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    New SIG Addresses District Literacy Leadership Issues

    by Margaret-Mary Sulentic Dowell; Estanislado S. Barrera, IV; Bonnie L. Hoewing; Kim Skinner; and Tynisha D. Meidl
     | Mar 17, 2014

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

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

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

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

     

    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...Read More
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    Registration Open for Council Leadership Academy in Tampa

    by Sara Long
     | Mar 12, 2014

    SheratonRegistration 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@reading.org.

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

    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...Read More
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    Affective Reading Education Journal Requests Submissions

    by Janet Finke
     | Feb 06, 2014

    Affective Reading Education Journal (AREJ) is a peer-reviewed journal published once or twice a year by CARE (Concern for Affect in Reading Education), a Special Interest Group of the International Reading Association. The Journal accepts articles pertaining to the affective domain of reading and other facets of literacy, including experimental and descriptive studies, literature reviews, theoretical papers, and descriptions of innovative teaching practices. Submissions for peer review are adjudicated by editor Janet Finke. Submissions must be received no later than March 1 for consideration in the 2014 AREJ

    CARE Membership

    Membership in CARE is open to all members of the International Reading Association and other interested persons. Authors need not be members of CARE to submit manuscripts for review. However, membership in CARE will be required of authors whose manuscripts are accepted for publication. When the manuscript is accepted, non-members will be given information about joining CARE. Membership dues are currently $15.00 per year.

    Manuscript Form and Style

    All manuscripts must be submitted via e-mail. Authors should use the guidelines for style and format given in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th Edition). Text should be double-spaced in 12-point font using Microsoft Word and any images should be submitted in tif or jpg format. Manuscripts should be no longer than 12 pages (including tables, figures, and images) in length.

    Submissions should include:

    • Cover letter, including your name and affiliation (as you would have them published) and your mailing and e-mail addresses. Any coauthors should be listed in preferred order, with name, affiliation, and contact information.
    • Abstract of 150 words, written in the third person and without citations.
    • One blinded copy of the manuscript.
    • Tables and figures in separate file(s) 

    The editor/s reserves the right to edit papers for style without author preview.

    Janet FinkeDr. Janet Finke is the editor of the Affective Reading Education Journal and a professor at Central Washington University, finkej@cwu.edu.

    Affective Reading Education Journal (AREJ) is a peer-reviewed journal published once or twice a year by CARE (Concern for Affect in Reading Education), a Special Interest Group of the International Reading Association. The Journal accepts...Read More
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    IRA Member Helps Make Strides in Mexican Literacy Education

    by Sara Long
     | Oct 28, 2013
    Joy Koller
    Joy Koller

    Based on her experience in literacy education, International Reading Association (IRA) member Joy Koller was recently appointed the official liaison and project director for all activities related to the Little Learners Initiative in Mexico (LLI-MEXICO), a collaboration of the Early Education for Every Child Foundation (EEECF) and JkGlobal Connections. Koller and Helene and Victor Alihaud of UniverMaya worked together to build and coordinate LLI-MEXICO.

    The Little Learner Initiative (LLI) is a global campaign to empower schools and teachers with the tools needed to provide children with high quality early education, irrespective of their socio-economic status, language ability, or geographical location. The LLI is made possible through generous ongoing grants of early learning programs and curricula by BrillKids Inc. EEECF will offer their English Little Readers Software programs, a premade English curriculum, to young learners in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico.

    LLI MexicoThe theoretical framework of LLI-MEXICO grew from discussions regarding the state’s initiatives to improve Early Education Development (ECD) and the need to provide and implement quality English programs in the basic public education sector. One of the goals of the State of Quintana Roo, Mexico is making ECD a priority in public policies’ social development. The state achieved considerable progress on issues of care for vulnerable children with the implementation of the Mission Girls – Children 2011 program. Specific objectives are now in place to build and adapt spaces for the ECD program over the next six years. The new Integrated Early Childhood Centers will offer an innovative approach with the design and construction of the necessary infrastructure and the implementation of programs of teaching and pedagogy.

    Koller and her colleagues recognize that several local public schools continue to struggle with a lack of resources, materials, funding, and implementation of quality English programs, so building on the state’s initiatives, they launched LLI-MEXICO in the Mayan City of Coba in the fall of 2012. Their goal is to make a difference in early education and English literacy development by providing innovative curriculum and learning opportunities to our young learners. Their objectives are:

    • To offer literacy programs for young English language learners using a proven, systematic, premade English reading instructional software program.
    • To provide teachers with an opportunity to observe the learning outcomes of research-based reading instruction.

    Their hope is to empower schools, teachers, parents, and leaders in educational policy with the knowledge and tools needed to encourage early learning and English literacy instruction.

    “We are passionate people, educators with a proven program that expands early learning services by providing access to an innovative English curriculum,” says Koller. “Providing a chance for our children to succeed in life and school is our only motivation and this drives our desire to launch strategic alliances with foundations and sponsors to enable the growth of this program for children from low-income communities in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. We are committed to the success of this program because we know it can change lives and we know that the growth of a child can help change the world.”

    LLI Mexico

    For more information on LLI-MEXICO and sponsorship grants for the basic Little Reader Kit visit www.eeecf.org/projects/mx-little-learner-initiative.php.

    This article was orginally published in the April/May 2013 issue of Reading Today. IRA members can read the interactive digital version of the magazine here. Nonmembers: join today!

    Joy Koller Based on her experience in literacy education, International Reading Association (IRA) member Joy Koller was recently appointed the official liaison and project director for all activities related to the Little Learners Initiative...Read More
  • Social Book Award
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    First Annual Social Justice Literature Awards

    by Carolyn L. Cook, Kenneth Fasching-Varner, and Aimee Rogers
     | Oct 25, 2013

    Social Book AwardThe International Reading Association's Literacy and Social Responsibility Special Interest Group (SIG) awarded the first annual Social Justice Literature Awards at the International Reading Association’s 2013 conference in San Antonio, Texas. The Award was given to two books: The House on Dirty-Third Street by Jo S. Kittinger and illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez for Best Picture Book and Summer on the Moon by Adrian Fogelin for Best Non-Picture Book.

    The Literacy and Social Responsibility SIG created this award to highlight children’s and young adult literature that illustrates qualities of social justice. The award is the result of a year-long process of the SIG. This process included selecting co-chairs Carolyn Cook, Kenneth Fasching-Varner, and Aimee Rogers; developing criteria for evaluating nominated texts; reviewing all entries; and coming to a final decision. The main categories created were Picture Books and Non-Picture Books with the potential subcategories of poetry, narrative and nonfiction. The committee was supported by the generous mentoring of Alma Flor Ada and Isabel Campoy, both of whom have experience with similar book awards.

    The award committee selected the top 10% of the nominations received from publishers. In reviewing texts the committee considered two principles: recognition of the literary and artistic qualities of the text, as well as the reader response. With respect to literary and artistic qualities, texts were evaluated on how they fostered respect and understanding of diverse populations, promoted social responsibility (including equity, justice, and peace), presented social issues in their complexity, and addressed social responsibility towards individuals, communities, societies and/or the environment.  With respect to reader response, books were evaluated for the extent to which the text invites reflection and socially responsible action by the reader. Furthermore, in the reader response the committee judged how the text encourages the analysis of past injustices showing possible alternatives and/or challenges and how the text opens the reader’s imagination to other possibilities. Lastly, the committee considered the appeal of the text to the targeted readers.

    Selected Picture Book

    The House on Dirty-Third StreetThe House on Dirty-Third Street by Jo S. Kittinger and illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez
    Peachtree Publishers, 2012, 32 pp.
    ISBN 978-1561456192
    Age Range: 4-8

    In The House on Dirty-Third Street, a mother and her daughter have just moved into a different house to get a new start. As a result of limited income, it is located in an uninviting neighborhood. They spend much time and energy cleaning the house and yard, but they are discouraged because there is so much work to be done. People appear to paint and repair the house. Through the help of the community the house soon lives up to the visions mom had when she bought it. The double-page illustrations pull the reader into the emotions of the story. The illustrations are rendered in dull colors which gradually brighten as things improve for the mother and daughter. The reader understands life as a single mom and sees the power of faith and a giving community.

    Selected Non-picture Book

    Summer on the MoonSummer on the Moon by Adrian Fogelin
    Peachtree Publishers, 2012, 256 pp.
    ISBN 978-1561456260
    Age Range: 9-12

    In Summer on the Moon, summer vacation is just beginning for Socko and his best friend Damien. The first problem is dealing with Rapp, the leader of the local gang and neighborhood bully. However the best the friends can do is to postpone, but not solve the problem of Rapp. The next problem comes when mom unexpectedly moves Socko away from this bad neighborhood to Moon Ridge Estates, a half-built housing development. Socko is lost without Damien and the comfort of his former neighborhood. He spends his time taking care of his grumpy great-grandfather, the General. With this new responsibility and his deepening understanding of the situation at Moon Ridge Estates, Socko discovers that it is not where one lives that determines one’s character, but rather one’s actions. In addition, the reader learns with Socko the power found in family and friends no matter where you live.

    2014 Committee and Award

    The Committee is currently taking nominations from publishers for the 2014 award. Please contact Carolyn (cook@msmary.edu), Kenny (varner@lsu.edu), or Aimee (aimeearogers@gmail.com) with book submissions or questions. The 2014 committee will consist of Sarah Harrison-Burns, Patricia Dean, Zanthia Smith, Denise Stuart, and Joyce Wheaton. Nominations for the 2015 committee are also being taken. The committee will proceed with members rotating off after a multi-year commitment.

     

    The International Reading Association's Literacy and Social Responsibility Special Interest Group (SIG) awarded the first annual Social Justice Literature Awards at the International Reading Association’s 2013 conference in San Antonio, Texas....Read More
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