Literacy Now

by Jen Donovan

In honor of its founding members, artist and sculptor Clark B. Fitz-Gerald was commissioned to create a sculpture for the IRA’s headquarters in Newark, DE. 

The sculpture entitled “Syntax” is a bronze frieze wrapping around one entrance to the building.

The late Fitz-Gerald was deeply inspired by nature. After many years of teaching art, he decided to move to Castine, Maine to devote the rest of his days to his craft. Fitz-Gerald was a renowned sculptor of public art pieces and was commissioned by many prominent cities, churches, and universities. For years he supported his family with his art.

The sculpture created for the IRA was finished in 1981. Years passed and the elements had taken their toll on the copper, weathering it to a dull gray -green. The piece, which represented the foundation of the organization, was recently refurbished to highlight and restore Fitz-Gerald’s original vision. The sun now illuminates the copper pieces against the recently-updated maroon background.

“Syntax” resembles a series of symbols somewhat like a primitive language or alphabet. The unique, uneven pieces seem to almost fit together, but not quite. The shapes bring to the mind images of shapes found in nature. An essential part of the IRA’s mission is to promote knowledge of language through the love of reading. “Syntax” is a fusion of Fitz-Gerald’s affinity for nature and the beauty of symbols, letters, and language itself. 

Before

After

Jen Donovan is an intern in the Strategic Communications Department of the International Reading Association. 

The Specialized Literacy Professionals Special Interest Group (SIG) of the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) are conducting a survey to obtain information about the current roles and responsibilities of reading specialists/literacy coaches across the United States. The SIG invites current reading specialists and literacy coaches to complete the online survey by March 21, 2012, at the following URL: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L7XVFLR

The survey will take about 20 to 30 minutes to complete. It is not necessary to be a member of IRA or NCTE to complete the survey. Educators who provide a similar service as a reading specialist or literacy coach but who may not have those specific titles are encouraged to complete the survey.

The purpose for conducting this survey is to provide information to various stakeholders to assist with decision making, including: (a) institutions that prepare reading specialists/literacy coaches, (b) agencies and organizations (International Reading Association, National Council of Teachers of English, State Department of Education) that provide professional development for reading specialists/literacy coaches, (c) policy-makers and legislators, and (d) school districts that employ such professionals. They believe this information will also be helpful to individual reading specialists/literacy coaches who are seeking information about how others function in their schools and recent educational policies (e.g., RTI).

IRA will use the survey data to update the position statement on The Role of the Reading Specialist (2000) and The Reading Coach (2004).

The IRA Specialized Literacy Professionals SIG is chaired by Rita Bean, Professor Emerita, University of Pittsburgh, and Jack Cassidy, Professor Emeritus, Texas A & M, Corpus Christi.

International Literacy Association Position Statements

International Literacy Association Special Interest Groups

International Literacy Association Membership

The voting period for the 2012 IRA Board election closed on February 10, the ballots have been tabulated, and the results have been confirmed. 

Jill Lewis-Spector, (bio) Professor, Literacy Education and Chair, Graduate Program, New Jersey City University, Jersey City, NJ, has been elected as IRA’s new Vice President.  

Three new board members were also elected: 

• Douglas Fisher, (bio) Professor of Education, San Diego State University, and Teacher Leader, Health Sciences High, San Diego, CA
• Rona Flippo, (bio) Professor, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Boston, MA
• Shelley Stagg Peterson, (bio) Associate Professor, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

Their terms will run from 2012 to 2015. 

The entire IRA community extends best wishes to the newly elected vice president and board members.

You may not recognize the International Reading Association’s new Spring 2012 Resource Catalog when you see it. The “publications catalog” has grown into a “resource catalog” with books, DVDs, professional development tools, journals, webinars, membership, and more.

The first major change you will notice is in the table of contents. Instead of grouping books and other resources by age group, they are now organized by subject areas. The subject areas that directly correspond to the Common Core State Standards include quotes and reference information that tie the subject area to the Standards.

“We listened to our customers,” shares International Reading Association (IRA) Publications Marketing Associate Nicola Wedderburn. “Based on a marketing analysis study, we decided to reorganize the catalog and include resource guides for professional learning communities, Common Core, and Response to Intervention.”

The forty-eight page blue and green catalog features twelve categories of resources as well as new technologies. Bestsellers and hot sellers are highlighted, as well as the new items Small-Group Reading Instruction: Differentiated Teaching Models for Intermediate Readers, Grades 3–8 (2nd ed.); Developing Readers in the Academic Disciplines; Understanding and Using Reading Assessment, K–12 (2nd ed.); After Early Intervention, Then What? Teaching Struggling Readers in Grades 3 and Beyond (2nd ed.); Early Biliteracy Development: Exploring Young Learners’ Use of Their Linguistic Resources; and Read, Write, Play, Learn: Literacy Instruction in Today’s Kindergarten.

Customers can pre-order upcoming publications Best Ever Literacy Survival Tips: 72 Lessons You Can’t Teach Without by Lori D. Oczkus; Text Complexity: Raising Rigor in Reading by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Diane Lapp; and Guided Comprehension for English Learners by Maureen McLaughlin. 

As well as books, the catalog includes e-books and DVDs plus information about IRA webinars, ReadWriteThink.org lesson plans, and benefits of IRA membership. Readers can learn about IRA’s three journals The Reading Teacher, the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, and Reading Research Quarterly.

Another novelty of the Spring 2012 Resource Catalog is that it is available a month before previous spring catalogs. The catalog was mailed in early January, and anyone can peruse the interactive digital version online at /spring2012. This digital version includes “buy” buttons next to each item that adds those items to your cart. At checkout, IRA members can log in to their membership account to save 20% off of list price.

The interactive digital version also offers the ability to search the catalog’s contents, to print pages, and to save pages as PDFs.

Institutions, distributors, and other organizations interested in bulk order of books and resources can call 800-336-7323 for details.

Wedderburn concludes, “This catalog is not just an IRA resource, it is a literacy resource.”

International Reading Association Books

Former International Reading Association (IRA) President Dr. Patricia A. Edwards recently accepted the prestigious Edward B. Fry Book Award from the Literacy Research Association (LRA) for Change Is Gonna Come during the association’s 2011 conference in Jacksonville, Florida.

The Edward B. Fry Book Award recognizes LRA members who author a book on literacy research and practice. The book that receives the award advances knowledge about literacy, displays inquiry into literacy, and shows responsible intellectual risk taking. The Edward B. Fry Book Award is presented at the annual conference and the author receives a plaque, a monetary award, and a hardcover copy of the award-winning book with the award seal affixed to it.

Edwards’ 2010 book, co-written with Gwendolyn Thompson McMillon and Jennifer D. Turner, Change Is Gonna Come: Transforming Literacy Education for African American Students, focuses on the literacy underachievement of African American children. While many books decry the crisis in the schooling of African American children, they are often disconnected from the everyday experiences and work of classroom teachers and principals. Change Is Gonna Come is the first book of its kind, offering both an in-depth examination of critical issues and specific practices to help K–12 educators transform literacy teaching and learning for African American students. The authors offer a compelling, engaging call to action as they address the fight for access to literacy; supports and roadblocks to success; best practices, theories, and perspectives on teaching African American children; and the role of families in the literacy lives of their children. Throughout, they highlight the valuable lessons learned from the past and share real stories from their own diverse experiences as teachers, parents, and community members. This book is copublished by the International Reading Association and Teachers College Press.

Edwards was the 2010-2011 president of the International Reading Association and is a distinguished professor of Teacher Education at Michigan State University. To further promote public awareness about reading achievement gaps, Edwards recently co-wrote the article "Behind NAEP Reading Scores, an Education Debt" for NBC News’ Education Nation with Western Michigan University professor Susan Piazza.

International Reading Association Books

Awards & Grants

Board of Directors Information

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