Literacy Now

Join us at 7:00 p.m. CT July 16 for our next Google Hangout on Air, streaming live from the International Literacy Association 2015 Conference in St. Louis!

Allison Hogan and Meenoo Rami will discuss what brings them to ILA 2015 and both will touch upon why being an advocate for literacy—and networking with fellow advocates—is important to them. Hogan, a teacher and ILA member, will highlight what she gets out of the annual conference and Rami, a Featured Speaker, will provide a preview of her talk. During the Hangout, we will also offer a glimpse of St. Louis as we explore the sights and sounds of the city and count down the hours to ILA 2015.

Allison Hogan teaches kindergarten and first grade at the Episcopal School of Dallas in Texas. She looks for ways for her students to learn outside of the classroom, using platforms such as Twitter and Skype as vehicles for her students to connect with the world outside of their classroom. Hogan has been recognized as an Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development Emerging Leader and a National Association of Independent Schools Teacher of the Future.

Meenoo Rami, a National Board Certified teacher, teaches English at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As she challenges her students to think critically about the word and the world, Rami, too, is constantly networking and advocating for literacy beyond her classroom. She has shared her classroom practice at conferences such as NCTE, ISTE, ASCD, Urban Sites Network Conference for National Writing Project, #140edu, and EduCon, which she cochairs annually. Rami also facilitates connectivity among English teachers with her weekly Twitter chat #engchat. She is the author of Thrive: 5 Ways to (Re) Invigorate Your Teaching (Heinemann, 2014), in which she shares strategies for becoming a confident and, of course, connected teacher.

The Hangout on Air discussion will be tweeted live using the hashtag #ILAHangout, where followers have the opportunity to win books from Conference authors, in addition to the running Conference hashtag #ILA15. The Hangout will stream live on the ILA YouTube channel at 7:00 p.m. CT and will be archived for later access.

The ILA 2015 Conference will be held July 18–20 in St. Louis, MO, with more than 6,000 educators ready to transform their practice. Key topics affecting literacy featured at the conference include content literacy, children’s literature, classroom engagement, and professional development. In addition to conference favorites, including a revamped Teaching Edge series and the Putting Books to Work panels, more than 120 exhibitors will be on hand with new tools and technologies for all manners of literacy education.

Learn more about the conference programs at ilaconference.org. Register today for the ILA 2015 Conference to take advantage of special Early Bird pricing, ending today!

Olivia Duke is a communications intern for the International Literacy Association.

International Literacy Association 2015 Conference is less than two weeks away, and we are gearing up for a fresh conference with the brightest minds in the literacy field. This month’s #ILAchat on Twitter will focus on maximizing professional development opportunities at ILA 2015, including tips on how to pick and prioritize sessions.

A conference veteran, author and teacher Kate Messner will be on hand to share her best ideas on how to take advantage of the opportunities around every corner in St. Louis, MO.

The chat will focus on suggestions for first-time attendees, how to network with conference authors to your greatest benefit, and how to work the exhibit hall and tap the wealth of publishers’ booths.

Messner, National Board Certified teacher and award-winning children’s book author, is the author of more than 20 books, from stand-alone novels for kids to chapter book series to Lake Champlain historical novels to picture books. She has been both a featured author and speaker at past conferences.

Messner will also copresent a Teaching Edge session Saturday, July 18, with Ruth Culham and Lester Laminack. The session will focus on how to help students use both fiction and nonfiction texts as models for their own writing, encouraging students to “steal” from authors as a part of the writing process.

The ILA 2015 Conference will be held July 18–20 in St. Louis, MO, with more than 6,000 educators ready to transform their practice. Key topics affecting literacy featured at the conference include content literacy, children’s literature, classroom engagement, and professional development. In addition to conference favorites, including a revamped Teaching Edge series and the Putting Books to Work panels, more than 120 exhibitors will be on hand with new tools and technologies for all manners of literacy education.

Learn more about the conference programs at ilaconference.org. Register today for the ILA 2015 Conference to take advantage of special Early Bird pricing, now extended to July 7.

Join @ILAToday on July 9 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Make sure to hashtag #ILAchat to keep the conversation going!

Olivia Duke is a communications intern for the International Literacy Association.

Teacher preparation has always been a hot topic. Consider the National Council for Teacher Quality report in 2013 that labeled U.S. college and university teacher education “an industry of mediocrity” and the fallout that followed. Media criticized teacher training and education experts criticized the study and its methods, while looking forward to suggest solutions that would better prepare educators for the classroom.

These topics and more will be discussed in a unique two-hour event to be held on July 18 from 3–5 pm at the International Literacy Association 2015 Conference. Titled “Cultivating Literacy Achievement Through Quality Teacher Preparation, ” the session will convene voices from all perspectives of teacher prep, including educators, researchers, and representatives of national professional organizations, to collectively examine how we can better prepare our teachers to drive student literacy achievement.

The event will kick off with three brief keynotes by representatives from teacher prep task forces convened by ILA. The keynotes will address quality indicators for successful programs, considerations for developing standards, and the landscape of current state-level standards for teacher preparation for literacy instruction. Speakers include William H. Teale, professor at University of Illinois at Chicago and director of the UIC Center for Literacy; Rita M. Bean, Professor Emerita from the University of Pittsburgh; and Deanna Birdyshaw, lecturer from the University of Michigan, all of whom are teacher educators.

Following the keynotes, Jennifer Bock, Education Reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, will moderate a forward-thinking panel featuring Linda McKee, senior director of Performance Measurement and Assessment Policy, The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education; Christopher Koch, interim president, The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation; Bryan M. Joffe, director, Education and Youth Development, The School Superintendents Association; Laurie Calvert, Teacher Liaison, U.S. Department of Education; and Louann Reid, professor and department chair, Department of English, Colorado State University .

“There is no question that quality teacher preparation is central to student literacy achievement,” says Dan Mangan, ILA’s Director of Public Affairs. “As an organization, we have an important role to play in creating a platform where research and dialogue can come together to objectively move forward the teacher preparation discussion.”

The session aims to address the following questions:

• Are consistent professional standards necessary? What should those standards be?
• What is missing (or needs to be strengthened) in the curriculum of teacher preparation programs for literacy instruction?
• What policy changes are needed?
• Should certification and preparation be more closely linked? 
• How can we create consistent quality across all programs?
• How can we scale successful approaches?

The ILA 2015 Conference will be held July 18–20 in St. Louis, MO, with more than 6,000 educators ready to transform their practice. Key topics affecting literacy featured at the conference include content literacy, children’s literature, classroom engagement, and professional development. In addition to conference favorites, including a revamped Teaching Edge series and these Putting Books to Work panels, more than 120 exhibitors will be on hand with new tools and technologies for all manners of literacy education.

Learn more about the conference programs at ilaconference.org. Register today for the ILA 2015 Conference to take advantage of special Early Bird pricing, now extended to July 7.

Here’s what we know: there’s a direct correlation between illiteracy and poverty, crime, and even early mortality.

We also know that those who are literate are more likely to vote, be involved in their communities, and seek medical help for themselves and their families.

Yet nearly 800 million people worldwide cannot read or write; 126 million of those are children. And roughly 12% of the world’s population is considered functionally illiterate, with only basic or below-basic literacy levels in their native languages.

For the last 60 years, the International Literacy Association has worked to bring together a strong network of members, partners, and affiliates around the world dedicated to advancing literacy. It is because of the support of this network that we have been able to improve literacy practices for thousands of educators, disseminate research that has helped to form the backbone of effective literacy instruction, and provide literacy professionals with countless platforms to learn and exchange ideas and experiences.

We’ve always believed that together we can achieve more.

It has never been more important for us to join forces behind the critical cause of literacy. On April 14, we brought together literacy leaders across sectors for just that reason, and our mission continues.

Today, ILA launches a global campaign using the hashtag #800Mil2Nil to raise awareness around the issue and what is possible when we come together to advance literacy.

“As the literacy landscape evolves, if we want to create sustainable change, our efforts must also adapt,” says Marcie Craig Post, ILA Executive Director. “That is why I am eager to launch this important first step of what will be an ongoing campaign to inspire those inside and outside the literacy community to join us in advancing literacy for all.”

To show your support, join the #800Mil2Nil conversation and share your thoughts and ideas on why literacy matters, how we can come together to address the issue, and what you are doing to take illiteracy from #800Mil2Nil.

In addition to spreading the word, you can make a monetary contribution to the cause with your smartphone. Simply text “LITERACY” to 91999. After sending the text message, you’ll receive a link to a secure webpage, where you can make a donation in the amount of your choosing.

Proceeds will support the development of ILA programs and initiatives, including those that raise awareness of global literacy issues, provide educators with the resources they need, and galvanize leaders from every sector to fight illiteracy and take #800Mil2Nil.

“We know the challenge ahead of us is great. It’s one we will champion, but we cannot do it alone,” said Stephen Sye, ILA Associate Executive Director. “We need the support of educators, parents, communities, government, and business to advance literacy. I’m confident we can, but it will take a collective effort to get there.”

Over the coming months, you will hear more about how you can contribute to taking illiteracy from #800Mil2Nil. Your support is vital to this critical effort. Help us spread the #800Mil2Nil message and together, we can create the Age of Literacy—one in which each of us works to advance literacy for all. 

At the International Literacy Association 2015 Conference, popular authors will team with educators to share effective, engaging, and interactive teaching strategies to integrate certain books, both fiction and nonfiction, in their classrooms. The panels are modeled (and named) after the popular Putting Books to Work column on Literacy Daily.

Sessions will be broken down into primary, middle, and young adult reading levels, with two authors and an educator (or two) as the catalyst for open discussion between panelists and attendees.

Deborah Wooten (Children’s Literature in the Reading Program: Engaging Young Readers in the 21st Century) will moderate the primary panel on Saturday, July 18, along with prolific nonfiction author Laurence Pringle (Strange and Wonderful series) and the award-winning Salina Yoon (Penguin and Pinecone).

In the middle grade panel on Sunday, July 19, Sandra Athans will be the moderator for two critically acclaimed and beloved authors: Sharon Draper (Stella by Starlight) and Megan Frazer Blakemore (The Friendship Riddle).

Mary Cotillo and Erin O’Leary (aka the Crazy Reading Ladies), will team up to moderate the young adult panel Monday, July 20, with The New York Times best-selling authors Ellen Hopkins (Rumble) and Una LaMarche (Unabrow).

The ILA 2015 Conference will be held July 18–20 in St. Louis, MO, with more than 6,000 educators ready to transform their practice. Key topics affecting literacy featured at the conference include content literacy, children’s literature, classroom engagement, and professional development. In addition to conference favorites, including a revamped Teaching Edge series and these Putting Books to Work panels, more than 120 exhibitors will be on hand with new tools and technologies for all manners of literacy education.

Learn more about the conference programs at ilaconference.org. Register today for the ILA 2015 Conference to take advantage of special Early Bird pricing, now extended to July 7.

April Hall is editor of Literacy Daily. A journalist for about 20 years, she has written and edited for newspapers, websites, and magazines. She covered a great deal of educational issues including the roll-out of both Race to the Top and Common Core State Standards.