Literacy Now

Alan E. Farstrup, who served as the executive director of the International Reading Association (now International Literacy Association) from 1992–2009, passed away October 31 from complications related to a recent stroke. 

Alan’s long period of service touched many. He was an indefatigable advocate for research (he served as IRA’s director of research 1985–1991) and the professional development of literacy teachers and school-based literacy professionals. He was an ardent supporter of the state council network and of our international affiliates. He kept a world map on his office wall covered with colored pins marking the countries he had visited to meet with members and work with colleagues to advance the cause of literacy.

Earlier in his career, Alan was a Peace Corps volunteer and served as a graduate teaching assistant to P. David Pearson, noted researcher and founding chair of ILA’s Literacy Research Panel, when Pearson taught at the University of Minnesota in the mid-1970s. The two became lifelong friends.

Amid the press of his administrative duties, Alan found time to coedit with S. Jay Samuels the three titles of ILA’s influential What Research Has to Say series on the topics of reading, vocabulary, and fluency instruction. He was also an active member of the Reading Hall of Fame.

Tall and ever-smiling, Alan always exuded a personal warmth that was his most endearing quality. He was genuinely interested in exploring all manner of project and program ideas. Supportive and encouraging by nature, Alan relished his interactions with board members and ILA staff. He decorated the headquarters conference room and hallways with group photos of both.

At annual and regional conferences, and at the world congresses, Alan’s meet-ups and appointments kept him constantly on the move, as he toiled to grow new contacts and forge new partnerships.

During his tenure, ILA (then International Reading Association) undertook joint efforts with the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) to develop standards for English Language Arts, the Carnegie Corporation to develop guidelines for literacy coaches, and the Marco Polo Partners Consortium to develop the award-winning online resource ReadWriteThink.

Of equal importance, under Alan’s leadership, the Association’s website, formerly reading.org, underwent a major upgrade to support online interactions and e-commerce transactions with members, and new agreements for digitizing the content of our journals were entered into. Alan understood the strategic importance of digital technology as a driver of new literacies.

Alan was a congenial leader, fully absorbed in his work and fully appreciative of all those with whom he worked. He would never pass in the hallway, the parking lot, or the coffee room without stopping to chat. We will miss him dearly at ILA, and in this moment of grief we celebrate his long service and the grace with which he gave it.

We offer our deepest condolences to his family along with our sincerest gratitude for all that he accomplished on behalf of our membership.

As you may have noticed, the International Literacy Association (ILA), formerly the International Reading Association (IRA), has a whole new website! Much like we’ve transformed from IRA to ILA as an organization, our website has also evolved from reading.org to literacyworldwide.org.

ILA’s new website has a simplified and streamlined look but still includes the research-based member resources you need for teaching all levels of literacy. The best part? It’s much easier and faster to find the tools and topics you’re looking for with our enhanced search function and newly added Get Resources page.

Check out the step-by-step instructions below to learn how to find member resources—fast—using the new website features.  

Let’s get started, so you can start putting ideas into action in your classroom right away!

Sign in

When you go to literacyworldwide.org, sign in with your ILA member username and password at the top right-hand corner of the screen. (If you’ve forgotten either of these, click on “Forgot Username?” or “Forgot Password?” to retrieve them.) Not a member? Learn more about joining ILA and ILA’s membership benefits now.

Get resources

When you hover over Get Resources in the main navigation menu, you will see the Get Resources dropdown menu. Here, you can click on and explore Reading Lists, Literacy Daily Blog, Books, ILA E-ssentials, Units and Lesson Plans (where you’ll find ILA Bridges), Journals, and Literacy Today Magazine.

Select a topic and narrow your search

Once you choose a type of resource from the drop down menu, you can zero in on a specific category within that resource. For example, if you’re looking for ILA E-ssentials that deal with 21st-Century Literacy Skills, you would select ILA E-ssentials from the menu, scroll down to the topics below, and then click the “+” next to 21st-Century Literacy Skills to see all the available ILA E-ssentials for this category (like “The SHOTS Strategy” article, shown in the example below).

Access now

When you click on the ILA E-ssentials article title, you’ll go straight to that article’s page, where you’ll find an overview of what’s inside and the option to access it immediately. Remember, you have to be signed in to see the “ACCESS NOW” button!

Search more specifically

If you’re seeking something more specific—graphic novels, for example—you can also search by typing the topic you’re looking for in the search bar (next to the yellow magnifying glass). After entering your search term, click the yellow magnifying glass to start your search.  

Read through your results

Your results will reveal all the online resources that mention the specific topic you searched, as well as how many times the topic appears on the website. (Here’s a tip: If you’re looking for a phrase and getting too many non-specific results, try searching again using quotation marks around the phrase, as shown in the screenshot.) Click the underlined article title to view a result.  

Filter your search

You can easily filter search results even further—by content type, student level, or topic—using the options on the left hand side of the screen. Please note that you can filter search results by one content type, student level, and topic at a time. Simply check the appropriate boxes, then scroll down and click “Filter.” Your new results will then appear. At any time you can change your filter by checking or unchecking boxes and reapplying the new filter by hitting “Filter.” Clicking “Clear Filters” will uncheck any boxes and return you to your original, unfiltered results.

We hope this simplifies and speeds up your search for ILA member resources and makes it easier for you to get the research-based tips, advice, ideas, and tools you need to transform lives through literacy!

Want to share your thoughts on our new website and new features? We’d love to hear from you! Please share your feedback with us by e-mailing membership@reading.org.

This year, we celebrate the 20th year of the What’s Hot in Literacy Survey, published in the latest issue of Literacy Today. Results from previous surveys have been cited in numerous publications, translated into multiple languages, and replicated in several countries including Denmark, Rumania, and the United Kingdom.

In addition, previous results of the annual survey have guided professional development within schools and have played a key role in situating the timeliness of current research. In a brief overview, we share how the 2016 survey was constructed, the approaches used to select this year’s respondents, and the methods used while analyzing the results.

Each year, a purposeful sample of 25 literacy leaders completes the survey. The literacy leaders who responded to the 2015 survey played a key role in constructing this year’s edition by reviewing the items listed on the 2015 survey and making suggestions for revisions. This process resulted in a 30-item survey for 2016. In addition, three topics appeared for the first time: oral language, teacher evaluation for literacy, and teacher preparation and certification.

The 2016 literacy leaders all hold a national or international perspective on literacy. Many of them have served on boards of prominent literacy organizations, or as editors of major journals. Together the 25 leaders create a diverse group representing various  ages and job categories such as classroom teachers, administrators, and college professors. 

The percentage of ILA members in each region of the United States determines the number of literacy leaders interviewed in that region. Representing the East for 2016 were Julie Coiro, Rona Flippo, Donald J. Leu, Jill Lewis-Spector, Barbara Marinak, Susan B. Neuman, and Marcie Craig Post. From the Southeast were Richard Allington, Donna Alvermann, Estanislado Barrera IV, and Linda Gambrell. The Great Lakes area was represented by Nell Duke, Patricia Edwards, Timothy Rasinski, William Teale, and Timothy Shanahan. Julianne Scullen represented the Plains area, while the West was represented by Diane Barone, Douglas Fisher, and P. David Pearson. Other areas included the Southwest, represented by Katy Landrum and Chase Young; the Rocky Mountains, represented by Ray Reutzel; Canada, represented by Shelley Stagg Peterson; and outside North America, represented by Bernadette Dwyer.

We interviewed the literacy leaders by phone, Skype, or in person during the summer months. Each interview began with the reading of a standard 178-word paragraph explaining that a rating of “hot” and “not hot” would not be a measure of his or her personal interest in a topic, but instead would refer to the amount of attention the item was currently receiving. Next, each of the 30 items from the survey were read aloud to the respondent and a rating of “hot” or “not hot” was assigned. In addition, the respondent stated whether the item “should be hot” or “should not be hot.”

The final step was analyzing the results. This involved tallying the collected ratings. Items receiving 100% consensus among the literacy leaders were reported as “extremely hot” or “extremely cold.” Items receiving 75% consensus were reported as “very hot” or “very cold,” while those receiving 50% consensus were reported as “hot” or “not hot.”

Read about the results of the What’s Hot in Literacy Survey in Literacy Today magazine (formerly Reading Today).

The International Literacy Association (ILA), formerly known as the International Reading Association, honors its inaugural 30 Under 30 list in the September/October 2015 issue of Literacy Today (formerly Reading Today). The list recognizes the next generation of young innovators, advocates, and educators who are leading efforts to address the challenges of today’s evolving education field and make a difference in the global literacy landscape.

“I’m thrilled to unveil our first 30 Under 30 list of young individuals who are tirelessly working to impact the future of global literacy advancement,” said Marcie Craig Post, ILA’s executive director. “Today, an astounding 12% of the global population is unable to read or write. These 30 young education champions are developing new, creative strategies to close the literacy gap and, in the process, are transforming lives in their communities and around the world.”

ILA’s 30 Under 30 list highlights young trailblazers from 13 countries and several different sectors and includes nonprofit leaders, classroom teachers, authors, volunteers, researchers, technology startup founders, and entrepreneurs. Each honoree has created and implemented an initiative that either has improved the quality of literacy instruction directly or has increased access to literacy tools in the classroom, community, or online.

See the full story in the latest issue of Literacy Today, ILA’s bimonthly magazine, released today. The honorees will be invited to participate in upcoming global literacy community activities to support the shared cause of advancing literacy for all. To view the magazine feature, visit literacyworldwide.org/30under30.

In the Philippines, the ability to read and write is a priority, so any effort to promote literacy by the government, organizations, or even private individuals is celebrated.

“It is through literacy that one is empowered to interact in his community and realizes his worth, what he can do and eventually make him do things that contribute in sustainable development of his society,” said Department of Education’s (DepEd) Literacy Coordinating Council OIC Dina Ocampo in a speech during the 2014 National Literacy Conference and Awards.

That “community” progressively expanded, based on the country’s literacy data collected through the national census. Results from the National Statistics Office’s 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH) show that 97.5% of the 71.5 million individuals who are 10 years old and older were literate or could read and write—an increase from the 2000 CPH record of 92.3%.

Prior to World War I, the literacy rate in the Philippines was at a dismal 20%. But it was one of the countries that experienced rapid school expansion in the late 1930s, according to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) 2006 Education for All Global Monitoring Report, and, as a result, literacy rates rose to the middle range during the 1950s (35%–75%). UNESCO has said literacy transitions are linked to educational expansion.

The same findings echoed the observations of Dr. Michael Alba, a research fellow and professor at De La Salle University-Manila. In his journal article, “Estimating Literacy Rate: A Study Relating Literacy Rate With Combined Gross Elementary and Secondary Schools Enrollment Rate,” he attributes the growth of literacy rates in the Philippines to the formalization of the education system there and its success in achieving its basic objective: to prioritize literacy skills for students.

From the top

Shifts in the country’s education system were rooted in structural changes and policymaking bodies throughout history.

The creation of regulation surrounding education took some 70 years to evolve and 1960 and 1970 literacy data did not include education offered outside regular classrooms, including community learning centers and public halls, for out-of-school youths, dropouts, and differently abled (documented as “nonformal education”). The establishment of the National Manpower and Youth Council, the agency tracking nonformal education, Alba said, made a huge impact on the 1980 literacy rate improvement to 91.79%, according to UNESCO figures.

For John Arnold S. Siena, a director for the National Educators Academy of the Philippines, part of DepEd, the high literacy rate in the country and the 95.24% school participation of children in elementary schooling were achieved through the campaign of the government, particularly DepEd, to bring more school-age children to school. He said initiatives that focused on this goal include the following:

• The Alternative Learning System, which provides opportunity for out-of-school youths to use the education services of DepEd and take the accreditation and equivalency test, paving the way for further education

• Open high school and night school opportunities

• Establishment of schools in areas without schools

• The Kindergarten Law, which makes attending kindergarten a requirement

Literacy-specific initiatives include the following:

• Every Child A Reader Program, which mandates all schools, school divisions, and regions to develop interventions addressing reading in schools based on certain assessment techniques such as the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI)

• The Library Hub, established nationwide, in which a vast collection of book titles appropriate for children of various ages is located and in which the books are circulated in schools and made part of the learning competencies of the children

• A focus in K–3 curriculum on language development, including reading

• The mother tongue–based multilingual education as part of the K–12 program (under this program, teachers are trained to teach mother tongue competencies to prepare for learning of a second language)

• Journalism program RA 7079, which offers teacher and student training in journalism

• Activities throughout the year, including Book Week and National Reading Month

A shared goal

By 2000, organizations inside and outside of the Philippines measured youth literacy rates between 95% and 96.6%.

The Philippines committed to Education for All (EFA) 2015 Goals at the World Education Forum in Dakar, resulting in the Philippine EFA 2015 National Action Plan, “Functionally Literate Filipinos: An Educated Nation.” This plan focuses on achieving wider access to education and life skills programs, a 50% improvement in levels of adult literacy (age 15 and older), and remarkable learning outcomes in literacy, numeracy, and essential life skills.

Siena said he provides continuous support to teachers and other personnel critical to the reading program in schools. For example, the DepEd provides training, support materials, and guidelines on how to operationalize early literacy programs.

DepEd is currently finalizing the policy on Learning Action Cell implementation and strengthening. According to Siena, this is envisioned as “a sustainable and cost-effective means of supporting teacher development.” He added that Learning Action Cells are group-based intervention toward improving teaching practice, and that the reading program, especially in the K–3 stage, will benefit substantially from the intervention.

“The Department of Education also seeks to develop more reading experts from the ranks of teachers through scholarships, long-term trainings, locally available or abroad, to help strengthen the reading programs,” Siena said.

But education reforms and literacy projects cannot be in the hands of DepEd alone. Schools implement their own strategies to contribute to literacy development, like the Reading Literacy Extension Program (RELP) of the University of Northern Philippines (UNP) in Tamag, Vigan.

The effectiveness of RELP, as assessed by Ocarna Figuerres, provided “remarkable” improvement, noting in particular the popularity of the program and the growth of subsequent local literacy programs.

Book drives initiated by the private sector are also popular in the Philippines, such as the Philippine Toy Library, which collects books, board games, and even musical instruments; Sa Aklat Sisikat Foundation (With Books, One Will Be Famous); and Books for a Cause, a movement that distributes books to schools located in remote areas.

The teacher’s role

“One more notable aspect about the project is that the lessons were tested through demonstration lessons in the different schools of Naga City and were revised to incorporate the collective suggestions and feedback of teachers,” says Anna Bella F. Abellera, an English teacher at Naga Central School I. “This project is really a huge collaborative effort of teachers and the city officials and community as well.”

Abellera believes that people should never give up on guiding and inspiring children in achieving literacy.

“It may be redundant to say, but I always ask myself, ‘How many lives did I touch lately?’ Or ‘How many did I inspire today?’”

Len Cristobal is a freelance writer, blogger, and editor from the Philippines.