Literacy Now

The International Literacy Association (ILA) unveiled a revised draft of the Standards for the Preparation of Literacy Professionals 2017 (Standards 2017) at the ILA 2017 Conference & Exhibits in Orlando, FL, incorporating feedback from the public comment period that took place earlier this year. The presentation was delivered by ILA 2017 Standards Revision Committee cochairs Diane Kern, associate professor at the University of Rhode Island, and Rita Bean, professor emerita, University of Pittsburgh.

Standards 2017 establishes criteria for literacy professional preparation programs throughout the United States, and will also be a resource for states, policymakers, and those hiring literacy professionals. They are performance based and draw from professional expertise and research in the literacy field.

Key shifts include the following:

Title change: The title will change from Standards for Reading Professionals to Standards for the Preparation of Literacy Professionals, reflecting the shift to incorporate all facets of literacy in ILA’s mission.

Expanded and clarified roles: Standards 2017 delineates three roles of specialized literacy professionals: reading/literacy specialists, literacy coaches, and literacy supervisors/coordinators. The clarified roles intend to help preparation programs better meet candidates’ specific goals.

The reading/literacy specialist’s primary role is to work with students who need specialized instruction or intervention and with peers to support tiered instruction; the literacy coach works with adults, leading adult professional learning at the team and school levels, supporting building-wide literacy learning. The supervisor/coordinator’s role is to lead the development and the evaluation of the school or district literacy program.   

The other roles are classroom teachers, principals, teacher educators, and a new role, “literacy partners,” which includes allied professionals, teaching assistants, families, and community agencies. 

More rigorous practicum experience: Standards 2017 will add a seventh standard: Practicum/Clinical Experiences. Candidates must engage with individual and groups of students across grade levels and also serve as “novice coaches” to support adult peers. They must work in at least one school-based setting, and receive observation and ongoing feedback by qualified supervisors.

Greater focus on advocacy: Standard 4 is now named “Diversity and Equity” to reflect an increased focus on advocacy for learners from a wide variety of cultural, linguistic, and racial backgrounds, for inclusive and affirming classroom and school environments, and for equity at school, district, and community levels.

Emphasis on digital learning: Standards 2017 aims to increase exposure to and use of digital technology in preparation program coursework. Candidates will be required to use a variety of print and digital materials and to integrate digital technologies in appropriate, safe, and effective ways.

More support for collaborative learning: The word collaborative will appear often throughout Standards 2017 (e.g., “Candidates engage in collaborative decision making with colleagues to design, align, and assess instructional practices and interventions”). Programs may need to accommodate candidates engaging in and leading collaborative learning methods.

Stronger partnerships: Several standards now have a component focused on fostering home–school and community partnerships. Coursework may incorporate more service learning projects while practicum experiences may incorporate community engagement activities.

The revised Standards for the Preparation of Literacy Professionals 2017 (Standards 2017) will go to Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) for feedback and, pending approval, will be published in 2018. All reading/literacy specialist educator preparation programs must adopt the new standards by spring 2020.

Alina O’Donnell is the editor of Literacy Daily.

Among massive cuts to science, arts, healthcare, and social welfare programs, President Trump’s 2018 budget proposal, submitted to Congress on Tuesday, calls for a whopping $9.2 billion spending cut to education.

The largest proposed cut—at $2.3 billion—would come from the elimination of the Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants, or Title II of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Title II is the key federal funding stream that districts use to recruit, train, support, and compensate their teacher workforce.

With such a huge loss of funding, districts would have to make difficult decisions about where to cut corners. Professional development, often viewed as a luxury instead of a necessity, is usually the first to go.

During an appearance on EduTalk Radio this week, International Literacy Association (ILA) Associate Executive Director Stephen Sye explained that criticism of professional development often comes because it can be a vague term that can take on a myriad of forms, making it difficult to correlate with student achievement. 

“There are a number of educators who feel that if the budget continues to be reduced, professional development will be eliminated. Unfortunately that does nothing but hurt our [future] workforce,” Sye said during the interview. “A less prepared teacher results in a less prepared student and ultimately a less qualified workforce.”

Sye discussed the implications of the budget cuts with host Larry Jacobs. He said that as federal funding streams dry up, organizations like ILA will play an increasingly important role in ensuring that all students have access to current, prepared, high-quality teachers.

“No matter what the climate, ILA is going to continue to advocate for making teachers better teachers because that’s what our students deserve,” said Sye.

Budget cuts will hit some schools hard. Organizations like ILA can level the playing field by making professional development resources more accessible to all educators. ILA publishes journals, books, position statements, and other resources on evidence-based strategies that have been proven effective in classrooms.

“If we as a nation are truly committed to quality education, then the cutting-edge practical resources on instruction that ILA provides are going to be more needed than ever,” Sye said. “What we offer in terms of knowledge is research based and is sound practice, no matter what the political climate brings.”

The organization also offers free registration to the ILA 2017 Conference & Exhibits for undergraduate preservice teachers. Participants can attend presentations by literacy experts, hands-on curriculum-building workshops, TED Talk-style lunches, literacy research sessions, and the social justice and current events panel.

But, Sye said, programming is only one part of the picture; having the opportunity for face-to-face networking and collaboration is the most valuable part of any conference. As districts start to reexamine and streamline their professional development budgets, Sye hopes they will continue to recognize these interactive learning events as a worthwhile investment.

“Without investing in teachers and quality professional development, how are they going to be current and prepared, and how are our students going to be current and prepared?” 

Alina O'Donnell is the editor of Literacy Daily.

Putting quality books into the hands of kids can change their lives, but how do educators find the right reading material for students? This month’s #ILAChat focuses on using booklists, like the recently released Choices reading lists, to find appropriate, engaging, and diverse books to fill classroom libraries and to recommend to readers of all ages.

Each year during Children’s Book Week, ILA releases the Choices reading lists. Composed of three different lists—Children’s Choices, which is cosponsored by the Children’s Book Council; Young Adults’ Choices; and Teachers’ Choices—the project is a nationwide effort to compile each year’s favorite, newly published titles into carefully selected, easily accessible lists. The goal is to ensure every classroom has a wide range of guaranteed enjoyable reads for students by providing them with these recommendations. What better way to empower young readers than to fill their classrooms with books chosen by the readers themselves?

Follow @ILAToday to join our #ILAChat hosts Jennifer Fox (@JenniferFox13) and Shannon Miller (@shannonmiller) and to let us know what you think about this year’s Choices Reading Lists results. The chat will take place Thursday, May 11, at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Jennifer Fox was a team leader for the 2017 Teachers’ Choices list. She worked to receive, review, and distribute this year’s titles to schools across one of five regions of the U.S. She recently completed her doctoral studies at the University of Missouri with a dissertation study entitled, “Secondary Literacy Teachers’ Use of a Twitter Chat Community for Voluntary Ongoing Professional Learning.” When she’s not busy sifting through piles of children’s literature, she is a tech-minded professor in Bolivar, MO, as well as a wife and mother of two.

Shannon Miller served as the K-12 district teacher librarian at the Van Meter Community School District in Iowa for 8 years. She is currently an international speaker and consultant, as well as author of the award-winning blog The Library Voice. Shannon is also the Future Ready Libraries and Project Connect Spokesperson, Buncee's Teacher Librarian Advisor, and Cantata Learning's Teacher Librarian Advocate. She has a passion for education, librarianship, technology, and social media. She is also a wife and mother to three amazing children.

Follow @ILAToday and use the hashtag #ILAChat to join the conversation.

For the past 16 years, the One Book, One Community campaign in Central Florida has put thousands of books in the hands of local school children. This year, the International Literacy Association is cosponsoring the initiative along with the Orlando Sentinel Media Group and Publix.

The premise for the program is simple:  one book is selected for students, parents, teachers, and other community members to read and discuss together through a series of events, all with the purpose of promoting literacy.

The 2017 book selection is Frindle (1998, Atheneum) by Andrew Clements. The story follows fifth grader Nick Allen as he navigates the consequences of one ridiculous, yet seemingly harmless, classroom prank. Hilarity ensues after the entire class starts participating, as well as members of the whole town.

The One Book, One Community campaign runs April 9 through May 16 and is expected to involve more than 100 schools. Throughout the initiative, students ages 5–12 can participate in reading events, word games, and literacy activities related to the book at library locations across Orange and Seminole counties.

Click here for more information about the events.

Clare Maloney is an intern at the International Literacy Association. She is currently seeking a BA in English from the University of Delaware.

The education community lost a leading literacy advocate in February with the passing of Susan Mandel Glazer, a past president of the International Reading Association (IRA), now the International Literacy Association (ILA). Glazer was a professor at Rider University in New Jersey for 45 years, where she founded the Center for Reading and Writing as well as the graduate program for reading specialists. A prolific author and researcher, Glazer will be greatly missed. The following is a tribute written by Linda B. Gambrell, also a past president of IRA, who served on the Board of Directors alongside Glazer.

Susan Mandel Glazer was a literacy scholar and trailblazer who was committed to serving struggling readers and was recognized for her many contributions to literacy education worldwide. We were fresh out of our doctoral programs when I met Susan, and she was already involved in establishing what would become her lifelong passion: the Center for Reading and Writing at Rider University.

Sadly, Susan, a past president of IRA, passed away in February at the age of 78. Although she will be remembered for her many publications and presentations, she will continue to be known most of all for her spearheading leadership in serving students who struggle with reading and writing.

I first met Susan at an IRA conference in the mid-1970s. She was making a presentation with one of her mentors, Morton Botel, and I was presenting with my mentor, Robert M. Wilson. The four of us crossed paths in the convention center and our mentors introduced us.

A couple of years later, my husband had a job transfer and we moved to Yardley, PA. We made a quick trip to the area to look for a house, and we booked a room in a nearby hotel. As we walked in, it was clear there was a huge IRA state conference in progress. As we were checking in, I looked up to see Susan walking out of the exhibit area.

As fate would have it, this was a very fortuitous encounter. Anyone who has had the pleasure of knowing Susan would not be surprised to learn that when she heard my husband and I were moving to the area, she immediately took us under her wing. She introduced me to literacy leaders throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, she invited us to lovely dinners, and she took us to the best restaurants in the area. Susan was gracious and giving, and she had a deep and abiding love for her profession. She was a magnificent teacher, a productive scholar, and an innovator in developing university centers to serve struggling readers and writers.

I had the pleasure of serving on the IRA Board of Directors during Susan's presidency from 1994–1995, along with Rich Vacca and Jerry Johns. Rich remembers Susan as "the consummate literacy educator. She loved her work, her students, and her colleagues. We will miss her dearly." Jerry and Susan shared an intense commitment to students who struggle with literacy learning. He remembers her "dedication to the reading and writing clinic at Rider University, along with her many professional publications that resulted in significant contributions to our field."

Susan was an exceptional literacy leader and scholar. Her enthusiasm for literacy, warm smile, and contagious laughter will be missed by all who knew her.

Linda B. Gambrell, past president of IRA, is a distinguished professor of education in the Eugene T. Moore School of Education at Clemson University where she teaches graduate and undergraduate literacy courses. She has served as a reading/literacy development consultant throughout the United States and internationally.