Literacy Daily

The Keystone State Literacy Association (KSLA), the Pennsylvania affiliate of
the International Literacy Association (ILA), is celebrating 50 years of literacy
leadership across our state this year. At our fall statewide leadership meeting, we
took the time to share about the wide variety of chapter projects and initiatives
currently being implemented. There was a great deal of positive energy around
widespread sharing of ideas.

After a gallery walk, chapters were able to elaborate on some of the most
innovative ideas. Chapter leaders enjoyed hearing about similar and new ideas
for how to serve our members and communities. It was an awe-inspiring time of
collaboration and connection.

A few commonalities emerged from the ideas shared. Most ideas fell into the
following categories: professional learning, advocacy, and engaging with families
and communities.

Professional learning

• Throughout the state, KSLA chapters hold "Teachers as Readers" events to
  talk about and promote the reading of current children's, middle grade, and
  young adult books. Many councils invite the coordinators of the Keystone to
  Reading Book Awards to present on the current books that students can read
  and vote for. The Keystone to Reading Book Awards is a yearly recognition
  of a current picture, poetry, or chapter book, awarded annually at our state
  conference. The awards are chosen entirely by Pennsylvania students.
• Across the state, especially in chapters such as Central Western, online and
  in-person professional book clubs are being held with members, other local
  teachers, and teachers from other parts of the state.
• At times, such as with the Brandywine Valley Forge and Delaware Valley
  chapters, miniconferences are held to engage with teachers in specific areas
  and at times outside of our annual conference. This year, topics include
  "Building Community With Social Justice Poetry," "How to Talk About Race
  in Your Classroom," and "Raising Social Awareness Through Conversations
  and Mentor Texts."

Advocacy

• A few chapters, such as Franklin County, share literacy information and
  establish partnerships with local doctors' offices, as well as provide books to
  children during wellness checks.
• Franklin County was also recognized by Pennsylvania’s deputy secretary of education for their work in collaborating with the local intermediate unit to service students who attend a migrant education summer program in their area.
• We continue to host department of education representatives at our annual conference as well as invite a “standing” member, who focuses her work on language arts, to attend our biannual leadership/statewide meetings.
• Various chapter leaders attend department of education meetings to share the latest research about literacy with various divisions and statewide initiatives.

Engaging with families and communities

• Our Lancaster-Lebanon chapter gives their Celebrate Literacy Award to local literacy initiatives such as "Police, Read to Me."
• Susquehanna Valley holds “Read to Me Please” summer reading programs for preschool students at a local playground.
• Many of our chapters participate in laundromat library projects. Books are collected throughout the year at chapter events and baskets are placed in local laundromats so children have something to read while their family is there. In some chapters, books are also donated to women’s shelters or in places where children wait while their parents attend a court hearing.
• A number of chapters, such as Schuylkill, have established Story Walks through local parks.
• Across the state, chapters are partnering with other community organizations such as Kiwanis, Salvation Army, the United Way, and local libraries.

The ideas shared at our meeting were as diverse and unique as each of our local chapters. Most recently, chapters have been holding casual get-togethers for networking and have even been offering painting, massage, and relaxing coloring events to boost teacher morale.

Those chapters that serve regions that are large in square footage work to host regional or online events. Chapters that represent more diverse populations or urban centers stay committed to serving those communities, ensuring children receive books and families and caregivers learn helpful ideas for promoting literacy in the home. Especially in a time when teachers find attending large conferences difficult, but still desire to keep their literacy teaching skills sharp, all chapters serve their members by hosting authors and professional development speakers, and studying the latest in literacy research.

We are so proud of all of our members and thankful for our local leaders for their tireless love of and commitment to promoting literacy throughout a lifetime.

Aileen Hower, an ILA member since 2008, is president of the Keystone State Literacy Association.

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2019 issue of Literacy Today, ILA’s member magazine.

Our latest literacy leadership brief, Meeting the Challenges of Early Literacy Phonics Instruction, states that phonics is an essential component of early reading and writing instruction and becoming a fluent reader. Phonics has been at the top of many conversations lately, and we’ll dive in during our next #ILAchat on Thursday, July 11, at 8:00 p.m. ET, which focuses on the topic: What Research Says About Phonics.

Guests for this Thursday’s chat include

• Darl Kiernan, the pre-K–3 regional literacy facilitator with Nevada’s Northwest Regional Professional Development Program. Over her 24 years in education, she has served as a teacher, coach, and leader in professional learning. Her research interests include word study and vocabulary development. 
• Jasmine Lane, an early-career high school teacher in Minnesota. Through ResearchED, a growing, grassroots, and teacher-led movement, she advocates for evidence-informed instructional approaches and strategies in the classroom. This November, she will be on a panel about reading instruction at the ResearchEd Philadelphia 2019 event moderated by Emily Hanford. She blogs at jasmineteaches.wordpress.com.
• Karen Vaites, a K–12 education entrepreneur passionate about education research and bridging research to practice. Vaites most recently served as chief evangelist, community development officer, and chief strategy officer for Open Up Resources, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting instructional equity. She blogs at eduvaites.org.

Follow #ILAchat and @ILAToday this Thursday to join the conversation with Kiernan, Lane, Vaites, and ILA about phonics instruction and what role it should play in early literacy education.

Colleen Patrice Clark is the editor of Literacy Today, ILA’s member magazine.

In a recent blog series, we spoke with our incoming Vice President and Board members-at-large about their vision for the future of ILA, the experience they bring to the role, and what they hope to accomplish during their term. 

Get to Know Incoming Vice President Stephen Peters
Get to Know New Board Member-at-Large Kia Brown-Dudley
Get to Know New Board Member-at-Large Rachael Gabriel
Get to Know New Board Member-at-Large Laurie Sharp

Alina O'Donnell is the communications strategist at ILA and the editor of Literacy Daily. 

The lead learners and chief architects of culture and instructional programs at their schools, principals are uniquely positioned to promote equitable practices that nurture students’ self-efficacy and academic growth, according to ILA’s latest brief, Principals as Literacy Leaders.

ILA presents a framework composed of three influences—challenge, clarity, and feedback—that are essential ingredients in a high-quality instructional program.

• Challenge: When teachers provide students with challenging activities, students grow their capacities for learning, problem solving, and overcoming difficulties. These students feel a sense of accomplishment and are willing to try new things.
• Clarity: When lessons are grounded in relevance—or an understanding of how the learning might connect to a larger purpose—students are more likely to “become attached to a learning goal and engage meaningfully in class activities and discussions.”
• Feedback: Students who receive and act on feedback learn to monitor their own progress and identify gaps between what they currently understand and what needs to be learned next, instilling a strong sense of autonomy.

Reform efforts are most effective when principals build the capacities of staff to work collaboratively toward a shared vision, says ILA.   

“For so long, schools have maintained a hierarchical structure, in which one person—the principal—exercises exclusive decision-making power,” says ILA Executive Director Marcie Craig Post. “We hope to see more schools move away from traditional siloed, disconnected efforts and embrace a more cohesive approach to school leadership centered on a strong partnership between principals and teachers/classrooms.”

This framework, coupled with a commitment to collaborative leadership, can help to bridge the academic divide and level the playing field for students, says ILA. The brief ends with tangible next steps for fostering collective action.

Access the full brief here.

Alina O'Donnell is the communications strategist at ILA and the editor of Literacy Daily. 

The International Literacy Association (ILA) is a global community of literacy educators and advocates with a common goal: literacy for all. It is at the heart of our Children’s Rights to Read initiative, the core tenet of which is that every child, everywhere has the basic human right to read.

We at ILA will not tolerate the blatant disregard for the rights of the migrant children in border detention. In addition to having limited or no access to necessities such as hygiene products, sanitary living conditions, and basic health care, they are also being denied access to books, high-quality instruction, and recreational activities—all of which underscores the inhumane treatment the children are being forced to endure.

This is why ILA stands in solidarity with the American Library Association’s (ALA) Resolution on Library Service for Children in Detention at Migrant Detention Centers in denouncing the dire conditions for minors detained on the southern border of the United States. The resolution calls on libraries and the larger literacy community to provide and share resources that support education and enrichment.

This resolution speaks to the principles at the heart of our Children’s Rights to Read initiative: equity, access, and inclusion. We stand resolutely behind the idea that every child, everywhere, deserves these 10 rights, which include the right to access books and materials, to read texts that mirror their experiences and languages, and to read for pleasure. Furthermore, we believe that literacy educators must take responsibility for delivering on and protecting the promise inherent in these rights.

Our work is rooted in the belief that literacy empowers. That literacy has the ability to transform lives. That being able to read represents the difference between inclusion in and exclusion from society. That it allows people to develop their potential and participate fully in their communities and society.

We urge our network of educators to help us ensure the rights of these vulnerable members of society. Regardless of your political leanings, if you are committed to the mental health and well-being of children, you, too, must stand for ALA’s resolution and for ILA’s Children’s Rights to Read.