Literacy Now

Several years ago, a group of longtime International Reading Association members interested in and concerned about the literacy knowledge and dispositions of school district literacy leaders petitioned the International Reading Association for formal recognition of a new Special Interest Group (SIG). Unified by a common interest centered on the pivotal role of district-level educational administrators—principals, assistant principals, curriculum supervisors and directors, all levels of superintendents, and any individuals who typically make crucial literacy decisions for their districts—these founders used grassroots measures and social media to reach out to literacy colleagues in the effort to establish this new SIG. In March 2013 the originators of the new District Literacy Leadership (DiLL) SIG received validation of the significance of their endeavors with IRA Board of Directors’ approval of this new special interest group. Moving quickly, the founding members of DiLL sent notices to those who might be interested in meeting while in attendance at IRA 2013 in San Antonio. With little advance publicity, charter members and others interested in district literacy leadership convened for the first time in San Antonio, hosting an hour long informational meeting.

The inaugural meeting on Sunday, April 21, 2013 in San Antonio was all too brief but absolutely inspiring. Thirty-two current IRA members (including an IRA member from Africa) affirmed interest in and exchanged ideas about the notion of reaching out to district literacy leaders, culminating the session by brainstorming about the future direction of the DiLL SIG. Results of the inaugural meeting's discussion included plans to create by-laws, build a website, and successfully submit a proposal for IRA 2014 in New Orleans. During this initial collaboration, several attendees also inquired about the likelihood of future SIG journal sponsorship, and others queried about the creation of an annual award to recognize an outstanding district literacy leader. These serious considerations are ongoing.

Seeking to Collaborate and Inform

The purpose of the DiLL SIG is to provide a forum for literacy educators, such as teachers, coaches, and specialists, who interact daily with building principals and district administrators to explore the skills sets and knowledge district level administrators such as principals, assistant principals, curriculum supervisors and directors, and all levels of superintendents, should possess in order to make informed literacy decisions. Margaret-Mary Sulentic Dowell, chair of DiLL, is also a former assistant superintendent of 64 elementary schools in Baton Rouge. Estanislado (Stan) Barrera serves as co-program chair of DiLL and was a former Title I administrator in Texas. 

Sulentic Dowell articulated the need for a SIG: “Literacy leadership is vital in order for any educational entity to move forward; from a school campus to a district, the decisions district literacy leaders make impact children’s lives and those decisions need to be informed by research and practice.” 

By providing a space for collaboration, literacy and educational leadership researchers and the public can present perspectives and engage in dialog about district literacy leadership concerns.

Given the importance and complexity of literacy and language learning, literacy leadership at the school, district, state, national, and international levels requires current literacy knowledge. The DiLL SIG will provide opportunities for individuals to explore the knowledge and skills that literacy leaders should possess, including but not limited to: 

• literacy content knowledge
• knowledge of best practices spanning developmental age ranges
• knowledge of school structures that support literacy 
• the importance of access to print (literature)
• knowledge of instructional strategies used by educators, librarians, coaches, and
• skills required to supervise, lead, and evaluate literacy teaching, coaching and learning 

An Open Invitation

Join the effort that established the need for this SIG. Our first formal conference session will be at the 59th IRA Annual Conference in New Orleans, scheduled for Saturday, May 10, 2014, from 3:00-4:00 p.m. At the session, titled District Literacy Leadership (SIG): Recognizing, Acknowledging, and Operationalizing Literacy Expertise at the Elementary Reading Level, a panel of district leaders and literacy experts from Louisiana, Arizona, and Missouri will share experiences as district literacy leaders. Aligned with the conference theme, the teachable moment "happens" in elementary schools when a quality teacher, engaged students, families, communities, and a principal with literacy expertise coalesce. Elementary principals need to be skilled in ways to supervise & evaluate literacy educators, understand the complexity of literacy processes, be mindful of the myriad instructional strategies used by great coaches and educators, and balance the demands of leadership and supervision to promote consistent, high-quality literacy instruction. In this session, panelists will explore the quality of school-level leaders and the practices they engage in, as part of the district literacy leadership continuum. All interested attendees are encouraged to attend. 

For information on joining the DiLL SIG, contact any of the authors/officers listed below or visit the DiLL webpage. 

Margaret-Mary Sulentic Dowell, Ph.D.,is Associate Professor of Literacy and Urban Education at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, and Director of the LSU Writing Project, sdowell@lsu.edu.

Estanislado S. Barrera, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of reading and literacy at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, esbareraiv@lsu.edu.

Bonnie L. Hoewing, Ph.D., is a reading faculty member at the Maricopa Community College District in Phoenix, AZ, hoewing@gatewaycc.edu. 

Kim Skinner, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of reading and literacy at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, kskinner@lsu.edu.

Tynisha D. Meidl, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of teacher education at St. Norbert College, DePere, WI, tynisha.meidl@snc.edu.

Registration is open for the 2014 International Reading Association Council Leadership Academy from July 10-13 in Tampa, Florida. This  event is a unique opportunity for council leaders—and council members looking to make more of a difference in their communities—to learn the ins and outs of nonprofit management and to network with peers from across the U.S. and Canada. Attendees will learn best practices in membership marketing, finances, governance, communications, advocacy, and more.

Professional Development Program

The program begins on the evening of Thursday, July 10 with a keynote address from IRA Executive Director Marcie Craig Post followed by a networking reception. On Friday, “learning track” sessions begin. Attendees will be assigned to one of two tracks based on leadership experience. The “Strategic Planning 101” track is for beginners, and the “Organizational Management 201” track is for intermediate. Both tracks will attend sessions with Marcie Craig Post and IRA Director of Finance Linda Marston and with IRA Council Advisors Angela Rivell and Tiffany Sears.

Lunch on Friday features speaker Fred Wheeler, Assistant Vice President of Forrest T. Jones & Company. Forrest T. Jones & Company is the administrator for the Trust for Insuring Educators (TIE), through which the IRA Member Insurance Program is offered. The TIE insurance program consists of more than a dozen insurance plans, including life, accident, disability, health, long-term care, auto and professional liability coverages underwritten by some of the nation's leading insurance companies. Many plans are specially designed for educators, with features, benefits, and rates not readily available elsewhere in the market.

Programming continues after lunch with “Role-Alike Sessions,” where attendees can network and learn with council members with similar responsibilities and job positions. Attendees are asked to choose one role that is most closely related to their current or desired Council board position/activity on the registration form. There will be sessions for Council Presidents and Vice Presidents, Council Treasurers, State Coordinators, Legislative Chairs, and Directors of Membership Development.

Then attendees choose from the following topics for two “Choice Sessions:” advocacy, leadership, meeting planning, and IRA/ILA information. The same content will be given in Session #1 and Session #2, so we recommend choosing a different topic for each. The sessions are presented in a lecture format with short break-outs.

Friday afternoon concludes with presentations on IRA council updates from Rivell and Sears. After that, attendees are free to go out to dinner with their colleagues and to network with other attendees.

After we serve breakfast on Saturday morning, attendees launch into learning track sessions with IRA Associate Executive Director Stephen Sye and IRA Senior Writer and Content Strategist Lara Deloza. Each session will be a combination of lecture and break-out/small group activities.

After a group lunch, attendees continue with “Learning Labs,” where they participate in hands-on activities in strategic planning, financial planning, membership, communications, governance, and advocacy. Learning Labs are 100% hands-on, with no lecture. Bring your Council issues—areas of concern, questions, and problems. Facilitators will provide face-to-face, hands-on problem-solving assistance. Attendees may choose the same topic for both Learning Labs if they want to focus on a single issue over two hours. 

The weekend concludes with the Council Academy Awards including a group dinner and presentation of several new awards for councils.

Enjoy the Benefits of a Brand New Facility

The Council Leadership Academy will be held at the recently renovated Sheraton Tampa East Hotel. All traditional guest rooms feature an outdoor balcony, and the hotel amenities include tennis courts, a fitness center, a pool, and the Panfilos Restaurant.

Reserve your room by June 18, 2014 to receive the special CLA rate of $109/night. Call 1-888-627-8169 and provide group booking code IRJ09A or reserve online at /CLA14hotel.

How to Register

Visit /cla14 for more details, the registration form, and a flier to share with colleagues. The registration form asks you to choose your two Choice Sessions and two Learning Labs in advance, so that IRA can plan room sizes and amenities. Registration forms can be faxed to (302) 737-0878 or mailed to CLA, International Reading Association, 800 Barksdale Road, Newark, DE 19711. For more information, call (800) 336-7323 or e-mail customerservice@/.

Sara Long is an editor/content manager at the International Reading Association.

The International Reading Association (IRA) is now partnering with myON, a business unit of Capstone, the leading developer of personalized literacy solutions for Pre-K to the 12th grade, to recognize individual and/or team achievements in the advancement of literacy initiatives in schools, districts, and communities. The Legends in Literacy awards will be presented at IRA’s upcoming conference in New Orleans.

The individual and/or teams selected for this honor will be recognized for their work and commitment to literacy by demonstrating leadership in reading improvement, providing ideas for implementations and best practices, involving the community and encouraging widespread reading within the school and community.

Nominations must be submitted online at www.LegendsinLiteracy.com. The nomination must include the following information:

• Submitting party’s name, address, e-mail and phone number
• Name, address, e-mail, and phone number for individual or team nominated
• 500-word description of the contribution and the reason for the nomination
• 250-word description of the results and/or contribution of the individual/team and the benefit to students, schools, districts, and the community

Nominations must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. CST on March 14, 2014. They will be vetted by a panel of judges, one of whom will be provided by IRA. On April 1, 2014 the top three finalists will be announced. The awards will be given during the Council Awards Ceremony at the IRA 59th Annual Conference, Friday May 9, 2014 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

About myON

myON (www.myon.com), a business unit of Capstone—the leading provider of school and library texts for more than 20 years—develops personalized learning environments for students. myON provides access to a library of more than 5,000 enhanced digital books with multimedia scaffolds to support student reading at all levels. In turn, myON empowers teachers with real-time, actionable data—number and type of books opened and read, time spent reading, results of regular benchmark assessments, and more—based on embedded Lexile assessments that measure student reading growth. With myON, every student can have unlimited access to more than 5,000 diverse titles, which allows students to take ownership of their reading and literacy growth. The myON collection of resources is robust, and includes titles from award-winning publishers including Capstone Press, Compass Point Books, Heinemann-Raintree, Picture Window Books, Stone Arch Books, Sylvan Dell, Saddleback, Orca, Bellwether, Little Brown, DK, and others.

Partnership with IRA

This past February, myON and IRA executed a partnership that will drive mutual benefits. myON is supporting IRA’s recruitment outreach by offering a free trial of IRA’s online membership on the myON professional services portal which is accessible by all customers. myON and IRA will also collaborate on creating a digital classroom for literacy education, offering sessions on the exhibit floor at the annual IRA conference. 

The International Reading Association is taking host city New Orleans’ motto “laissez les bonnes temps rouler” to heart this year with the spectacular VIP contest.  Attendees who register for the International Reading Association’s 59th Annual Conference and book an IRA-approved hotel on or before April 14, 2014 will be automatically entered. The winner will let the good times roll with $600 dollars in restaurant vouchers, a hotel upgrade, exclusive meet and greets with star speakers, and more—just for registering!

Upon arrival in New Orleans, the winner will be showered in luxury. The 2014 VIP package includes a complimentary room upgrade. Tired of waiting in lines? At the conference, the winner will receive VIP seating at all three General Sessions. This will put you up close with Captain Underpants series author Dav Pilkey on Friday, Diary of a Wimpy Kid series author Jeff Kinney on Saturday, and renowned researcher P. David Pearson and legendary educator Rafe Esquith on Monday. Additionally, the winner will receive the exclusive opportunity to attend a meet-and-greet with select speakers.

The 2014 VIP winner also gains elite access to some of New Orleans’ culinary treasures. Looking to dine at one of NOLA’s only four-star/four-diamond restaurants with one of the most impressive wine selections in the city? Look no further! The winner will receive a special chef’s tasting dinner for two at Windsor Court’s Grill Room. As if that isn’t enough, the package also includes $100 gift certificates to Antoine’s Restaurant, the country’s oldest family-owned/world-renowned restaurant; Arnaud’s Restaurant, where classic Creole Cuisine meets live Jazz; and The Pelican Club, a three dining room restaurant in a historic 19th-century townhouse all located in the heart of the French Quarter.

The VIP package also includes goodies from IRA! The winner will receive a $100 voucher towards books and merchandise at the IRA Bookstore as well as a one-year online membership to IRA. (Existing members will receive a one-year extension to their current membership.)

Register on or before the Early Bird deadline on April 14, 2014 for a chance to win this package and receive the best discounts on conference rates. Enter the code AC14VIP for the chance to win the VIP promotion.

IRA 2014 rolls into New Orleans on May 9 for Institute Day; the Conference and Exhibits runs from May 10 to 12, 2014. Visit www.iraconference.org for details.

Chelsea Simens is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.

The International Reading Association (IRA) is pleased to continue the tradition of offering full-day Institutes before our Annual Conference. This year in New Orleans, Institute Day is May 9 before the IRA Conference begins on May 10. Reading Today Online asked all of the Institute Chairpersons to answer a set of questions designed to give our readers and all prospective attendees a better understanding of the insights and benefits they will gain from attending these day-long programs. A PDF fact sheet covering this Institute is available for presentation to your principal or superintendent along with your registration and travel request.

Institute 06:
Writing Moments: Tapping Opportunities to Develop Writers of Argument, Information, and Other Texts, K-12
(Session 2081)

Kathy Ganske

Chair: Kathy Ganske, Vanderbilt University

What are the professional urgencies and issues that your Institute is designed to address?

Because writing is essential for literacy, the Common Core State Standards (2010), and life, we cannot fail to develop teachers' expertise in teaching writing. Concerns about children's writing achievement and the impact of low writing achievement on their lives and ultimately society as a whole have been strongly expressed (e.g., National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2007; National Commission on Writing for America's Families, Schools, and Colleges, 2003; and the report on Writing in the 21st Century, 2009).

In its 2003 report, the National Commission on Writing asserts that "the importance of writing-for critical thinking and communication skills, for success in school and the workplace, for self-realization, and for its central place in school reform-cannot be overemphasized" (p. 29). Yet, students write very little time in schools. According to Applebee and Langer (2013), for the typical secondary student this amounts to 1.6 pages of writing per week in English and 2.1 pages for all other subjects combined. Is lack of teacher knowledge part of the problem?

The Commission's 2003 report lays bare some of the issues contributing to writing achievement concerns, such as the fact that practicing and pre-service teachers typically get very little instruction in how to teach writing. This Institute will provide multiple opportunities for literacy professionals and classroom teachers to develop their expertise in teaching writing, especially nonfiction- and informational-text writing across the disciplines.

What types of literacy professionals is your Institute designed for?

• Beginning Teachers
• Classroom Teachers
• Librarians/Media Specialists
• Reading Teachers/Specialists/Coaches
• School or District Administrators
• Special Education Teachers
• Teacher Educators
• Title I Teachers (US Only)
• Undergraduate or graduate students

How will your Institute benefit those professionals, and what will their takeaways be?

Teachers and educational leaders who attend this Institute will learn effective responses to the following challenges:

• What is disciplinary literacy and how does it differ from content-area literacy?
• What research-based strategies and techniques are most effective for developing learners' abilities to write engaging nonfiction texts of various genres and to respond to texts in critical, evaluative, and reflective ways?
• What types of environments and materials (digital and print) further students' confidence, engagement and proficiency in using writing as a tool to express and learn?
  

Are any post-conference follow up activities planned for attendees of your Institute?

Contact information will be provided so that attendees may submit follow up questions or contact presenters for additional PD.

How will your Institute be presented, what is the sequence of topics and speakers?

This institute has a stellar line-up of four keynote addresses focusing on:

• disciplinary literacy: what it is and why it matters
• practical research-based suggestions for tapping teachable writing moments in the disciplines
• writing nonfiction poetry
• the sharing of personal nonfiction writing techniques by a notable author

Three breakout sessions are also planned, each offering options across the K-12 band, so participants can choose sessions that match their interests and needs. Sessions afford in-depth exploration of genres, mentor texts, techniques, and technology and attend to the needs of diverse learners.

Keynote 1
Disciplinary Reading and Writing in the Classroom
Timothy Shanahan

Breakout Series I (participants choose one)

• Strand A (Grades K–2)
  Guiding Young Learners to Higher Levels of Achievement in Writing Informational Text
  Tony Stead

• Strand B: (Grades 3–6)
  Responses, Persuasions, and More: Linking Writing and Reading throughout the Day
  Kathy Ganske

• Strand C (Grades 8–12)
  Integrated Literacy: Writing Our Way into the Core of Our Discipline
  Jim Burke

Keynote 2
Discipline-based Writing: A Practice Whose Time Has Come
Carol Jago

LUNCH BREAK (on your own)

Breakout Series II (participants choose one)

• Strand A (Grades K–2)
  Writing in the Disciplines Using Digital Tools in K–2
  Carole C. Phillips and Karen Pelekis

• Strand B (Grades 3–7)
  Using Tech Tools to Read, Write, and Respond to Disciplinary Texts in the Middle Grades
  Robin Jocius

• Strand C: (Grades 8–12)
  Writing from Sources in the Disciplines: Tips for Engagement and Digital Tools, Too
  Thomas DeVere Wolsey

Keynote 3
Finding the Heart of Nonfiction through Mentor Texts
Georgia Heard

Breakout Series III (participants choose one)

• Strand A (Grades K–4)
  Writing Across the Day with Mentor Texts
  Lynne Dorfman and Rose Cappelli

• Strand B (Grades 4–8)
  Writing to Explain and Inform
  Laura Robb

• Strand C (Grades 8–12)
  Scaffolding Evidence-Based Responses to Literature
  Sam Patterson

Keynote 4
It Was a Dark and Stormy Night? Reading and Writing Dynamic Nonfiction
Seymour Simon

What modes of presentation will be used?

PowerPoint presentations will be used to show connections to research, highlight examples and artifacts, and describe strategies and techniques. Classroom and student artifacts and examples will be reviewed. Teaching strategies will be demonstrated and modeled. Video- and internet-clip examples will be incorporated, and there will be simulation with active participant involvement.  Case study will also be utilized.

What types of audience interaction are planned?

There will be Q & A and turn-and-talk time during the breakouts.

What handouts will be provided and in what form?

Participants will receive a program booklet that includes the day’s schedule, blurbs on each session and keynote, and presenter bios. In addition, breakout sessions will provide handouts in hard copy or make them available or digital transmission.

Does your Institute lend itself to team attendance by teachers and administrators from the same school or district? If so, what how will the various attendee perspectives be addressed?

Teams across the K–12 grade range will find that the structure of the breakouts will allow a team of three to gain access to all aspects of the Institute.

Registration Information: This preconference Institute will be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 9, 2014, before the International Reading Association 59th Annual Conference begins on Saturday, May 10, 2014 (and runs through Monday, May 12, 2014). Register online at www.iraconference.org for this or another Institute and/or to register for the annual conference. Call 888-294-9167 or 415-979-2278 to find out how to register by phone, fax, or mail. To learn more about conference events in New Orleans, visit the annual conference website and the online itinerary planner (iPlanner).