Literacy Now

We’re nearly halfway through 2017, and if there’s one thing we’ve learned so far in this politically and socially tumultuous year, it’s that we have the power to create change—and that change starts with discussion. Educators are prominent leaders of these discussions, explaining history and current events to students and helping them to find their voice. This week’s #ILAchat will explore how educators can approach this task as well as introduce a new event that will take place at this year’s ILA 2017 Conference in Orlando, FL.

Inspired by an impromptu discussion that occurred at last year’s conference, this year ILA will host a Current Events Panel entitled Disrupting a Destructive Cycle: How Literacy Drives Social Change. Investigative journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones will moderate this provocative conversation that will raise questions about complex social issues. How do we begin to address the underlying anxiety and implicit bias that make these conversations necessary? What role can literacy play in creating more positive social outcomes?The event will be emceed by Cornelius Minor, who facilitated an on-the-fly discussion at last year’s conference that raised awareness about the need for more discussions like these.

Our next #ILAchat on June 8, at 8:00 p.m. ET, is the perfect place to start the conversation. Follow @ILAToday to join José Vilson (@TheJLV) and Michael Hernandez (@cinehead) to discuss how to address social change and justice through literacy.

José Vilson is a middle school math teacher in New York, NY. He graduated with a MA in computer science from Syracuse University and an MA in mathematics education from the City College of New York. He is the founder of EduColor, a coalition of teachers, parents, and other concerned citizens dedicated to the uplift of people of color in education. He has served as a board member on the Board of Directors for the Center for Teaching Quality and is also a committed writer, activist, web designer, and father.

Michael Hernandez is an author, speaker, and cinematic arts and broadcast journalism teacher. He has an MFA in film production from Loyola Marymount University. He has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished Educator, a PBS Innovator, a Google For Education Certified Innovator, and JEA National Broadcast Adviser of the Year. His passion for digital storytelling continues to be fueled by the authentic projects his students create, which have a real impact on their community.

Throughout his long and storied career, Byron V. Garrett has worn many hats. School principal. Community advocate. Policy advisor. Author. Consultant. Strategist.

His cross-sector journey—which includes everything from serving as CEO of the National (United States) Parent Teacher Association to his current role as director of Educational Leadership & Policy for Microsoft—has afforded him a unique perspective on the field of education. And where he chooses to focus his attention is transforming education through meaningful family engagement.

It’s a topic that resonates with Garrett on a personal level. He saw firsthand how low levels of family involvement can stunt a child’s learning potential when one of his nephews—the son of Garrett’s incarcerated older brother—fell two years behind.

That’s when Garrett realized how important it was to rethink the scope of the family.

“It’s not just a mom or dad who are responsible for the education of young people,” the Scholastic author says. “We actually have a collective and shared responsibility, whether you’re a business exec, a faith-based leader, a community partner, or whether you work for the district or the school system. We all have a role to play in improving the lives of young people and definitely making sure they get a quality education.

“But we also know,” he adds, “that it starts from home.”

It’s this mind-set that led him to found the National Family Engagement Alliance (NFEA), a nonprofit dedicated to helping educators and families forge partnerships that support a student’s academic success.

“Parents have access beyond the bell to help shape what a student does or does not learn beyond the actual classroom,” Garrett said in an interview with EdSurge. “It’s great to have families as a partner in the education process.”

That home–school connection, he maintains, is the best way to help kids “define, work toward, and accomplish their goals.” Strong guidance from parents, guardians, and educators provides an equally strong foundation for empowerment.

In one of his parent-focused columns for The Huffington Post, Garrett urges families to reach out to their child’s teacher to create a “joint plan for greatness.”

“You’re not going to do this alone,” he writes, “and as a lifelong educator, I know that your child’s teacher would love to help your child achieve their full potential.”

Garrett encourages those same teachers to make sure families are not only given a seat at the table, but also welcomed there.

“Family engagement empowers a child to identify and become their best self,” he says.

It not only allows them to work toward greatness in the classroom, but it also allows them to recognize the greatness within themselves.

Lara Deloza is the senior communications manager at ILA.

Byron V. Garrett will speak during Closing General Session of the ILA 2017 Conference & Exhibits on Monday, July 17. For more information, visit ilaconference.org.

Among massive cuts to science, arts, healthcare, and social welfare programs, President Trump’s 2018 budget proposal, submitted to Congress on Tuesday, calls for a whopping $9.2 billion spending cut to education.

The largest proposed cut—at $2.3 billion—would come from the elimination of the Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants, or Title II of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Title II is the key federal funding stream that districts use to recruit, train, support, and compensate their teacher workforce.

With such a huge loss of funding, districts would have to make difficult decisions about where to cut corners. Professional development, often viewed as a luxury instead of a necessity, is usually the first to go.

During an appearance on EduTalk Radio this week, International Literacy Association (ILA) Associate Executive Director Stephen Sye explained that criticism of professional development often comes because it can be a vague term that can take on a myriad of forms, making it difficult to correlate with student achievement. 

“There are a number of educators who feel that if the budget continues to be reduced, professional development will be eliminated. Unfortunately that does nothing but hurt our [future] workforce,” Sye said during the interview. “A less prepared teacher results in a less prepared student and ultimately a less qualified workforce.”

Sye discussed the implications of the budget cuts with host Larry Jacobs. He said that as federal funding streams dry up, organizations like ILA will play an increasingly important role in ensuring that all students have access to current, prepared, high-quality teachers.

“No matter what the climate, ILA is going to continue to advocate for making teachers better teachers because that’s what our students deserve,” said Sye.

Budget cuts will hit some schools hard. Organizations like ILA can level the playing field by making professional development resources more accessible to all educators. ILA publishes journals, books, position statements, and other resources on evidence-based strategies that have been proven effective in classrooms.

“If we as a nation are truly committed to quality education, then the cutting-edge practical resources on instruction that ILA provides are going to be more needed than ever,” Sye said. “What we offer in terms of knowledge is research based and is sound practice, no matter what the political climate brings.”

The organization also offers free registration to the ILA 2017 Conference & Exhibits for undergraduate preservice teachers. Participants can attend presentations by literacy experts, hands-on curriculum-building workshops, TED Talk-style lunches, literacy research sessions, and the social justice and current events panel.

But, Sye said, programming is only one part of the picture; having the opportunity for face-to-face networking and collaboration is the most valuable part of any conference. As districts start to reexamine and streamline their professional development budgets, Sye hopes they will continue to recognize these interactive learning events as a worthwhile investment.

“Without investing in teachers and quality professional development, how are they going to be current and prepared, and how are our students going to be current and prepared?” 

Alina O'Donnell is the editor of Literacy Daily.

Enrique C. Feldman’s goal was to develop his potential more fully when he left his position as professor of music and education at the University of Arizona (UA) in 1997. It was a comfortable, secure job, but he felt there was a greater purpose for him.

That idea got its start when he took an early childhood music education class during his undergraduate time at UA and was enthralled by the energy of the 3- to 7-year-olds

“That experience kept calling me over the years,” Feldman says. “I also became a dad, [which] completely immersed me into the world and the imagination of the child. I became fascinated with how young children learn.”

And so a man with an undergraduate in music and two master’s degrees in music education and conducting and performance departed UA in search of ways he could get involved in education in a more holistic sense—going beyond teaching music to educating the whole child.

The result: Feldman is now the founder and director of education for the Global Learning Foundation (GLF), a play-based and research-based organization that offers professional development for schools and organizations of all types. At GLF, Feldman has taken everything he’s learned over the years—from music and composition to improv and play—and channeled it into a literacy learning approach that values engagement, connection, energy, and community. He promotes trusting your instincts and knowing when to take risks, authentic learning and frameworks, and building what he calls “Possibility Culture.”

Now, helping others develop their full potential is a large focus for Feldman, who already wears many hats, including music composer, producer, and author of Living Like a Child: Learn, Live, and Teach Creatively (Redleaf), Sam the Ant, a new children’s book series he’s cowriting with his 22-year-old daughter, and iBG, Intellectual Brainwave Games, which improve cognition and patterning and reduce stress.

Come July, he’ll add a new title to the list: ILA 2017 Opening General Session speaker. And the theme of the session, Literacy Reimagined, couldn’t be more in tune with Feldman’s story.

Read the open access March/April issue of Literacy Today for just a peek at what you can expect from Feldman, in his own words.

Colleen Patrice Clark is the managing editor of Literacy Today.

Enrique C. Feldman will speak at the Opening General Session of the ILA 2017 Conference & Exhibits on Saturday, July 15. Attendees can also experience more of his brain games and improv techniques at his session, “Preparing the Brain and Body for Learning and Literacy,” on Sunday, July 16, and at the ILA Power Hour Lunch on Monday, July 17. 

Putting quality books into the hands of kids can change their lives, but how do educators find the right reading material for students? This month’s #ILAChat focuses on using booklists, like the recently released Choices reading lists, to find appropriate, engaging, and diverse books to fill classroom libraries and to recommend to readers of all ages.

Each year during Children’s Book Week, ILA releases the Choices reading lists. Composed of three different lists—Children’s Choices, which is cosponsored by the Children’s Book Council; Young Adults’ Choices; and Teachers’ Choices—the project is a nationwide effort to compile each year’s favorite, newly published titles into carefully selected, easily accessible lists. The goal is to ensure every classroom has a wide range of guaranteed enjoyable reads for students by providing them with these recommendations. What better way to empower young readers than to fill their classrooms with books chosen by the readers themselves?

Follow @ILAToday to join our #ILAChat hosts Jennifer Fox (@JenniferFox13) and Shannon Miller (@shannonmiller) and to let us know what you think about this year’s Choices Reading Lists results. The chat will take place Thursday, May 11, at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Jennifer Fox was a team leader for the 2017 Teachers’ Choices list. She worked to receive, review, and distribute this year’s titles to schools across one of five regions of the U.S. She recently completed her doctoral studies at the University of Missouri with a dissertation study entitled, “Secondary Literacy Teachers’ Use of a Twitter Chat Community for Voluntary Ongoing Professional Learning.” When she’s not busy sifting through piles of children’s literature, she is a tech-minded professor in Bolivar, MO, as well as a wife and mother of two.

Shannon Miller served as the K-12 district teacher librarian at the Van Meter Community School District in Iowa for 8 years. She is currently an international speaker and consultant, as well as author of the award-winning blog The Library Voice. Shannon is also the Future Ready Libraries and Project Connect Spokesperson, Buncee's Teacher Librarian Advisor, and Cantata Learning's Teacher Librarian Advocate. She has a passion for education, librarianship, technology, and social media. She is also a wife and mother to three amazing children.

Follow @ILAToday and use the hashtag #ILAChat to join the conversation.