EDITOR’S
NOTE
e made it! Well, almost. It’s the
homestretch of 2020, and that is reason
enough to celebrate if you ask me. But as
much as we’re looking forward to putting
up a new calendar, we would be remiss if
we didn’t take the opportunity to look back
on this year and reflect on lessons learned
and ongoing challenges. As Cornelius
Minor asked during his Main Stage
Session at ILA Next in October: What if we
didn’t simply return to normal? What if
we returned to better?
That’s the mind-set we urge everyone
to have as we plow forward into 2021,
and it’s also a question we examine in the
cover story for this issue, “Looking Ahead:
Four Ways 2020 Might Shape the Future
of Teacher Prep.” Between the digital
challenges of COVID-19 and ongoing civil
unrest and social justice issues, there are
plenty of ways we can work to ensure that
this year for the history books is actually
remembered as a positive tipping point
in education—both in the education of
our students and in the education of their
future teachers.
This issue, which focuses on the
theme of teacher preparation, also
examines other ways teacher prep
programs can continue to improve—such
as by strengthening teachers’ connection
to research, focusing on pedagogies that
respect students’ mental health and
social-emotional learning, and working to
diversify our teacher workforce.
When you finish reading this issue,
we encourage you to ask yourself how you
can return to better—whether in your
classroom, your community, or your home.
Yes, there has been plenty of negatives this
year, but what positivity can you carry
forward?
Warmly,
REFLECTING ON 2020
Colleen Patrice Clark
Managing Editor
cclark@reading.org
2
literacyworldwide.org | November/December 2020 | LITERACY TODAY
© 2018
ISBN 978-0-87207-379-1
Standards for the Preparation of Literacy
Professionals 2017
INTERNATIONAL LITERACY ASSOCIATION
FREE SHIPPING! literacyworldwide.org/standardsbook
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Developed by literacy experts across the United States, Standards for the Preparation
of Literacy Professionals 2017 (Standards 2017) sets forth the criteria for developing and
evaluating preparation programs for literacy professionals.
These updated standards focus on the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for
effective educational practice in a specific role and highlight contemporary research and
evidence-based practices in curriculum, instruction, assessment, and leadership.
Standards 2017 addresses the following roles:
� Reading/literacy specialists � Literacy coaches
� Literacy coordinators/supervisors � Classroom teachers (Pre-K–12)
� Principals, teacher educators, and literacy partners