Literacy Now

P. David Pearson,
University of California,
Berkeley, and Virginia
Goatley, University of
Albany, authored the
LRP response

In its July 2, 2013 blog post, the IRA Literacy Research Panel responds to the June 17, 2013 release of the controversial Teacher Prep Review by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ). Noting the methodological and conceptual flaws in the NCTQ report, as well as issues raised by NCTQ’s own Audit Committee, the IRA Literacy Research Panel asserts that the report “should never have seen the light of day.” However, the panel emphasized that NCTQ’s flawed methodology was not the focus of its own response.

Instead, the Literacy Research Panel stated that its purpose in commenting is “to look forward to what we can do as a profession, and as a nation, to improve teacher education.” Whether NCTQ could ever be joined in a common agenda, averred the panel, would necessarily depend on NCTQ’s willingness to reconsider its methodology and to expand the set of criteria and standards that it applies to teacher education program evaluation.

The panel’s response goes on to enumerate three distinct issues occasioned by the disconnect between the standards and methods of NCTQ and what literacy professionals know is effective for teacher education.

Standards of Accountability for Teacher Educators

With respect to the appropriate standards of accountability for teacher educators, the panel notes that NCTQ uses 17 standards to assess the quality of teacher education programs. Yet despite this apparent amplitude, there are conspicuous omissions of critical factors from the NCTQ perspective. The panel catalogues this deficit in detail, observing the NCTQ benchmark omits anything to do with speaking, listening, or writing, the role of text in discipline-based learning, diversity, instructional groups, motivation and engagement, and metacognition.

According to the panel, NCTQ adds to the confusion by not making clear how certain of its own standards apply to which programs, primary or secondary.  Moreover, the panel zeroes in on NCTQ’s use of the so-called “five pillars” in the report of the National Reading Panel (NRP) as a standard for ranking teacher prep schools. While acknowledging that these topics are critical, the Literacy Research Panel notes that the five pillars are, in themselves, “by no means sufficient.” Indeed, the panel cites language from the NRP itself for the proposition that the five pillars are not exhaustive of what prospective teachers need to learn.

Stakeholders in Improving Teacher Education

The Literacy Research panel also takes issue with the tacit assumption of the Teacher Prep Review that, until publication of this report, no one else connected with teacher education research and development “was concerned enough about the quality of teacher education to worry about its improvement.” Nor, as the panel observes, is there “any attempt to review the knowledge base in teacher education.” The panel summarizes well known resources and databases that the NCTQ vetting team might have consulted, but did not do so.

This deficit is especially puzzling with respect to IRA itself. As the panel makes clear, “IRA has a long history of providing leadership in teacher education, with multiple efforts in the last decade.” Examples cited by the panel include: IRA Standards for Reading Professionals – Revised 2010; IRA Involvement with Teacher Education Accreditation, Position Papers, and Research Reports; Prepared to Make a Difference (2003); and IRA Certification of Distinction for the Reading Preparation of Elementary and Secondary Teachers. These resources cover many of the substantive program standards espoused in the NCTQ report.

Common Goals for Improvement of Teacher Education

The Literacy Research Panel also takes strong exception to NCTQ’s privileging of training over preparation in the education of prospective teachers, valuing generalized technical skill over situated and highly contextualized knowledge.  As the panel states, “implicit in this choice is the assumption that teaching is more a trade than a profession.” With this proposition the panel could not disagree more, explaining the difference as follows: “For the trainer, the knowledge is a recipe or routine to be enacted faithfully; for the educator, it is significant information that guides practice in concert with multiple related pieces of research-based knowledge.”

In concluding its response, the panel challenges NCTQ’s bona fides as a stakeholder in the cause of improving education, urging NCTQ to reject “the current strategy of trying to shame programs into compliance by subjecting their practices to an unprofessional evaluation and holding superficial records up to public ridicule.” The best path forward, the panel opines, would be for NCTQ “to join those of us who have labored in the field for decades to promote improvement through research, researched-based practice, and exemplary programs.”

P. David Pearson, University of California, Berkeley, and Virginia Goatley, University of Albany, authored the response, with contributions from Karen Wixson, University of North Carolina, Greensboro; Peter Afflerbach, University of Maryland; Gloria Ladson-Billings, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Catherine Snow, Harvard Graduate School of Education; and William Teale, University of Illinois, Chicago.

The International Reading Association recently teamed with the American Reading Company to host noted author and educator Stephen G. Peters in a seminar for school administrators in Newark, Delaware.

American Reading Company (ARC) Senior Policy Advisor Quality Quinn welcomed the group of teachers, principals, and superintendents from regional school districts to the University of Delaware John M. Clayton Conference Center, noting that she was “thrilled to bring IRA, ARC, and Stephen Peters from The Peters Group together for this professional development event.” She also introduced Jesse Hileman, who is the ARC contact for the Philadelphia/Delaware region.

IRA Executive Director Marcie Craig Post followed by praising the notable education researchers selected for ARC’s academic advisory board, including Stephen Peters, Richard Allington, Pedro Noguera, Alma Flor Ada, and Isabelle Campoy. She continued to explain the importance of practical, researched-based professional development for school administrators and teachers.

IRA Executive Director Marcie Craig Post

Stephen G. Peters

Over his 32 years in education, Stephen G. Peters has been a classroom teacher, assistant principal, principal and director of secondary education. Most of his experiences have been in schools that made significant growth in short periods of time thus, resulting in both National and State Blue-Ribbon distinction. Stephen is founder of the nationally recognized Gentlemen’s & Ladies Club programs, which provide options for thousands of at-risk and honor students throughout the United States. He has appeared on Oprah, has presented at dozens of conferences, and has met with countless school districts. Stephen and The Peters Group have recently partnered with American Reading Company (ARC) to reach as many educators as possible.

“Stephen Peters’ unrelenting determination to transform school cultures is inspiring. We are grateful for the opportunity to work collaboratively with Stephen and our district partners to establish the necessary conditions for transformational programs that achieve measured results,” ARC Founder and CEO Jane Hileman said in a statement announcing the partnership.

A charismatic speaker with a wealth of practical advice learned in the field, Peters is the author of Do You Know Enough About Me To Teach Me? (The Peters Group, 2006). The book focuses on the differences between children’s lives today and when their teachers were in school and what schools can do to help them learn. His mottos “Do Something” and “No Child Left Out” are calls to change school culture so that all students rise to higher expectations.

“We are no longer raising children; we are raising young adults. And our children are confused,” he pointed out. His data showed that main influences on children changed from parents and school in the 1950s to peers and TV/media in the 2000s.

Stephen Peters

What Schools Can Do

Peters attributes much of his success, along with the 172 college offers he received due to his basketball prowess and his high GPA, to the support he received from his teachers, school leadership, and family as a young person.

“My teacher thought I was smarter than I was, so I was,” he noted. “No one rises to low expectations.”

His goal is to help school administrators change school culture by improving the conditions of their school environment. He helps them create “Challenge to Achieve” plans that are three goals on two pages—much shorter than many current plans schools have developed. His plans are based on three steps: 1. Capture (find out who the children are), 2. Inspire (dress for success, obtain community support, build relationships, model good behavior), and 3. Teach.

Andrea Givens

Dr. Andrea Givens supported Peters’ points with recent research in the field of literacy education and an overview of American Reading Company’s services for educators.

“Common Core isn’t going anywhere,” she said, indicating that the Standards are here to stay amidst some states’ recent resistance to adopting them. She explained that the CCSS identifies three shifts in literacy education: 1. Nonfiction texts, 2. Evidence from texts (both literacy and informational texts), and 3. Complex texts with academic language.

She quoted David Coleman, who said that a student needs to learn to “read like a detective [and] write like an investigative reporter.”

Givens discussed Response Through Intervention (RTI) in depth, explaining that research shows that if teachers and administrators work to strengthen instruction for Tier 1, then Tiers 2 and 3 succeed more. Givens is one of the experts who supports American Reading Association teaching tools by visiting schools across the country to conduct professional development for staff and hands-on training in classrooms. She has been across the country showing instructors how to use ARC’s many products, including the Independent Reading Level Assessment Framework (IRLA) reading system, which corresponds to the Standards.

Overall, her main point was that “teachers need to model, model, model so [their students] can follow, follow, follow.”


Andrea Givens

Partnering for Literacy

Peters stated that he was proud to “partner with ARC and lend his voice to IRA.”

“All highly successful people are avid readers,” he said. “Reading is a life-changer, a game-changer.”

by Mary Lynam

The International Reading Association is now accepting proposals for its 59th Annual Conference, running from May 9-12, 2014 at the Ernest N. Morial Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. As in past years, the IRA will proudly provide an invaluable opportunity for thousands of teachers, administrators, and researchers to share knowledge in promotion of the best literacy instruction practices. Attendees can expect enlightening presentations on a variety of topics supporting the 2014 Conference’s theme, “Reading…The Teachable Moment.”

To submit a proposal, you must login to your profile or create a new profile at http://ww2.aievolution.com/ira1401. Then, enter the text of your proposal into the provided web forms. You may return to add new information or modify your entry before the submission deadline. Finalized proposals are due by 3:00 p.m. EST on July 11, 2013.

Session Types

Reviewed session types for the 2014 conference are listed as follows:

• Institutes
• Symposia
• Workshops
• Research Poster Sessions
• Sessions/Spanish Sessions

Please refer to submission guidelines for detailed information regarding purpose, duration, presenters, meeting sites, and audio-visual equipment, as specifics are unique to each type of session.

Presentation Categories

You must choose one of the following presentation categories for your proposal (NOTE: All categories include reading, writing, speaking, listening, and motivation):

• Adolescent learners (ages 12 to 17)
• Assessment
• Beginning learners (ages 0 to 7)
• Children’s literature
• Common Core/State Standards
• Elementary learners (ages 8 to 11)
• English language learners
• Literacy leadership
• Literacy policy and advocacy
• Research
• Students with disabilities
• Struggling learners
• Teacher preparation/Career readiness
• Technology
• Title I

Writing Proposals That Appeal to Attendees

The titles, brief descriptions, and chosen categories of accepted proposals will appear unchanged in the Convention’s printed and online programs. Therefore, consider writing these aspects of your proposal with attendees in mind. Consider the following tips to make the most of your submission:

• Aim for a shorter title. It’s true what they say; “sometimes less is more.” Although titles may have up to 200 characters, wordy titles can intimidate attendees. Using a condensed, descriptive title that packs a punch is more likely to catch the eyes of prospective audience members.

• Include relevant buzzwords in your title and brief description. Since many attendees will have an idea of what they wish to learn before reaching the conference, try using jargon that aligns your presentation material with their interests. This will guide them to your presentation.

• Strategically select your category.As attendees will be choosing sessions based on category, you should selectone that is appropriate for the scope of your presentation. By picking the category that most aptly represents your session, your audience is more likely to be satisfied with their experience.

• Avoid using the first person in your brief description. Try writing in terms of what your intended audience wants to know. When writing your brief description, communicate clearly what your session can offer attendees. For example, instead of simply mentioning that your session will be “interactive,” try specifying how. You have up to 700 characters to convey your information.

• As always, proofread your submission. Double checking the spellings of presenters and affiliated schools will go a long way to prevent confusion.  If you are unsure about formatting, please refer to the IRA official style guide at /StyleGuide.

Criteria for Proposal Review and Acceptance

Institutes, Sessions, Symposia, Workshops

Reviewers will evaluate submissions of these session types on a scale of 1-6 based on applicability, effectiveness, differentiation, and ongoing learning. Those categories are outlined as follows:

• Applicability: The extent to which the proposal demonstrates evidence that case studies or real-life examples will be used to illustrate lessons learned
• Effectiveness: The extent to which the proposal demonstrates the content, strategy, or intervention (as described) has proven to raise achievement and/or improves teaching
• Differentiated: The extent to which the proposal demonstrates how this session will help teachers meet the needs of students who learn in different ways and who come from different socioeconomic environments
• Ongoing Learning: The extent to which the proposal demonstrates that audience members will be able to connect learning from this session with local work assignments

Research Posters

Evaluation criteria for research poster proposal review and acceptance are graded on a scale of 1-4. Please see the official proposal guidelines at [link] for more detailed explanations of each category listed below.

• Significance of the topic to the literacy/research evaluation
• Evidence base acknowledges relevant learning theories
• Legitimacy of evidence base for proposal, whether it is recognized as high-quality by the profession
• Quality of scholarship as judged within the research tradition
• Quality of theoretical and conceptual rationale
• Evidence base
• Clarity and coherence
• Overall quality

Acceptance Notification

Applicants will receive an email regarding the status of their proposals in October or November of 2013.

Registration Fees

Conference presenters must cover the cost of registration and all presentation expenses. However, in the case of institutes, up to 15 institute presenters get comp registration for the day of the institute and institute organizers can receive up to $350 for the costs of photocopying, mailing, and shipping materials to the location of the institute. (The deadline to request reimbursement is June 30, 2014.)

Audio-Visual Provisions

Please note prior to submission that the IRA will provide accepted presenters with a wired lavaliere, microphone, LCD projector, and screen. Presenters are responsible for all other equipment that they may need, e.g. computer adapter cables. Please note that you may need an adapter (or “dongle”) to convert from Mac computers to PC equipment. You also have the option of purchasing internet access and additional audio-visual equipment for their session. To learn more about available equipment, contact conventionproposals@/.

Questions

Please contact the following email addresses with queries concerning their respective subjects:

• Customerservice@/: the online submission process
• ConventionProposals@/: content of proposal for the IRA 2014 Conference
• Research@/: research poster sessions for the IRA 2014 Conference

Mary Lynam is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.

Excitement is building for the 2013 Council Leadership Academy, the four-day professional development opportunity for International Reading Association (IRA) council leaders and future leaders entitled “Destination Success.”

The Academy features presenters who are highly-experienced literacy educators and business professionals with backgrounds in council governance and outreach issues including strategic planning, finance, advocacy, communications, and marketing.

Expert presenters include East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania Reading Department Chair and IRA President Maureen McLaughlin, New Jersey City University Professor and IRA President-Elect Jill Lewis-Spector, Judson University Professor and IRA Board Member Steven Layne. Also presenting are IRA Executive Director Marcie Craig Post, IRA Director of Government Relations Richard Long, IRA Director of Business Linda Marston, IRA Director of Marketing Stephen Sye, IRA Senior Writer and Content Strategist Lara Deloza, and IRA Leadership Development Associates Rayann Mitchell and Tiffany Sears.

Jill Lewis-Spector and Richard Long will be presenting in-depth sessions on current education legislation and policy and how to interact with government officials on local, state, and federal levels.

“We can see that the combination of budget cuts, de-professionalization of teachers, and new policy directions for public schools have negatively impacted literacy programs and instruction, and have ultimately harmed students’ literacy progress,” says Lewis-Spector. “We must advocate for change to bring more positive results for ourselves, our students, and our schools. Council leaders and, in fact all educators, should realize how they, their students, and their profession can benefit from being education advocates. Advocating together can bring positive results and contribute to building new, rewarding, and exciting professional communities.”

Council members challenged with reaching their membership or confused by all of the social media options will benefit from the communications session with Lara Deloza and Tiffany Sears.

“The most important thing about our session is that communication plans are not ‘one size fits all.’ That’s why our session isn’t either,” says Sears. “Attendees will leave with a practical plan developed with their specific needs in mind.”

Deloza adds, “Participating in social media is no longer optional. The good thing is that social media provides various avenues by which councils can engage and grow membership. [A common] misconception is that developing a communication plan that includes social media is hard. Another misconception is that it costs a lot of money and takes a lot of time to implement these programs. The session will demystify social media and provide attendees with practical tools to craft a solid communication program.”

Rayann Mitchell leads a strategic planning session on Friday and teams with the other presenters throughout the Academy for strategic planning sessions and roundtables. Council leaders in attendance will be close to finalizing their strategic plans by the end of the Academy.

“The session ‘Oh the Places You Will Go’ on Friday is on strategic planning, focusing on big priorities, and utilizing the leadership team to accomplish wildly important goals,” Mitchell says. “Participants will take away both a one-word inspirational focus for the year and a four step plan for executing strategy within their councils to achieve success.”

The presenters will help council leaders discern their challenges and develop clear objectives during several interactive sessions throughout the Academy.

“We can't keep doing things the way we've always done them and expect different results,” Mitchell explains. “If we are going to survive and thrive, we have to create a new model of functioning—one that is responsive to our members’ needs and respects the values, skills, and talents of a new generation of leaders. The type of [strategic] planning that we are suggesting still contains long-range goals and short-term objectives, but it utilizes the acronym SMARTEST (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely & tangible, engaging, shifting, and team effort) to give leaders the flexibility to adjust as needed.  Participants will learn the power of laser-light focus on a few wildly important goals and the achievement that results.”

See the complete program schedule on the Council Leadership Academy webpage.

Space is still available for the Council Leadership Academy, which will be held June 27 to 30, 2013, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Find more information and register on the Council Leadership Academy webpage.

In response to the operational challenges faced by literacy councils in recent years, the International Reading Association hosts a Council Leadership Academy from June 27 through 30 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Non-profit associations have been hit hard by a tsunami of challenges. Membership levels are eroding, revenues are declining, and conference attendance is suffering. Leaders of most non-profit educational associations are struggling to find a path to turnaround and survival.

The International Reading Association (IRA) developed this intensive multi-day program with the theme “Destination Success” to equip council leaders with the strategic vision and tactical skills that their organizations will need to prosper in this climate. The Council Leadership Academy promises to help council leaders to conduct an operational assessment; learn strategies for turning challenges into opportunities; gain insight on effective ways to utilize social networking; and discover new ways of thinking about and improving governance, organizational management, advocacy, communications, member recruitment and retention, leadership development, and more.

Inspiration and Networking on Thursday

Maureen McLaughlin


Marcie Craig Post


Steven Layne


Jill Lewis-Spector


Richard Long

The Academy begins at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 27 with an opening session featuring IRA President Maureen McLaughlin and IRA Executive Director Marcie Craig Post, who will unveil the IRA plan for strategic improvement and how it impacts the work of IRA’s vast network of councils. A networking reception is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., followed by a 6:30 group dinner with inspirational speaker Jodi Hills, author of I Am Amazed. Hills operates a Minneapolis design studio named Studio J which features her collection of “visual verse.”

Wit and Wisdom on Friday

Friday, June 28 begins with an 8:00 a.m. group breakfast and general session with IRA Board Member, author, and speaker Steven Layne. With trademark wit and wisdom, Steven Layne presents “The Success Story Nobody Else Can Write,” an address that outlines four basic tenets that lead to effectiveness and inspiration for all of the key players.

At 10:00 a.m. attendees begin a strand that includes four sessions: organizational management with IRA Executive Director Marcie Craig Post and IRA Director of Business Operations Linda Marston, council network & communications with IRA Leadership Development Associate Tiffany Sears and IRA Content Strategist and Senior Writer Lara Deloza, council leadership with IRA Board Member Steven Layne and IRA Leadership Development Associate Rayann Mitchell, or membership development with IRA Director of Marketing Stephen Sye. There is a mid-morning break, a group lunch, and a mid-afternoon break. The program schedule has more information about the timing of each session and takeaways from each of these strands.

Part I of the mentorship program orientation begins at 4:45 p.m. The mentorship program is a voluntary partnership opportunity for new and experienced council leaders to develop an ongoing relationship to consolidate knowledge, share effective practices, and provide support through feedback and coaching. Friday evening ends with a networking reception at 5:30 and a group dinner at 6:30.

Advocacy and Strategy on Saturday

IRA President-elect Jill Lewis-Spector and IRA Director of Government Relations Richard Long lead the general session at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 29. Lewis-Spector presents “Why Advocacy is Important for IRA, State Councils, and Literacy Teachers,” and Long discusses “What Are the National, Federal and State Issues Impacting Literacy Teachers?”

IRA Director of Marketing Stephen Sye

After a short break, the learning tracks begin at 10:15 a.m. There are two learning tracks, each with three sessions. (Breaks and lunch are scheduled between sessions.) The Council Leadership Track features Lara Deloza, Steven Layne, Linda Marston, Rayann Mitchell, Marcie Craig Post, Tiffany Sears, and Stephen Sye. Expanding on the previous day’s curriculum, the team presents more in-depth content tailored to individual attendees to assist them in refining their knowledge of organizational management, membership activities, social media tactics, networking, and leadership development. The Advocacy Track features Richard Long, who proposes answers to the question, “What can state councils do about the big federal and state literacy issues impacting literacy Teachers?” Building from the general session, Long’s sessions will focus on how to look at the intersection of advocacy and professional issues and how an IRA state council can organize to effectively communicate, make decisions, and reach out to legislators and state officials to make a difference that will impact students.

Lara Deloza discusses communications and social media

The first strategic planning session is scheduled at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, after a short break after the final learning track sessions. At the planning session, Lara Deloza, Steven Layne, Rich Long, Linda Marston, Rayann Mitchell, Marcie Craig Post, Tiffany Sears, and Stephen Sye facilitate small group meetings to review the rubric, continue council self-analysis, and begin strategic planning and goal setting. The second mentorship program orientation is scheduled for 4:45 p.m., followed by a reception at 5:30, and a group dinner at 6:30 featuring Steven Layne’s speech “Confessions of a Reading Arsonist.” Layne’s charismatic blend of anecdotes and practical suggestions for engaging struggling readers in the classroom are sure to fan the flame of literacy into a raging inferno, inspiring teachers as well as their students to keep the bedside lamp on just a little bit later into the night.

Goal-setting and Farewells on Sunday

After a continental breakfast on Sunday morning, the second strategic planning session begins at 8:30 a.m. Facilitators Steven Layne, Rich Long, Linda Marston, Rayann Mitchell, Marcie Craig Post, Tiffany Sears, and Stephen Sye continue to meet with attendees in small groups to review rubrics, continue council self-analysis, and begin strategic planning and goal setting.

The closing general session features “Honoring the Past, Building the Future” with Marcie Craig Post at 10:15 a.m. She reviews what was learned during the Academy, summarizes the long- and short-term goals of IRA and of councils, and shares progress that has been made so far and plans for the future. A “grab-and-go” lunch will be provided.

How to Attend

The Council Leadership Academy is geared towards council leaders as well as council members who are interested in extending their impact on literacy through council involvement. The ultimate goal of the Academy is to create more robust operating exchanges between and among IRA and its affiliated councils, and to strengthen the channels for continuous long-term support.

The Academy will be held at the Hilton Minneapolis at 1001 Marquette Avenue South in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The registration fee is $249, and all sessions, materials, and group meals are included.

Register by e-mailing customerservice@/, calling (800) 336-7323, faxing the registration form to (302) 737-0878, or mailing the registration form to CLA, International Reading Association, 800 Barksdale Road, Newark, DE 19711.

Cancellations received before June 1 will receive a 50% refund. After June 1st, no refunds will be made for cancellations. Substitutions are permitted. Registration closes June 25.

The special lodging rate for the Hilton Minneapolis, the conference site, is $159. In order to secure this price, reservations must be made by June 13, 2013. To reserve, call (800) HILTONS (445-8667) and provide group name “IRA” or reserve online at /CLAhotel.