote course will address foundational knowledge (a Standards 2017 topic), or theoretical, historical, and evidence-based underpinnings of literacy and how that translates into best practice.
• Institute 02: Principals’ Leadership for Literacy Instruction: It Matters: This course is designed to provide elementary school principals (a Standards 2017 role) with the knowledge and skills for enhancing the literacy capacity of their programs and faculty to raise both student achievement and student involvement in reading and writing.
• Institute 03: Coaching for Comprehensive Literacy Improvement: A District-Wide Approach: Geared toward literacy coaches (also a Standards 2017 role), this course is focused on developing schools’ capacity for literacy instruction. Attendees will engage in a series of activities to learn about the Middle School Quality Initiative’s coaching log system, program-wide fidelity assessment measure, and strategies for successful coaching models.

Don’t miss Bean and Kern’s workshop, ILA/CAEP Reading/Literacy Specialist Program Writers and Reviewers. Alongside researchers, teacher educators, and CAEP representatives, they’ll provide an overview of standards and the key changes; review model assessments, rubrics, and scoring guides; and share the most recent developments from CAEP. Attendees are encouraged to bring sample assessments and questions. Individual 30-minute consultations will be available.

*Please note: Both Institute Day and the ILA/CAEP Workshop require an additional fee and are not included in the cost of registration for Core Conference.

Standards for the Preparation of Literacy Professionals 2017 is available here.

Alina O'Donnell is the communications strategist at ILA and the editor of Literacy Daily.

Each year, the ILA conference kicks off with a slate of preconference institutes. Available for one-day standalone registration or as an addition to Core Conference, Institute Day provides the perfect option for educators who want to take a deep dive into a specific topic of interest. With 10 unique offerings geared toward varying experience, roles, and levels, there’s truly something for everyone.

Here are five things you’ll miss if you skip Institute Day at ILA 2018:

• Tailored take-home materials: At Institute 04: Changing Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction: Implementing Word Study in Classrooms, Schools, and Districts, presenters and group leaders will work with you to develop a tailored word study implementation plan. All participants will leave with word study activities, guides, and other actionable resources.
• Next generation reading strategies: Learn how to hook an audience and maximize student comprehension at Institute 09: Reframing the Gradual Release of Responsibility: Connecting Read Aloud, Shared, Guided, and Independent Reading for Deeper Comprehension. Presenters will demonstrate "next generation" instruction and translate relevant research into classroom practice.
• Diverse book lists: It’s no news that #WeNeedDiverseBooks, but did you know that culturally relevant texts can help accelerate reading and writing development? In this interactive course, Institute 08: More Mirrors in the Classroom: Increasing the Effectiveness of Literacy Instruction With Culturally Relevant Texts, attendees will explore how to use diverse literature as a tool to increase the effectiveness of literacy instruction.
• Leadership secrets: Designed for elementary school principals, Institute 02: Principals’ Leadership for Literacy Instruction: It Matters will deliver tried-and-true knowledge and skills for building a schoolwide culture of literacy and raising student achievement. Participants will hear from literacy leaders from around the United States, learn what’s successful in other schools, and take those findings back to their own districts.
• Face-to-face connections: The all-keynote Institute 01: ILA 2018 Research Institute: Best Practices in the Teaching of Reading is an opportunity to discuss contemporary topics, research, theory, and practice with research experts in the field.

Read more about available institutes in the iPlanner, and register here.

Alina O’Donnell is the communications strategist at ILA and the editor of Literacy Daily.

National Pride Month is celebrated every June in honor of the 1969 Stonewall riots—the unofficial beginning of the LGBTQ civil rights movement. It’s a time to take stock of accomplishments, celebrate progress, and promote acceptance.

But it’s also a time to recognize the work that remains to be done toward LGBTQ equity, including the education space.

That’s the focus of this year’s Equity in Education Program at the ILA 2018 Conference, which takes place July 20–23 in Austin, TX.

The program begins with Literacy and Our LGBTQ Students: Starting and Sustaining Schoolwide Transformation, which features a short keynote by Eliza Byard, executive director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). The nation’s largest advocacy group focused entirely on K–12 education, GLSEN uses curricula, books and other campus-wide programs and initiatives to create safe and LGBTQ-inclusive schools for all.

Byard will also lead a conversation on literacy’s role in ensuring educational equity for our LGBTQ students. Panelists are Kris De Pedro, assistant professor at the College of Educational Studies at Chapman University; Amy Fabrikant, staff developer at the Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility; Courtney Farrell, founder of the Journey Project; Jessica Lifschitz, Heinemann Scholar and fourth-grade teacher; Kate Roberts, author and literacy consultant; and Tim’m West, managing director of the LGBTQ Community Initiative at Teach for America. 

Here are seven things you should know about them.

• They’re not all teachers. Supporting LGBTQ students is the responsibility of everyone in the school community. That’s why this year’s panel includes a cross-sector of researchers, advocates, authors, literacy coaches, staff developers, and more.
• They’re not all LGBTQ-identifying. Fabrikant wrote When Kayla Was Kayla about her own experiences with the daily challenges faced by transgender students in elementary school while Farrell was inspired by her work as a literacy specialist and by her own transgender child’s transition in 2016. Panelists will bring their unique identities and experiences to explore LGBTQ challenges in literacy education from a variety of vantage points.
• They’re digital dynamos. This year’s panelists are skilled in the art of media activism—they blog, give TED Talks, host podcasts and Twitter chats, and use other digital tools to give voice to the movement and foster supportive online communities.
• They bring an intersectional lens. As the head of Teach for America’s LGBTQ+ Community Initiative, West said he’s working to advance a more intersectional movement for educational equity. Panelists will explore the complex puzzle of race, gender, sexuality, and social justice and their interplay in the literacy classroom.
• They’re making headlines. From presenting to a roundtable forum hosted at the White House to honoring the LGBTQ advocacy work of top celebrities, they’re helping to change the way politics and culture interact with the LGBTQ community.
• They’re data-driven. De Pedro has spent the last decade researching urban educational policy, school reform, and the development of supportive and inclusive school and campus environments while Stachowiak’s research focuses on social justice education, equity literacy, literacy curriculum development, and gender studies. The conversation will weave anecdotal evidence with research-based insights.  
• They’re authors. Roberts’ latest book, A Novel Approach, asks how we can teach whole class novels while still holding onto student-centered practices like readers workshop. She is also the coauthor of Falling in Love with Close Reading (with Christopher Lehman), DIY Literacy (with Maggie Beattie Roberts), and she co-wrote two Units of Study books on Literary Essay. 
• They’re not afraid to say the wrong thing. Lifschitz said the panel will be a space where attendees can speak candidly and challenge their own biases and microaggressions without fear of being attacked. “We want it to be more than just a conversation where everyone just sits and nods their heads,” she said. “We want to push people into an area of discomfort.”

The program will continue on Sunday, July 22, when ninth-grade ELA instructor Cody Miller will lead a provocative conversation with some of today's hottest authors on the transformative power of LGBTQ texts.

Visit the iPlanner to learn more. Register for the ILA 2018 Conference at ilaconference.org.

Back for its fifth year, the International Literacy Association (ILA) 2018 Research Institute is better than ever.

Nationally renowned researchers, innovative topics, practical connections to teaching, and the return of our all-keynote format await participants on Institute Day at the ILA 2018 Conference, July 20, in Austin, TX. Organized by the Literacy Research Panel, research into practice is the foundation of the ILA 2018 Research Institute: Best Practices in the Teaching of Reading.

This year’s topics range from early literacy to adolescent and disciplinary literacies, from student motivation and engagement to visible learning, and from STEM and the English language arts to the critical importance of small-group instruction.

All presentations will contribute to participants’ deeper understanding of multiple facets of literacy and, in particular, to their knowledge of reading comprehension.

Participants will have the unique opportunity to learn from and work with leading experts in the field. This year’s line-up of presenters includes Douglas Fisher, Nell Duke, John Guthrie, Jacy Ippolito, Evan Ortlieb, Ernest Morrell, Ray Reutzel, Denise Johnson, and P. David Pearson, who will deliver a special presentation titled “Literacy Research for Trying Times.”

Bridging research, theory, and practice, the course is designed to encourage collaboration among researchers, educators, teacher educators, reading specialists, literacy coaches, special educators, and other literacy roles. Attendees will learn about the latest research findings and discuss how to translate those concepts into classroom pedagogy.

The ILA 2018 Research Institute is one of 10 courses offered at Institute Day, an exciting way to kick off ILA’s annual conference. Please join us for what promises to be another focused, fast-tracked day of learning.

Maureen McLaughlin is a past president of the International Reading Association (now the International Literacy Association) and a department chair and professor of reading education at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. She will present at the ILA 2018 Research Institute at the ILA 2018 Conference, July 20–23, in Austin, TX. Visit ilaconference.org to learn more and register.

Marley Dias made headlines as a sixth grader when she initiated the #1000BlackGirlBooks project to collect and donate 1,000 titles that featured black girls as the central character. Marley's drive has since yielded more than 11,000. Her first book, Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You!, was published by Scholastic the same month she turned 13.

Why was it so important to you to bring awareness to a lack of diversity in children’s literature?

“Bringing awareness to the lack of diversity in children’s literature is important to me because there were so many students who have never and will never see themselves reflected in literature assigned in schools. I want to stop the intentional exclusion of some people’s stories, and I want every child to have a place in literature where they can see themselves and learn about the experiences of others.”

Do you consider yourself a changemaker, and if so, why?

“I consider myself a changemaker because I am working toward changing the systems in schools so that students are able to see diverse main characters. I have been able to achieve this on a global scale and I will continue until every student can see themselves and diverse people as the main characters.”

How does your book encourage tweens and teens to become changemakers?

“My book tells my story and shows my path. I started when I was 10 years old. I am now 13 years old. If I can do it then anyone can. Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You! encourages tweens and teens to become changemakers by giving real specific tips for them to make a change in their communities. Instead of just saying work hard or believe in yourself, this book puts all of that information into clear and achievable steps.”

What can their adult teachers learn from reading it?

“Teachers, like parents, can learn that they must listen to kids voices and support kids’ actions so that they can succeed. Teachers can learn that by offering diverse books they are reducing ignorance as well as helping children become more confident. Being informed and being more confident will help children succeed in and out of the classroom.”

You are often referred to as an advocate for literacy. What’s next for you in that area?

“I believe that literacy is important because it gives you the tools to express yourself and share your ideas. I want parents and kids to know that reading is fun; it is not just about doing well in school. It’s about being a thoughtful person who positively contributes to the world. To make sure that this idea grows, I am starting the Black Girl Book Club. The book clubs can happen in schools as well as in community spaces. I want kids—and adults—to get together and talk about books and share ideas.”

How does literacy play into your social justice campaign for racial harmony?

“I don’t usually define my work in terms of racial harmony. To me, my work is really about understanding. I want to make sure that people are taking the time to learn about others. I also want people to imagine black girls as leaders and accept that we can be and are the main characters of our lives. I know that if this understanding happens, racial harmony may be the outcome, but racial harmony is not the first thing I think about when I think about my work. Achieving equity and opening spaces for black girls and others to learn are the core reasons for my campaign.

Also, sometimes I think when we say harmony it can make people feel like they are being forced to get along. My work is about education and acceptance. I want people to develop the patience and tolerance to know that there are other ways of being. They may not agree with those ways but they still need to make and hold space for other thoughts, ideas, and possibilities.”

What are three books you’re super excited about right now (and why)?

“The books I’m super excited about are Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi because it shows the world that in fantasy books, black people don't have to die first, or be the slapstick character, but can be leaders. Next, I’m excited about An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green. It hasn’t come out yet, but Hank Green is my favorite YouTuber and now he has books, just like his brother, John Green. Last, I’m excited about Rebound by Kwame Alexander because he is one of my favorite authors telling stories about black boys.”

Marley Dias will deliver the opening keynote at Children’s Literature Day at the ILA 2018 Conference, July 20–23, in Austin, TX. Learn more and register here.

Lara Deloza is the senior communications manager at ILA.