Literacy Now

Research has found that teachers are the most important contributors to students’ academic success. Since there is evidence that teachers play a critical role in the accomplishments of their students, government programs should be reworked to facilitate teacher growth. The International Reading Association’s newly developed Universal Principles: The Essential Role of the Teacher in Classrooms, School, and Society is meant to enable that process. These principles were developed by a group of teachers working at all levels of education.

The Universal Principles are meant to serve as a comprehensive framework for teacher education and support. A complete version of Universal Principles: The Essential Role of the Teacher in Classrooms, School, and Society can be found at the IRA website. Additionally, IRA is seeking reader suggestions regarding the Universal Principles until November 1. All comments and recommendations can be e-mailed to the IRA.

Capable and dedicated teachers ensure that their students experience academic success at the classroom level, but they also ensure that their students will become literate, well-adjusted members of society. The Universal Principles are broken into three separate sections that effectively outline the role of teachers and the support they need. The three sections are: teachers are dedicated professionals, teachers need adequate support and access to sufficient resources, and teachers are intensely committed to student success.

IRA endorses these proposed principles as essential for every teacher worldwide. In order to create schools where students can thrive, government programs need to consider teachers and their role in students’ lives. Highly qualified and effective teachers are critical to classroom success and the academic development of students.

Elizabeth Bleacher is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.

by Elizabeth Bleacher

The International Reading Association (IRA) Paul A. Witty Short Story Award is given to the author of an original story for children. The story should function as a literary standard for works being published in children’s periodicals. The award, a US$1,000 stipend, is meant to encourage authors to write engaging stories for children that will help promote interest in creative writing. Applications for the award are due by November 15.

Since the award seeks to encourage creative writing in periodicals, the story being nominated must have been published within a children’s magazine. Additionally, a story is only eligible for nomination in the year in which it was first published. In other words, any story published in a young reader periodical in 2012 can be nominated for this award cycle.

Stories submitted for consideration may be nonfiction or fiction, but all work must be original. Retellings of myths or legends will not be considered. Ideal stories create believable worlds, present information truthfully, and engage young readers. They should also offer a standard by which readers can measure the quality of other writing.

Subcommittee members, IRA members, authors, and publishers may all enter stories for consideration, but publishers are limited to three stories per publication. Copies of the publication containing the nominated story should be sent to each committee member for review. Shipment information will be distributed after an application form has been submitted.

Brenda Moore received the award in 2012 for her story “Beyond the Call of Duty” published by Cricket Magazine. Moore prefers to write nonfiction accounts of people and important events in history. Her favorite aspect of writing nonfiction is the extensive research that her topics require. She also likes the challenge of making history interesting for children.

More information about the application process can be found on the International Reading Association’s website.

Elizabeth Bleacher is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.

 

 

How does a book become an IRA Children’s and Young Adults’ Book Award winning title? Authors and publishers may nominate books for consideration, and IRA particularly invites publishers to submit eligible titles for consideration.

To be eligible, a book must be the first or second children’s book from the author and first published in English during the past year. Each book submitted is checked for eligibility and classified for consideration in one of the six categories. An average of about 200 eligible books are submitted in award cycles. 

In 2011-12, 14 IRA members served on the awards committee. For initial review, every committee member reads and rates each Primary fiction and nonfiction title, but the committee splits into two panels for the other books, with one focused on Intermediate titles and the other focused on Young Adult.

Committee members carefully review each book to find nominees that can serve as “a reading and literary standard by which a reader can measure other books,” (IRA, 2013). Books are rated on a four-point scale in the initial reviews, and committee members provide comments with their scores. Committee members may also join in electronic discussions of particular books as they read and assess.

At the end of the initial reviewing, scores are aggregated across all readers to determine the top ten to twelve finalist books in each category. The finalists are then read and reviewed by all committee members who rank the titles in order. Committee members examine the groups’ overall rankings and engage in extended discussion about the results, and the particular nature of the award to recognize new promising authors, before finally recommending award winners in each category. These recommendations are submitted to the IRA Board of Directors for final approval. The winners are announced at the IRA Annual Convention and appear in Reading Today.

This article is an addendum to an article from the October/November 2012 issue of Reading Today. IRA members can read the interactive digital version of the magazine here. Nonmembers: join today!

by Elizabeth Bleacher

The deadline for the International Reading Association (IRA) Maryann Manning Outstanding Volunteer Service Award is November 15. The award is given annually to four volunteers within North America and one volunteer outside of North America in recognition of their outstanding dedication to developing children’s literacy.

An ideal candidate is a dedicated volunteer that has made a lasting commitment to a local, state/provincial, or regional council and gone above and beyond their required duties. Volunteers outside of North America can be a member of an international affiliate to be considered. Also, candidates should have been active within their councils for at least ten years prior to being nominated.

Candidates must be current IRA members, and they should be nominated by their IRA council, affiliate president, or coordinator. It should also be noted that preference will be given to candidates that have not been previously recognized by IRA for their service.

Applications should be completed by the nominator and must include a description of the nominees lifelong commitment to volunteer work in regards to literacy. The educational background and career summary of the nominee is also required, along with three letters of support. All the required information can be submitted online at the International Reading Association website.

Dr. Jo Anne Raiford Bryant received the award in 2012 for her commitment to the Alabama Reading Association (ARA). Over her thirty year involvement, Dr. Bryant served as chair to a variety of committees and presented at a number of ARA fall conferences.

Serge Terwagne was recognized in 2012 for his volunteer services outside of North America. Serge was an active member of IRA at the national and international level until his retirement in 2009. However, he continued volunteering and played a large role in developing the 17th European Conference on Reading.

Elizabeth Bleacher is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.

 

 

 

by Elizabeth Bleacher

The International Reading Association (IRA) Nila Banton Smith Award is given to teachers that show outstanding initiative in developing current content area literacy research into applicable classroom practice. Nila Banton Smith, author of American Reading Instruction, was a specialist in reading instruction and the award is meant to honor her contributions to the field.

Applications for the award are due November 15. To be eligible for the award, nominees must be current IRA members and be classroom or reading teachers that work directly with students on a regular basis at the middle school, secondary school, vocational, or junior college level. Additionally, nominees are expected to have made significant contributions to developing content area teaching skills in the classroom at either the building or district level.

At the time of submission, nominators are required to include specific information about the nominee’s classroom level, building level, and/or district level contributions in content area literacy development. The information should demonstrate the nominee’s leadership abilities and provide evidence that the developed improvements had a positive impact on literacy in the classroom.

The application also requires a letter from the nominee’s principal/supervisor. The letter should be submitted on the appropriate letterhead and support the assertions of the other submissions included with the application.

Kelly Killorn, a sixth grade reading and language arts teacher in Minnesota, received the award in 2010 for her R.E.A.D. Framework. The Framework uses specific reading strategies and activities to enhance adolescent readers’ comprehension of text. Though she developed R.E.A.D. as a tool for students, Killorn realized that teachers could benefit from it as well. Killorn’s goal is that, eventually, all teachers across the U.S. will have access to her framework and implement it in some way.

For more information on the IRA Nila Banton Smith Award, visit the International Reading Association website.

Elizabeth Bleacher is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.