Literacy Now

The following talented researchers, some quite accomplished and some at the beginnings of their careers, were recognized at a ceremony in San Antonio on Saturday, April 20, 2013, at the International Reading Association's 58th Annual Convention.

 

2013 IRA Esther Zolt Academic Research Grants

Josephine Marsh, Lettice Pelotte, and David Krauter, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona
“Inter-grad Digital Discussions: An E-Pal Project Using In2Books”

Elizabeth M. Hughes, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
“Motivating Students to Achieve: The Impact of a Pen Pal Program on Students’ Achievement and Motivation” 

This award is sponsored by Nina Zolt and Miles Gilburne to honor the memory of Esther Zolt.

 

2013 IRA Dina Feitelson Research Award

Michael J. Kieffer, New York University, New York, New York
“Converging Trajectories: Reading Growth in Language Minority Learners and Their Classmates, Kindergarten to Grade 8,” published in American Educational Research Journal, 48(5), 1187–1225, October 2011
This award is sponsored by Jehuda Feitelson to honor the memory of Dina Feitelson.

 

2013 IRA Jeanne S. Chall Research Fellowship

Susan Gray, The City University of New York, New York, New York
“Adult Literacy and Citizenship: Empowering Struggling Readers with Morphological Instruction and Civics”

 

2013 IRA Steven A. Stahl Research Grant

Angela Williams, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
“Using Students’ Perceptions and the MUSIC Model of Academic Motivation to Improve Reading Motivation and Achievement in an Elementary Classroom”
This grant is sponsored by Katherine A. Stahl to honor the memory and work of Steven A. Stahl.

 

2013 IRA Elva Knight Research Grants

Tanya Christ, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan
X. Christine Wang, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York
“How Emergent Readers Explore and Develop Skills and Strategies for Reading Digital Texts”

Amy Stornaiuolo, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
“Exploring Social Reading: Adolescents’ Literacy Practices in an Interactive Reading Community”

 

2013 IRA Helen M. Robinson Research Grant 

Eric Claravall, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California
“Examining the Potential of the Teacher as Researcher Model in Developing Morphological Awareness Among Struggling Readers”

2013 IRA Teacher as Researcher Grants

Rachael Cooper, Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School, New York, New York

Jodene Morrell, Columbia University, New York, New York
“Using Multicultural Literature to Increase and Improve Diverse Urban Third Graders’ Socioemotional Wellness, Cultural Awareness, and Writing”

Peta Gresham, The King’s School, North Parramatta, Australia
“Pedagogy, Technology, and Creativity: Fostering Student Achievement in Senior English”

Michelle Gunderson, Nettelhorst Elementary School, Chicago, Illinois
“Teachers’ Approaches to Intervention Planning for Struggling Readers Using an RtI Framework”

Rawia Hayik, Eilaboun Elementary School, Eilaboun, Israel
“Through Their Eyes: Israeli-Arab Students Speak Up Through Participatory Documentary Photography Projects”

Danielle Kachorsky, Precision Academy, Phoenix, Arizona
“Young Adult Literature as a Bridge to the Canon”

 

2013 IRA Albert J. Harris Award

Lynn M. Gelzheiser, University of Albany, Albany, New York
Donna Scanlon, University of Albany, Albany, New York
Frank Vellutino, University of Albany, Albany, New York
Laura Hallgren-Flynn, University of Albany, Albany, New York
Christopher Schatschneider, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
“Effects of the Interactive Strategies Approach— Extended: A Response and Comprehensive Intervention for Intermediate-Grade Struggling Readers,” published in The Elementary School Journal, 112(2), 280–306, December 2011

 

2013 IRA Outstanding Dissertation of the Year

Byeong-Young Cho, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa; dissertation from the University of Maryland; chaired by Peter P. Afflerbach; dissertation title:
“Adolescents’ Constructively Responsive Reading Use in a Critical Internet Reading Task”
The IRA Outstanding Dissertation Award is sponsored by SchoolRise, LLC.

 

2013 IRA Outstanding Dissertation of the Year Finalists

Vicki S. Collet, dissertation from the University at Buffalo, State University of New York; chaired by Mary McVee; dissertation title:
“The Gradual Increase of Responsibility: Scaffolds for Change”

Rebecca S. Donaldson, dissertation from the Utah State University; chaired by D. Ray Reutzel; dissertation title:
“What Classroom Observations Reveal About Primary Grade Reading Comprehension Instruction Within High Poverty Schools Participating in the Federal Reading First Initiative”

Darcy Anne Fiano, dissertation from the University of Connecticut; chaired by Mary Anne Doyle; dissertation title:
“Primary Discourse and Expressive Oral Language in a Kindergarten Student”

Lindsay P. Grow, dissertation from the University of Kentucky; chaired by Janice F. Almasi; dissertation title:
“The Identity Development of Preservice Teachers of Literacy in Field Experiences Considering Their Prior Knowledge”

Andrew P. Huddleston, dissertation from the University of Georgia; chaired by Donna Alvermann; dissertation title:
“Making the Difficult Choice: Understanding Georgia’s Test- Based Grade Retention Policy in Reading”

Charlene Sue Huntley-Martin, dissertation from the University of Oklahoma; chaired by Priscilla Griffith; dissertation title:
“A Study of Factors that Contribute to Pre-Service Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy for Literacy Instruction”

Elizabeth L. Jaeger, dissertation from University of California, Berkeley; chaired by P. David Pearson; dissertation title:
“Understanding and Supporting Vulnerable Readers: An Ecological Systems Perspective”

Michael L. Manderin, dissertation from the University of Illinois at Chicago; chaired by Cynthia Shanahan; dissertation title:
“Reading Across Multiple Multimodal Texts in History”

Darcie D. Smith, dissertation from the University of Nevada, Reno; chaired by Shane Templeton; dissertation title:
“How Do 4th, 5th, and 6th Grade Students’ Categories of Cognitive Reflections in Interviews on Derivational Morphology Compare to Their Upper Level Spelling Inventory Orthographic Knowledge?”

 

Learn more about these awards and grants at /awards.

 

At the International Reading Association, the activities of our state/provincial and local councils are integral to our mission of literacy outreach and professional development for educators. We celebrated them with these awards at the IRA 58th Annual Convention in April 2013 in San Antonio, Texas.

Exemplary Reading Program Award Winners
The following schools were given these awards through their state councils.

East Elementary School, Cullman, AL
Willis D. Shaw Elementary School, Springdale, AR
Blackwater Community School, Coolidge, AZ
Loomis Grammar School, Loomis, CA
Grove Avenue Elementary School, Barrington, IL
Tonganoxie Elementary School, Tonganoxie, KS
Arabi Elementary School, Arabi, LA
Reidsville Middle School, Reidsville, NC
Englewood Elementary School, Salem, OR
Loomis Elementary School, Broomall, PA
Campobello-Gramling Elementary School, Campobello, SC
Pi Beta Phi Elementary School, Gatlinburg, TN
Stewart Elementary School, Huntsville, TX
Belview Elementary, Radford, VA
School District of Fort Atkinson Elementary Schools, Fort Atkinson, WI
Blackwater Community School, Coolidge, AZ

 

Membership Achievement Awards

GOLD

Alaska State Literacy Association
Alberta Provincial Council
Connecticut Reading Association
Illinois Reading Council
Texas Association for Literacy Education (TALE)
Utah Council
Wisconsin State Reading Association

SILVER

North Dakota Reading Association
West Virginia Reading Association

BRONZE

Indiana State Reading Association
Minnesota Reading Association
New York State Reading Association

 

Student Membership Achievement Awards

GOLD

Alabama Reading Association
Arkansas Reading Association
Diamond State Reading Association
Georgia Reading Association
Idaho Council
Kansas Reading Association
Louisiana Reading Association
Maine Reading Association
North Carolina Reading Association
North Dakota Reading Association
Saskatchewan Reading Council
Vermont Council on Reading

SILVER

Indiana State Reading Association

 

Local Council Community Service Award

Cody Reading Council (Cody, WY)
Rindi Plambeck and Rebecca Davis, Co-Presidents

 

Advocacy Awards

Connecticut Reading Association
Cathy Mastrianna, President

Illinois Reading Council
Pat Braun, President

Louisiana Reading Association
Dorothy Young, President

Michigan Reading Association
Grace Velchansky, President

Oklahoma Reading Association
Lori Pendelton, President

Virginia State Reading Association
Valerie Robnolt, President

 

Awards of Excellence

Alabama Reading Association
Nancy Nix, President

Arizona Reading Association
Ollie Archambault, President

Arkansas Reading Association
Deborah Hardwick-Smith, President

British Columbia Literacy Council
Patricia Weaver, President

California Reading Association
Lynn Gurnee, President

Colorado Council
Hollyanna Bates, President

Diamond State Reading Association
Maureen Keeney, President

Florida Reading Association
Evan Lefsky, President

Georgia Reading Association
Lynn Minor, President

Illinois Reading Council
Patricia Braun, President

Indiana State Reading Association
Chris Judson, President

Iowa Reading Association
Anthony Pieper, President

Kansas Reading Association
Donita Shaw, President

Kentucky Reading Association
Diana Porter, President

Louisiana Reading Association
Dorothy Young, President

Manitoba Reading Association
Louise Duncan, President

State of Maryland IRA Council (SoMIRAC)
Marilyn Barber, President

Massachusetts Reading Association
Sherry Sausville, President

Michigan Reading Association
Grace Velchansky, President

Missouri State Council
Terry Sherer, President

Montana State Reading Council
Karen Hickey, President Elect

Nebraska State Reading Association
Cynthia Mangers Johnson, President

New Mexico State Council
Kristy Hays, President

New York State Reading Association
Peter McDermott, President

North Carolina Reading Association
Sandra Cook, President

North Dakota Reading Association
Gloria Jones, President

Oregon Reading Association
Carol Folk, President

Keystone State Reading Association
Susan Menser, President

Saskatchewan Reading Council
Gisele Carlson, President

South Carolina State Council
Callie Herlong, President

Tennessee Reading Association
Kathy McCollum Brashears, President

Virginia State Reading Association
Valerie Robnolt, President

Washington Organization for Reading Development (WORD)
Dawn Christiana, President

West Virginia Reading Association
Jone Hersch, President

Wisconsin State Reading Association
Janice Weinhold, President

 

Honor Councils

Year 1 Honor Council

Gila County Reading Council, AZ
Lynette Dyas, President

Nicholas County Reading Council, WV
Tony Nichols, President 

Year 2 Honor Councils

Connecticut Northwest Council, CT
Sandra Potts, President

Pennyrile Council, KY
Janet Walker, President

Year 3 Honor Councils

City of Seattle Council, WA
Denise Gudwin, President

IRA Student Literacy Council of the University of Delaware, DE
Cosimo Faella, President

Manitoba Council of Reading, Clinicians, MB
Monica Wiebe, President

Murray, Kentucky Area Council, KY
Chhanda Islam, President

Northern Illinois Reading Council, IL
Elizabeth Hoelting, President

Prairie Area Reading Council, IL
Ellen Kacic, President

West Suburban Reading Council, IL
Marlene Panebianco, President

Year 4 Honor Councils

Arkansas River Valley Reading Council, AR
Sandra Mitchell, President

East Central Indiana Council, IN
Chyenne Wilder, President

Edgefield Reading Council, SC
Ginger Wates, President

Illinois Title I Association, IL
Marilyn Cordes, President

Pinnacle Special Interest Reading Council, AR
Francie Ross, President

Year 5 Honor Councils

Blue Grass Area Council, KY
Lisa King, President

Crystal Coast Reading Council, NC
Dawn Simpson, President

Yavapai Reading Council, AZ
Joan Masaryk, President

Year 6 Honor Councils

Heritage Reading Council, AL
Lori Ann Gibson, President

Jacksonville Reading Council, AL
Lesley Bean, President

University of Mobile Reading Council, AL
Candace Early, President

Year 7 Honor Councils

Elmore County Reading Council, AL
Glenda Vanermen, President

Lake Cumberland Area Reading Council, KY
Christina Warinner, President

Sunset Reading Council, OR
Judy Fisher, President

Year 8 Honor Councils

Benton County Reading Council, TN
Karen Terry, President

Driftwood Reading Council, OR
Melia Jasso, President

Greater Louisville Council, KY
Synthia Shelby, President

Onslow-Lejeune Council, NC
Tracy McIntyre, President

Umpqua Reading Council, OR
Katrina Scott, President

Year 9 Honor Councils

Autauga Reading Council, AL
Faye Moore, President

Berkshire Reading Council, MA
Catherine Salvini, President

Connecticut Association for Reading Research, CT
Judy Stone Moeller, President

Northeast Louisiana Reading Association, LA
Dewanna Eady, President

Niagara Frontier Reading Council, NY
Patricia Oliphant, President

Two Rivers Council, IL
Julie Steinke, President

Year 10 Honor Councils

Bay County Reading Association, FL
Kathleen Fontaine, President

Delaware County Council
Annemarie Jay, President

Eastern Connecticut Reading Council, CT
Joanne Bell, President

Three Sisters Reading Council, OR
Mary Hawes, President

Upper Shore Reading Council, MD
Robin Plummer, President

Vineyard Valleys Reading Council, OR
Melinda Larson, President

Year 11 Honor Councils

Kent Council, MI
Martha Vermeulen, President

Northeast Montana Council, MT
Jane Kolstad, President

Sussex County Organization for Reading Excellence, DE
Lisa Burnham, President

Year 12 Honor Councils

Laurens County Reading Council, SC
Vicky Culbertson, President

Robeson Council, NC
Anthony Spallino, President

Tennessee Valley Reading Council, AL
Sharon Walker, President

Year 13 Honor Councils

Cherokee Reading Council, SC
Tina Morris, President

Kewetin Nene Council, SK
Debby Noble, President

Marshall County Reading Council, WV
Jennifer Lipinski, President

Northeast Arkansas Council, AR
Viola Snow, President

Year 14 Honor Councils

Arkadelphia Area Reading Council, AR
Kaila Murphy, President

Baldwin County Reading Council, AL
Linda Noble, President

Emerald Empire Council, OR
Karren Timmermans, President

Hamilton County Reading Council, IN
Amy Catania, President

Jesse Stewart Council, KY
Marcia Ellis, President

Massachusetts Association of College and University Reading Educators, MA
Jacy Ippolito, President

Mid-State Reading Council, IL
Janel Bolender, President

Newberry County Reading Council, SC
Pamela Cromer, President

Webster County Highlander Reading Council, WV
Aleda Hileman, President

Year 15 Honor Councils

Eastern Iowa Reading Council, IA
Julie Ortner, President

Greater Hartford Area Council, CT
Laura Caruso, President

Greater Paradise Valley Reading Council, AZ
Julie Berlin, President

Saluda Reading Council, SC
Meredith Miller-Rikard, President

South East Reading Council, SK
Joan Bue, President

Year 16 Honor Councils

Central Montana Reading Council, MT
Connie Metcalfe, President

East Central - EIU Reading Council, IL
Ingrid Minger, President

Flint Hills Council, KS
Roger Caswell, President

Washington Parish Reading Council, LA
Rita Mulina, President

Year 17 Honor Councils

Guam Council, GU
Jonathan Pilarca, President

Headwaters Reading Council, WI
Colleen Konicek, President

Mid-Shore Reading Council, MD
Elizabeth Coxon, President

Monmouth County Reading Council, NJ
Joyce Noren, President

Reading Council of Northern Delaware, DE
Cecilia McCormick, President

San Joaquin County Reading Association, CA
Anne Weisenberg, President

South Arkansas Reading Council, AR
Dana Kelly, President

Spartanburg County Council, SC
Amanda Cox, President

Year 18 Honor Councils

Cape Cod Council, MA
MaryEllen Caesar, President

Central Minnesota Reading Council, MN
Beth Laudenbauch, President

Fort Collins Council, CO
Laura Whale, President

Fox Valley Reading Council, WI
Teri Rucinsky, President

Piedmont Area Reading Council, VA
Joyce Spencer, President

Year 19 Honor Councils

Cook Inlet Council, AK
Elizabeth Zeuli, President

Gateway Reading Council, CA
Paula Aja, President

Jefferson County Council, AR
Kathy Carnahan, President

North Louisiana Reading Council, LA
Loretta Jaggers, President

Placer Area Reading Council, CA
Jenn Tverberg, President

Suburban Council, IL
Laura Polkoff, President

Year 20 Honor Councils

Chicago Area Reading Association, IL
Margaret Richek, President

Kent Council, DE
Kimberly Cole, President

Mason County Council, WV
Lei Sergent, President

Northwest Arkansas Council, AR
Donna Owen, President

Reading Council of Southern New Jersey, NJ
Jane Arochas, President

Southern Maryland Reading Council, MD
Linda Forrest, President

Year 21 Honor Councils

Central Arizona Reading Council, AZ
Carolee Sopicki, President

Chester County Reading Association, PA
Glendia Kennedy, President

Eisenhower Area Reading Council, KS
Janelle Riedy, President

Grant County Reading Council, AR
Tara Derby, President

Kanawha Council of International Reading Association, WV
Barbara Jones, President

New River Valley Reading Council, VA
Peggy Kincaid, President

Piedmont Reading Council, SC
Denise Schweikart, President

SEARK Reading Council, AR
Julie Workman, President

Three Rivers Reading Council, AR
Michele Newnum, President

Twin Rivers Council, NC
Janet Zinni, President

Year 22 Honor Councils

Berkeley Reading Council, SC
Cathy Delaney, President

East San Gabriel Valley, CA
Melissa Lowry, President

Madison Area Reading Council, WI
Janet Farnan, President

Mid-Hudson Council, NY
Mary Ann Zuccaro, President

Tri-County Reading Council, PA
Penny Naugle, President

Year 23 Honor Councils

Cecil Council, MD
Jessica Kubek, President

Lake Washington Council, WA
Cim Dew, President

Rainbow Reading Council, AL
Felicia Chambers, President

Raleigh-Wake Council, NC
Anita Stack, President

Rogue Valley Council, OR
Tonya Noon-Toledo, President

Smoky Mountain Reading Council, TN
Tammy Madon, President

Year 24 Honor Councils

Carroll Reading Council, MD
Joanne Dicke, President

Eastern Shore Reading Council, MD
Michelle Shreeves, President

Frederick County Reading Council, MD
Kathleen Reifschneider, President

Lancaster-Lebanon Reading Council, PA
Carol Severance, President

North Central Reading Association, ND
Amy Engelhard, President

Shenandoah Valley Reading Council, VA
Sandra Proctor, President

Southeast Regional Reading Council, MA
Janice Standring, President

Year 25 Honor Councils

Duval County Reading Council, FL
Sandra Pruitt, President

Moore County Council, NC
Misty Clark, President

Nassau Reading Council, NY
Kathleen Conway-Gervais, President

Pikes Peak Council, CO
Claudia Miller, President

Roanoke Valley Council, VA
Charles Richards, President

Weld County Reading Council, CO
Michele Warner, President

Year 26 Honor Councils

Colonial Association of Reading Educators Council, PA
Kathleen Sagl, President

Metro-Mobile Reading Council, AL
Pamela McDade, President

Phyllis Allen Smith
North Shore Council, MA
Holly Banusiewicz, President

Western Kentucky Council, KY
Sara Jennings, President

Year 27 Honor Councils

Anne Arundel Reading Council, MD
Beth Burke, President

Central Wisconsin Reading Council, WI
Amber Garbe, President

Gary Reading Council, IN
Lolita Good-Lewis, President

Midland Empire Reading Council, MT
Janelle Wilson, President

Portland Council of IRA, OR
Barbara Kutasz, President

Reading Council of Greater Winnipeg, MB
Cindy Thiessen, President

Wood County Reading Council, WV
Lois Meadows, President

Year 28 Honor Councils

Capital Reading Council, OR
Kathleen Moran, President

Central Arkansas Council, AR
Daisy Hunt, President

Chesapeake Reading Council, VA
Heather Bailey, President

Euclid Council, OH
Hannah Szabo, President

Evansville Area Reading Council, IN
Holly Titus, President

Geary County Council, KS
Rolinda Smith, President

Howard County Council, MD
Maria Moy, President

Jefferson County Council, CO
Dana Plewka, President

Phoenix West Council, AZ
Melissa Selby, President

Tennessee Tech Council, TN
Michele Campbell, President

Year 29 Honor Councils

Alameda County Reading Association, CA
Jeannette Alday, President

Brooklyn Reading Council, NY
Milton Mayers, President

Cabell County Council, WV
Tina Cooper, President

Columbia Area Reading Council, SC
Evette Bradley, President

Contra Costa Reading Association, CA
Tanya Leyden, President

Hardy Reading Council, IA
Karla Bronzynski, President

Harrison County Reading Council, WV
Chrisanne Diaz, President

Lee’s Summit Reading Council, MO
Julie Caldwell, President

Marion County Reading Council, WV
Twyla Rote, President

Mid-Valley Council, OR
Cheryl Graham, President

Nobscot Council, MA
Marlene Correia, President

North Central Arkansas Reading Council, AR
Jeanne Harvey, President

North Central Council, TN
Mary Truka, President

Palmetto Council, SC
Brenda Capps, President

St. Louis Suburban Council, MO
Thomas Cornell, President

Tulsa County Reading Council, OK
Tulagina Smith, President

Wayne County Reading Council, MI
Hakim Shahid, President

Year 30 Honor Councils

Arrowhead Reading Council, MN
Pamela Tomassoni, President

Central New York Council, NY
Kathryn Lester, President

Delaware Valley Reading Association, PA
Ann Finore, President

Metropolitan Reading Council, NE
Janet Larson, President

Sacramento Area Reading Association, CA
Meg Gillman, President

Springfi eld Council, MO
Sarah Logan, President

Tucson Area Council, AZ
Kathryn Bell, President

West Jersey Reading Council, NJ
Susan Yoder, President

Year 31 Honor Councils

Central Nebraska Reading Council, NE
Rebecca Bartlett, President

Erie Reading Council, PA
Anna Landers, President
Greater Boston Council, MA
Jean Helstrom, President

Greater San Diego Reading Association, CA
Maureen Begley, President

Greater Washington Reading Council, VA
Kathryn Miller, President

Harford County Reading Council, MD
Lisa Komondor, President

Newport News Reading Council, VA
Sherry Edbauer, President

Orange County Reading Association, CA
Megan Sommers

Richmond Area Reading Council, VA
Debi Buck, President

Santa Clara County Reading Council, CA
Kari Ito, President

Virginia Beach Reading Council, VA
Jennifer Haws, President

 

Read more about these and other awards on the International Reading Association awards and grants webpage. Learn more about councils or find your local council on the IRA councils page.

 

At the IRA 58th Annual Convention in April 2013 in San Antonio, Texas, we gathered to celebrate our members from around the world. The following members and international affiliates were recognized for their service to the field of literacy. 

Constance McCullough Award

Carla Jean Raynor, A Growing and Developing Society— Intergenerational Learning with Families at the Core Bhutan

Global Volunteer Award

Dr. Anne Sustik, Illinois Reading Association

Dr. Janet Condy, Reading Association of South Africa

International Membership Development Awards

Perhimpunan Baca-Tulis Masyarakat (PBTM), Indonesia

Sindh-Balochistan Reading Council, Pakistan

Literacy Projects in Countries with Developing Economies

Beatrice Tafon Takeh, Children’s Book Club, Cameroon

Dr. Apolonia Tamata, Evaluating the Information Text Awareness Project (ITAP) and Documenting Localized Teaching Practices in Fiji, Fiji

Majidova Robiya Abduvalievna, Reading Club for Young Learners in Kairakkum, Tajikistan

Dr. Pinheiro Angela Maria Veira, The Professionalization of Literacy Teachers in Brazil, Brazil

Hadi Tabassum Samina, Teach for India, India

Margaret Muthiga, Reading to Rebuild and Nourish, Argentina

Melina Porto, Developing Critical Thinking Skills in Spanish Speaking Argentina, Argentina

Geraldine Nanjala, Library Program in Ndege Primary Schools, Kenya

United Kingdom Association Literacy Awards

UKLA Book Award - Awarded every year. The only national book award judged by teachers, and shadowed by student teachers. Chair - Lynda Graham

Iris & Isaac by Catherine Rayner
3-6 years category
Published by Little Tiger Press

Sky Hawk by Gill Lewis
7-11 years category
Published by Oxford University Press

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
12- 16 years category,
Illustrated by Jim Kay, published by Walker Books

UKLA/Wiley-Blackwell Research in Literacy Education Awards - Awarded every year.
Shortlists drawn up by panel convened by editors of JRR (Clare Wood) and Literacy (Cathy Burnett and Julia Davies). Panel chaired by Jackie Marsh.

Journal of Research in Reading (JRR)
Melby-Lervåg, M., Lervåg, A. (2011) Cross-linguistic transfer of oral language, decoding, phonological awareness and reading comprehension: a meta-analysis of the correlational evidence.
Journal of Research in Reading. Vol 34:1 pp.114-135

Literacy
Moss.G., (2011) Policy and the search for explanations for the gender gap in literacy attainment.
Literacy. Vol 45:3 pp.111-118

UKLA Academic Book Award - Awarded every two years

2011 Winner: Margaret Mallett
Choosing and using fiction and Non-Fiction 3-11

UKLA Literacy School of the Year: A school where literacy thrives- This is a new award

Frederick Bird School, Coventry

John Downing Award - Awarded every two years. Awarded to inspirational, creative teachers of literacy.

2011 Winner Jo Scott
Rowley Lane Junior
Infant and Nursery School, Huddersfield

New Zealand Awards

New Zealand Literacy Association Honour Council Awards

Auckland
Manawatu
Otago
Waikato
Hawkes Bay

New Zealand Literacy Association Marie Clay Literacy Trust International Literacy Conference Travel Award

Jane Carroll, Otago Reading Association
Awarded for travel to Spain for the International Workshop on Reading and Developmental Dyslexia

International Reading Association Award for Innovative Reading Promotion in Europe

Yvonne Mullan, Reading Association of Ireland (RAI)
An Intervention to Improve the Literacy Skills of Deaf Children

For more information on awards and grants, visit the IRA awards webpage.

 

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.”