Literacy Now

This year, we celebrate the 20th year of the What’s Hot in Literacy Survey, published in the latest issue of Literacy Today. Results from previous surveys have been cited in numerous publications, translated into multiple languages, and replicated in several countries including Denmark, Rumania, and the United Kingdom.

In addition, previous results of the annual survey have guided professional development within schools and have played a key role in situating the timeliness of current research. In a brief overview, we share how the 2016 survey was constructed, the approaches used to select this year’s respondents, and the methods used while analyzing the results.

Each year, a purposeful sample of 25 literacy leaders completes the survey. The literacy leaders who responded to the 2015 survey played a key role in constructing this year’s edition by reviewing the items listed on the 2015 survey and making suggestions for revisions. This process resulted in a 30-item survey for 2016. In addition, three topics appeared for the first time: oral language, teacher evaluation for literacy, and teacher preparation and certification.

The 2016 literacy leaders all hold a national or international perspective on literacy. Many of them have served on boards of prominent literacy organizations, or as editors of major journals. Together the 25 leaders create a diverse group representing various  ages and job categories such as classroom teachers, administrators, and college professors. 

The percentage of ILA members in each region of the United States determines the number of literacy leaders interviewed in that region. Representing the East for 2016 were Julie Coiro, Rona Flippo, Donald J. Leu, Jill Lewis-Spector, Barbara Marinak, Susan B. Neuman, and Marcie Craig Post. From the Southeast were Richard Allington, Donna Alvermann, Estanislado Barrera IV, and Linda Gambrell. The Great Lakes area was represented by Nell Duke, Patricia Edwards, Timothy Rasinski, William Teale, and Timothy Shanahan. Julianne Scullen represented the Plains area, while the West was represented by Diane Barone, Douglas Fisher, and P. David Pearson. Other areas included the Southwest, represented by Katy Landrum and Chase Young; the Rocky Mountains, represented by Ray Reutzel; Canada, represented by Shelley Stagg Peterson; and outside North America, represented by Bernadette Dwyer.

We interviewed the literacy leaders by phone, Skype, or in person during the summer months. Each interview began with the reading of a standard 178-word paragraph explaining that a rating of “hot” and “not hot” would not be a measure of his or her personal interest in a topic, but instead would refer to the amount of attention the item was currently receiving. Next, each of the 30 items from the survey were read aloud to the respondent and a rating of “hot” or “not hot” was assigned. In addition, the respondent stated whether the item “should be hot” or “should not be hot.”

The final step was analyzing the results. This involved tallying the collected ratings. Items receiving 100% consensus among the literacy leaders were reported as “extremely hot” or “extremely cold.” Items receiving 75% consensus were reported as “very hot” or “very cold,” while those receiving 50% consensus were reported as “hot” or “not hot.”

Read about the results of the What’s Hot in Literacy Survey in Literacy Today magazine (formerly Reading Today).

International Literacy Day (ILD) is about spreading awareness about the work that remains to be done to obliterate illiteracy across the globe. Nearly 800 million people worldwide are illiterate, 126 million of whom are children. That’s about 12% of the people on the planet.

To spark awareness on how to take #800Mil2Nil, ILA has put together the first of many tools we plan to put in the hands of literacy champions. This initial effort, comprised of four infographics, arms advocates with the information vital to spreading awareness about illiteracy. Downloading these infographics from the Take Action section of the ILA website and spreading them via social media will shine the light on not only the impact but also the causes of illiteracy everywhere. Spread this information using the hashtag #800Mil2Nil to keep the discussion going on how we can eliminate illiteracy.

The ILD 2015 Activity Kit, released this Spring in preparation for ILD can also be used year-round. This free kit has a wealth of classroom activities that can be used throughout the school year. The kit’s content is focused on The Philippines, whose people peacefully caused meaningful change through collective action to not only overthrow a dictator, but also to raise literacy rates in the country to an impressive 97.5%.

As a tangible product of efforts to spread literacy to all, communities all over the world—including the one at International Literacy Association headquarters in Newark, DE—will establish Little Free Libraries in honor of ILD. The libraries will bring books to people who may not otherwise have access to reading material and volunteers will keep the shelves stocked for children and adults alike.

Through awareness, education, and collective action, we can solve the illiteracy problem. What will you do to bring #800Mil2Nil?

April Hall is editor ofLiteracy Daily. A journalist for about 20 years, she has specialized in education, writing and editing for newspapers, websites, and magazines.

Incorporating reading aloud into a child’s daily routine has a profound impact on literary development. It not only stimulates language skills, but also builds memory and motivation. That’s why this month we’re previewing Global Read Aloud 2015 (GRA) with founder Pernille Ripp, during the next #ILAchat on September 10. 

Ripp is an author, a dedicated seventh-grade teacher, the cofounder of EdCamp MadWI, and, as she will discuss during our upcoming chat, the creative mind behind GRA. From its inception in 2010, this growing literacy initiative has united more than 500,000 students in 60 countries. Over social media and in correspondence, Ripp has inspired teachers to join her literacy campaign. She has recently developed a creative community through Edmodo, encouraging teachers to also collaborate and network during GRA.

GRA uses a list of specific books and encourages participants to follow a weekly schedule from October 5 through November 13. With a range of books suitable for kindergartners or college students, GRA celebrates a diverse readership and reminds participants that GRA is about the connections you make, not the complexity of the novel.

Empowered Schools, Empowered Students: Creating Connected and Invested Learners(Corwin) and Passionate Learners: How to Engage and Empower Your Students (Corwin),as well as her blog, Blogging Through the Fourth Dimension.

Join @ILAToday on September 10 at 8 p.m. ET. Remember to hashtag #ILAchat and #GRA15 to keep the dialogue going!

Alexandra Baruch is ILA’s communications intern.

The International Literacy Association (ILA), formerly known as the International Reading Association, honors its inaugural 30 Under 30 list in the September/October 2015 issue of Literacy Today (formerly Reading Today). The list recognizes the next generation of young innovators, advocates, and educators who are leading efforts to address the challenges of today’s evolving education field and make a difference in the global literacy landscape.

“I’m thrilled to unveil our first 30 Under 30 list of young individuals who are tirelessly working to impact the future of global literacy advancement,” said Marcie Craig Post, ILA’s executive director. “Today, an astounding 12% of the global population is unable to read or write. These 30 young education champions are developing new, creative strategies to close the literacy gap and, in the process, are transforming lives in their communities and around the world.”

ILA’s 30 Under 30 list highlights young trailblazers from 13 countries and several different sectors and includes nonprofit leaders, classroom teachers, authors, volunteers, researchers, technology startup founders, and entrepreneurs. Each honoree has created and implemented an initiative that either has improved the quality of literacy instruction directly or has increased access to literacy tools in the classroom, community, or online.

See the full story in the latest issue of Literacy Today, ILA’s bimonthly magazine, released today. The honorees will be invited to participate in upcoming global literacy community activities to support the shared cause of advancing literacy for all. To view the magazine feature, visit literacyworldwide.org/30under30.

The International Literacy Association issued its Preliminary Report on Teacher Preparation for Literacy Instruction Tuesday, the first of a two-part report by its Teacher Preparation Task Force, reviewing U.S literacy teacher preparation and how state departments of education differ in their requirements. The preliminary report uncovered inconsistent standards and criteria for preparing teachers on how to teach literacy.

“While there are limitations to this data and further review is underway, our initial findings show that few states require coursework related to preparation to teach literacy,” said Deanna Birdyshaw, cochair of the ILA Teacher Preparation Task Force. “Further investigation of both state and preservice teacher preparation programs is necessary. The data contained here reflect the first phase of our study of what states’ requirements are for preservice teachers in terms of developing their skills as literacy instructors.”

The 13-member task force is cochaired by Elizabeth Swaggerty, associate professor of Reading Education at East Carolina University, in addition to Birdyshaw, lecturer at University of Michigan, and includes leading literacy experts from across the United States.

The task force used a two-part procedure to inform this preliminary report. The first part included compiling information about requirements for teacher preparation in literacy from 50 state education department websites between July and October 2014. The task force then interviewed state education department officials from 23 states to confirm the data collected and to increase understanding of how literacy instruction was addressed in the certification guidelines.

The second-year goal is to interview Teacher Education Programs officials, administrators, and professors in all 50 states to determine how they are integrating the guidelines.

Implications of findings

“Our primary takeaway is that all stakeholders need to be involved in the conversation about how to improve preparation of preservice teachers to design and implement instruction that increases the literacy learning of children in kindergarten through grade 12,” Swaggerty said. “We hope this initial report is a starting point for that conversation.”

Given the importance that state education standards and assessments play in the review of Teacher Education Programs, analysis of the data suggests:

• Research that investigates preservice program features that prepare candidates to develop students’ literacy across all grades and in all disciplines should be conducted. This research should be shared with all stakeholders, particularly state departments and teacher preparation programs.
• Collaboration among all educational stakeholders, particularly state education departments, teacher preparation programs, and K–12 educators, is necessary to improve the preparation of candidates to teach literacy. State guidelines for preservice teacher preparation should make explicit reference to what candidates should know and be able to do in relation to literacy instruction.
• All preservice teachers should be required to participate in activities during their practica that develop their ability to design literacy instruction and monitor literacy growth.

In considering the findings, the task force recognized three primary limitations to the research.

• This is a preliminary report with the second phase ongoing.
• Teacher education programs are in transition, with state education department officials from 15 of the 23 states interviewed stating that changes were being made to teacher certification requirements in the coming year.
• State education officials interviewed were knowledgeable about the teaching requirements, but not necessarily experts in the areas related specifically to teaching literacy.  

“Today’s teachers must be well prepared to help students acquire the literacy skills they will need to learn, work, and live in a complex world,” said Dan Mangan, ILA’s Director of Public Affairs. “The preliminary work of this task force has helped us to better understand the landscape of state-level standards and criteria for teacher preparation for literacy instruction through a research-validated framework. We look forward to insights from the second phase of the task force to determine how best to move ahead to ensure the more than 250,000 new teachers entering the work force annually are prepared.”

To read the full text of the report, visit http://literacyworldwide.org/prelimprepreport.