Literacy Now

J. Helen Perkins, a professor of literacy at the University of Memphis in Tennessee, is the newly elected vice president of the ILA Board of Directors. Perkins has been serving as a Board member-at-large since 2020. Her new term begins July 1, 2023, and she will assume the presidency of the Board on July 1, 2024.

An ILA member since 1998, Perkins has more than 43 years of experience in education, having served as a reading specialist, classroom teacher, literacy coach, and various other roles. She has been at the University of Memphis since 2005, where her scholarly work focuses on children of poverty, their literacy acquisition and enhancement.

She has also served ILA in multiple capacities prior to her Board service, including coeditor of The Reading Teacher journal and a lead writer for Standards for the Preparation of Literacy Professionals. Currently, she serves as a member of the Membership Committee and cochair of the Anti-Racism, Social Justice, and Equity Committee, and she is chair of ILA’s National Recognition Commission, which oversees the organization’s National Recognition program—a seal of approval for college and university literacy professional preparation programs.

“I have had the pleasure of serving as a literacy advocate for the majority of my life. As vice president, I will continue to support ILA’s mission, strategic plan and goals as we advocate for students, families, educators and all stakeholders globally,” Perkins said. “My vision is for ILA to enhance our membership and global work, and to continue to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in all that we do.” 

Three new Board members-at-large were also elected for the 2023–2026 term:

• Young-Suk Kim, professor and senior associate dean, School of Education, University of California Irvine. Kim, an ILA member since 2022, is a regular contributor to ILA—having written multiple articles for Reading Research Quarterly, presented during digital events, and served as guest editor of the membership magazine. Her scholarship focuses on oral language, reading, writing, dyslexia, and higher-order cognitive skills.
• Zoi Traga Philippakos, associate professor in literacy education at the University of Tennessee. Philippakos has been an ILA member since 2004. In addition to contributing to all three of ILA’s journals, she has presented during digital events and served as a member of ILA’s Writing Task Force. Her research interests include reading and writing instruction in K–12 classrooms as well as postsecondary strategy instruction with self-regulation, motivation, and teacher professional development.
• James Darin Pope, deputy superintendent, Tuscaloosa City Schools, and adjunct instructor, University of Alabama. Pope, an ILA member since 2008, is focused on foundational reading skills and literacy across the content areas. An educator for 26 years, he has served on the Strategic Planning Committee on Teaching Reading and the Literacy Task Force of the State of Alabama.

Kim, Perkins, Philippakos, and Pope were elected by ILA’s membership during the ILA 2023 Board Election, which was conducted online between March 27, 2023, and May 5, 2023. The new vice president and members-at-large will begin their terms on July 1, 2023.

When students at New Castle’s Pleasantville Elementary School return for the 2023–2024 school year, they’ll have access to a completely reimagined and redesigned library. A large donation from the International Literacy Association (ILA), made possible through a Delaware Community Foundation grant, will help fund the much-needed capital improvements.

“We know that a great school library is the true heart and center of a school building,” said Pleasantville’s Principal Renee Griffith, who will help manage the grant. “These resources will help unlock the full potential of our school library and provide our school librarian with the tools needed to do what she does best: spark curiosity and foster a love of learning and reading in our students.”

Fresh paint is just one of Pleasantville’s many planned upgrades, which also includes an influx of new books and materials, new shelving to house the collection, and even new flexible learning seating and tables.

“This grant will truly help provide our students with the space they deserve to help inspire both curiosity and learning as well as helping to remove outdated books and providing our students with new and engaging books to access,” said Tom Gavin, supervisor of Instructional Technology & Libraries for Colonial School District. “It will also help us with our goal of making our school library an even stronger resource center for our students.”

District Superintendent Jeff Menzer expressed his appreciation for the funding, adding, “In Colonial School District, we believe in the ‘Power of WE,’ the importance of partnerships and working together in our community to help provide access and opportunities for the students and staff of Colonial Nation.”

ILA’s headquarters are in Newark, Del., and this donation marks one of several local initiatives the global organization is undertaking to support Delawareans.

“We set the standard for quality literacy instruction around the world,” said Nicola Wedderburn, ILA executive director. “We are and will remain committed to offering high-quality resources and professional development that benefits Delaware schools and educators.”

The International Literacy Association (ILA) opened the submissions process today for its 2023 awards and grants program—opening the door for the next generation of graduate students, teacher educators and scholars to receive support for their innovative leadership and research.

But the awards don’t just recognize emerging stars. Opportunities such as the Diane Lapp & James Flood Professional Collaborator Award, which recognizes an ongoing professional collaboration between two or more people, and the William S. Gray Citation of Merit, a lifetime achievement award among the most prestigious in the literacy field, routinely recognize veterans of the field who have impacted everything we know about reading and literacy for decades.

Previous winners representing those emerging and veteran leaders include Nell. K. Duke, Steve Graham, Sonia Cabell, Tricia Zucker, John Z. Strong, Elena Forzani, and Linnea C. Ehri—last year’s winner of the William S. Gray Citation of Merit.

Individuals can nominate themselves or a colleague for one of the following opportunities:

• Diane Lapp & James Flood Professional Collaborator Award
• Dina Feitelson Research Award
• Jeanne S. Chall Research Fellowship
• Jerry Johns Outstanding Teacher Educator in Reading Award
• Steven A. Stahl Research Grant
• Timothy & Cynthia Shanahan Outstanding Dissertation of the Year Award
• William S. Gray Citation of Merit

More information on each award, including eligibility requirements, can be found by clicking on the links above. Submissions, which will be vetted by teams of researchers and teacher educators from within the ILA network, must be received by March 30, 2023. For more information, visit the ILA awards and grants website.

In June 2020, conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic caused ILA to pause the popular Choices reading program. When it was clear that the ongoing disruptions to in-person schooling and necessary safety precautions once buildings reopened would make it near impossible to resume the project, the International Literacy Association (ILA) made the difficult decision to let it go.

Retiring Choices, however, was not an option. ILA was determined to rehome the reading lists—which launched in 1974 with Children’s Choices and later expanded to include Young Adults’ Choices and Teachers’ Choices—with an organization that would honor the spirit of the program and produce lists with the respect and care they deserved. The obvious choice: The Children’s Book Council (CBC). For years, CBC cosponsored the Children’s Choices list, and in 2019 it also began cosponsoring its counterpart for young adults.

In June 2021, a year after announcing the COVID pause, ILA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) granting CBC full permission to give the Choices project a second life.

CBC Executive Director Carl Lennertz said his organization’s top goal was “to maintain the success and qualities of ILA’s Choices programs and build on the reach of the programs by expanding participation while developing sustainable processes.”

Fast forward to May 2022, when—after months of gathering feedback from the Choices volunteer network and other key stakeholders—CBC relaunched the project as the Favorites Lists.

Like Choices, the Favorites Lists are curated by readers themselves. CBC recruited 80 review teams spanning schools, public libraries, and independent bookstores across the United States. Through a revamped process, the organization was able to put 1,500 books—roughly 100 copies of each publisher-submitted title—into the hands of readers across the country.

The first annotated collection of Children’s Favorites, Young Adult Favorites, and Teacher Favorites Lists are set to publish in May 2023. 

Lennertz says that CBC feels “a great debt of gratitude” for ILA and the decades invested in the three Choices lists, which Lennertz characterizes as a “go-to resource for educators, librarians, and caregivers.”

The feeling is mutual. “We are thrilled that the Children’s Book Council will carry on the Choices tradition,” says ILA Executive Director Nicola Wedderburn. “We feel confident that the new Favorites Lists will continue to identify high-quality, engaging books that foster a love of reading in people of all ages.”

To learn more about the CBC’s Favorites Lists, visit https://www.cbcbooks.org/readers/reader-resources/favorites-lists/.

The International Literacy Association (ILA) announced today that, by unanimous decision of the ILA Board of Directors, ILA Interim Executive Director Nicola Wedderburn has assumed the position permanently.

Traditionally, an Interim Executive Director's role is to steer the organization during the search for and transition to a new permanent leader. In the case of Wedderburn, the ILA Board felt her stellar performance made such a search unnecessary.

"We are continually inspired and encouraged by Nicola's leadership and the culture of collaboration she has fostered at ILA," said Kenneth Kunz, ILA President of the Board. "We've made amazing strides advancing ILA's mission this past year and are confident in Nicola's ability to continue to lead the important work ahead."

Prior to taking the helm as Interim Executive Director in February 2022, Wedderburn served as Director of Business Development, during which time she oversaw ILA's marketing program as well as membership, the chapter and affiliate network, customer service and partnership development.

As Interim Executive Director, Wedderburn spearheaded the creation and implementation of a new strategic plan for ILA that affirms the organization's commitment to improving the quality of literacy learning across the globe and reflects the interests and diversity of all constituents—something that Wedderburn, who hails from Jamaica, has advocated for throughout her 12-year tenure.

Wedderburn's previous appointment was historic for the nearly 70-year-old organization; she is not only the first Black woman to take the helm of ILA but also the first executive director of ILA born outside of the United States.

Said Wedderburn, "I believe in ILA's mission and have seen firsthand the difference we can make in the lives of literacy professionals. It's an honor to serve the organization in this role."