Focus
on Reading
• Understanding the role
of research in reading
instruction
• Looking at what we can
all do to eliminate book
deserts
• Examining third-grade
reading laws
• Finding more time for
reading instruction
March/April 2020
Volume 37, Issue 5
LITERACY TODAY
Contents
LITERACY TODAY
Volume 37, Issue 5
March/April 2020
EDITORIAL STAFF
Managing Editor Colleen Patrice Clark
Editors Christina Lambert & Charmaine Riley
Intern Annie Lee
ILA LEADERSHIP
Executive Director Marcie Craig Post
2019–2020 BOARD MEMBERS
Kathy N. Headley, Clemson University,
President; Stephen Peters, Laurens County
School District 55, Vice President; Bernadette
Dwyer, Dublin City University, Immediate Past
President; Juli-Anne Benjamin, Great Oaks
Legacy Charter School; Kia Brown-Dudley, The
Education Partners; Wendy Carss, University
of Waikato; Rachael Gabriel, University of
Connecticut, Storrs; Beverley E. Harris, Mico
University College, University of the West
Indies; Kenneth Kunz, Monmouth University;
Susan Paasch, Sauk Rapids Public School
District; Julia Reynolds, Allendale Public
Schools; Laurie Sharp, Tarleton State University
ADVERTISING
For information, contact Megan Ferguson at
800.336.7323 x 417 or advertising@reading
.org. Acceptance of advertising does not imply
endorsement.
ABOUT US
Literacy Today is the bimonthly membership
magazine of the International Literacy
Association, a nonprofi t that strives to
empower educators, inspire students, and
encourage teachers with the resources they
need to make literacy accessible for all.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Literacy Today (ISSN 2411-7862, Print; 2411-
7900, Online) is included in the cost of ILA
membership. To join, visit literacyworldwide
.org. POSTMASTER: Send address changes
to Literacy Today, PO Box 8139, Newark,
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503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill,
ON, L4B 4R6.
CONTACT US
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EDITORIAL
800.336.7323 x 446
literacytoday@reading.org
Write to Literacy Today, PO Box 8139, Newark,
DE 19714-8139, USA.
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© International Literacy Association
2
EDITOR’S NOTE
4
LIT BITS
6
ILA UPDATE
LITERACY LEADERSHIP
8
Using the ILA 2020 What’s Hot in Literacy Report
to Frame Our Study of Current Issues in Reading
Research
12
Finding Time for Literacy
14
The Speed, Source, and Scale of Science in the Science of Reading Debate
16
Examining Third-Grade Reading Laws and Their Potential Impacts
RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE
20
The Four Resources Model: Comprehending the Word and the World
FEATURES
22
A Tale of Two Cities: Mobilizing ILA’s Children’s Rights to Read
26
Ending Book Deserts: The Role We Can All Play in Putt ing More Books in More
Hands
THE ENGAGING CLASSROOM
30
Asking Higher Level Questions in Book Reading
32
Helping Students Build Meaningful Connections to and Disconnections
From Texts
34
What Counts as Reading Today?: Playing, Listening, and Curating as Relevant
and Engaging Alternative Reading
Online Exclusive: Gett ing to the Bott om of Reading Behaviors: Is it Fluency or
an Underlying Accuracy Issue?, by Christopher Conolly
THE ILA NETWORK
36
A Look at Recent Activities From the Australian Literacy Educators’
Association
38
Giving Students Ownership of ILA’s Children’s Rights Campaign
40
EVENTS
42
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
22
EDITOR’S
NOTE
LETTER TO
THE EDITOR
n the January/February issue of Literacy
Today, we included coverage of our 2020
What’s Hot in Literacy Report, which—in
addition to determining the most critical
topics for shaping the future of literacy—
gave voice to more than 1,400 respondents
around the world regarding the greatest
challenges they face and what supports
they desire.
In this March/April issue, we focus on
one critical aspect of the report: ensuring
excellence in reading instruction.
Reading is what unites us, and so
this issue spotlights both the joys and the
mechanics involved in the act of reading.
In doing so, we focus on how reading
shapes us as well as the tools and building
blocks needed for that to happen.
Although reading unites us, in some
cases—and only because we’re rightfully
so passionate about the topic—it can
seemingly divide us. That’s why we can’t
put out a special issue on reading without
acknowledging the conversations taking
place in the literacy field about evidence-
based reading instruction. I encourage
you to read Amanda Goodwin’s article on
page 14 about how ILA and our Reading
Research Quarterly journal are responding
to help add clarity to these discussions.
Also be sure to keep an eye out for the
September/October issue of Literacy
Today, which will be an additional special
issue focusing on the role of research
in reading instruction. Do you have a
topic you want to see included, or are you
interested in contributing? Let us know by
emailing literacytoday@reading.org.
Warmly,
READING
UNITES US
Colleen Patrice Clark
Managing Editor
cclark@reading.org
Here’s to Teachers: A Reaction to ILA’s What’s Hot Report
The new What’s Hot [in Literacy] Report reads like a history of my work as a teacher,
instructional coach, staff developer, adjunct professor, literacy specialist, and now
literacy consultant. The common thread that unifies my work is a focus on the needs of
culturally and linguistically diverse students and, more recently, 21st-century literacy.
Like many of the respondents, I believe that all students have a right to literacy. I also
have been fortunate to participate in learning opportunities resulting in the building
of deep teacher knowledge and I know it is what teachers want for themselves and their
students. However, with knowledge comes agency and advocacy. And that is not welcome
in settings where a focus continues to rest on short-term strategies for improving
standardized tests scores. For this reason, I work to bring teachers the professional
learning they want and need outside of the large bureaucratic structures that make this
kind of learning difficult, if not impossible.
Yes to equity and early intervention! Yes to teachers empowered to identify their
own professional learning needs! Yes to an end to the endless debate over balanced
literacy vs. systematic phonics when we all know kids need both! Yes to culturally
relevant texts and teachers who know how to select and use them! Yes to research-based
culturally relevant teaching! And here’s to teachers bravely breaking away from the
status quo and finding their true colleagues and peers who will help them be successful
with all students!
—Mary Morgan, ESL Teacher and Literacy Specialist, Louisville, KY
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LIT BITS
Don’t Forget to Vote
Mark your calendar for March 30! That’s when the elections for the ILA
Board of Directors will open, and votes must be made by 5:00 p.m. ET on
May 11. There are currently four positions to be filled: Vice President and
three at-large Board members. As in previous years, the election will be
conducted entirely online and ballots will be emailed to those with active,
eligible ILA memberships. Don’t miss your chance to help choose the
leaders who will guide the future of our organization. For more information
on the election and the candidates, visit literacyworldwide.org/vote.
Choices Team
Leaders Deadline
Approaching
ILA 2020 Speakers
Announced—and
Registration Now Open!
The deadline to apply to be a
team leader for our Children’s,
Young Adults’, or Teachers’
Choices reading lists for the
2020–2023 term is March
31. ILA’s Choices lists provide
valuable insight every year into
the favorite books of children
and educators alike, personally
hand-picked by those who
make up each group. Team
leaders immerse themselves
in a three-year professional
development opportunity in
which they lead the Choices
project in their area and serve
as a mentor for future team
leaders. Application forms
and brief descriptions for
each project may be found at
literacyworldwide.org
/choices.
Jasmyn Wright
Founder, The
Push Through
Organization,
and Globally
Renowned
Educator
Nell K. Duke
Professor and
Researcher,
University of
Michigan
Allister Chang
Founder, Civic
Suds, and ILA
30 Under 30
Honoree
The speaker lineup for ILA 2020, to be
held in Columbus, OH, October 15–18,
was announced in February to coincide
with the opening of registration. Don’t miss
your chance to hear from Jasmyn Wright,
Nell K. Duke, Allister Chang, and more—
or your chance to lock in your Advanced
Registration rate! For more information, visit
ilaconference.org and also keep an eye out
for the May/June conference issue of Literacy
Today, which will be packed with everything
you need to know about this premier
conference for literacy professionals.
30 Under 30:
The Next Class
ILA is seeking nominations for the 2021 class of
its 30 Under 30 literacy leaders. Know a rising
leader in the field who’s changing the literacy
landscape, whether in their school, community,
or the world? Visit literacyworldwide.org
/30under30 to submit a nomination today.
Nominations must be made by June 1, 2020, to
be considered for the next list.
LITERACY TODAY | March/April 2020 | literacyworldwide.org
Where We Stand
The following brief from ILA
is now available. Check out
literacyworldwide.org
/statements to download it and
see ILA’s entire collection of
briefs and position statements.
¡Ya Basta! con EGRA:
Humanizing International
Support for Literacy
Development, published in
February, urges the literacy
profession to resist the
practices found in EGRA
(formerly Early Grade Reading
Assessment and now Early
Grade Reading Activity) and
instead forge a path that
reframes literacy support based
on principles of human rights
and children’s rights to literacy.
Exploring ILA’s Standards 2017
Allison Swan Dagen and Rita M. Bean have edited a new edition of
Best Practices of Literacy Leaders: Keys to School Improvement. The
second edition is grounded in ILA’s Standards for the Preparation of
Literacy Professionals 2017 and best practices in literacy leadership.
Copublished by ILA and Guilford Press, this expanded edition
contains 70% new material covering research-based methods
for improving instruction, assessment, and professional learning
experiences in pre-K–12 education. The distinct roles of teachers,
reading/literacy specialists, literacy coaches, special educators, and
principals are explored, with an emphasis on fostering a culture of
collaboration. Chapters highlight the standards that apply to each
component of a schoolwide literacy program, give examples of
what they look like in schools, and share
implications for classroom practice and
professional learning.
Best Practices of Literacy Leaders: Keys to
School Improvement (2nd ed.)
Edited by Allison Swan Dagen and
Rita M. Bean
© 2020, copublished with Guilford Press
Nonmember Price: $40
Member Price: $30 (use promo code AFILA)
Find out more at guilford.com/ILA.
ICYMI: What’s Hot
Released in January, the ILA 2020 What’s Hot in Literacy Report examines the topics most critical
to shaping the future of literacy education—topics chosen by literacy professionals like you. To read
what 1,443 respondents from 65 countries and territories had to say about where our priorities
should be in the next decade, visit literacyworldwide.org/whatshot.
Part of my job as superintendent of a school district
in South Carolina, and one which I approach with
my heart as much as my head, is to serve as a
literacy leader for my teachers, their students, and
our shared community.
Our district’s stated mission—“Empowering
and inspiring all to be educated and informed”—is
rooted in a shared belief that we all are responsible
for developing in our students a love of and passion
for reading. This includes families, public librarians,
and local businesses.
To engage everyone in this mission, we
implemented a districtwide reading initiative that
facilitates active reading at every school, every
morning, for 30 minutes. This isn’t limited to students
and teachers; it applies to everyone who steps foot
into each building. We all know that to become better
readers, we must read. We know, too, that it’s key for
us to model good reading habits.
In addition to the guaranteed school time, we
foster literacy partnerships with families and caregivers
by asking them to commit to an additional 30 minutes
of active reading time at home every day. As a result,
our students are now able to focus on reading for at
least an hour each day.
Our daily practices, bookended by this
independent reading time, use routines to support
reading and writing instruction. We continue to ensure
that appropriate and varied instructional approaches,
including those that develop word recognition,
language comprehension, strategic knowledge, and
reading–writing connections, are being implemented.
Understanding the importance of using a wide range
of texts from traditional print, digital, and online
resources, our teachers and students are inspiring
each other in the process.
We complement this literacy learning with
community events, such as our popular Reading
Under the Stars celebration held on the field of a
football stadium each fall. It’s a potent combination
and one that has led to a new generation of
Empowering Students
Through Reading
ILA UPDATE
students with a love of reading and the resources
and support to inspire them to foster that love
throughout their lives.
I share this here to demonstrate how our
district is working to ensure ILA’s Children’s Rights
to Read initiative is realized. We are not alone in
these efforts, of course. Our chapters and affiliates
are achieving amazing results every day. On pages
22 and 38, you’ll find several examples of the
advocacy work being done and how teachers are
encouraging students to take ownership of the
campaign and stand up for their rights as well.
This marks the first of two Literacy Today
issues focused on reading; the second is slated for
later this year and will complement a special issue
of ILA’s prestigious Reading Research Quarterly
(RRQ) journal. Amanda Goodwin, coeditor of RRQ,
offers a sneak peek of what’s to come. On page
14, she looks at the current science of reading
debates in the context of 21st-century technology. I
encourage you to check out her thought-provoking
take on the impact social media is having on
educational policy.
There’s no doubt that some of the
conversations on what research does or does not
say about instruction are charged (and some are
downright contentious). No matter which beliefs
you subscribe to, I’d like you to think about why
they’re so impassioned.
As for me, I see this as evidence of how much
we care about helping our children become strong,
self-motivated readers. If there’s only one thing you
take away from this first
special issue on reading,
I hope it’s that.
Stephen G. Peters
Vice President of the Board
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literacyw
We Support,
Inspire,
Encourage.
LITERACY = POWER
Let’s Empower
Everyone, Everywhere!
s graduate students logged in to their online course for the first time in January,
they found an initial assignment from me, their professor, awaiting their
attention: a careful reading of and response to ILA’s latest What’s Hot in Literacy
Report, which had just been released.
These students, mostly working professional educators, are taking Current
Issues in Reading Research as part of their ongoing education at Slippery Rock
University in Slippery Rock, PA. Throughout the course, students engage in
a professional learning community—reading, interpreting, analyzing, and
applying current scholarly research about various topics in literacy education.
They end the semester by engaging in an action research project of their own to
address a problem of practice in their educational setting.
This type of professional learning community is something respondents
to the 2020 What’s Hot survey say they value; 61% of respondents—composed
of literacy educators, administrators, higher education professionals, and
consultants—state that they need additional time to collaborate or confer
with other teachers facing similar challenges. In addition, 89% cite staying
abreast of the latest literacy research as one of the primary responsibilities of
literacy educators, while 44% of respondents say they need more support in
this endeavor.
Each year in my course, I have students read ILA’s report as part of their
scholarly reading and as a form of continued professional development. One of my
requirements: craft a response to discuss in class and share their feedback with
ILA.
You don’t know what you don’t know
Having my students consider the What’s Hot report during their first course
assignment reframes their thinking about which issues in literacy education
deserve their current focus. The report pushes us to look outside of our
own classrooms, communities, and narrow lenses to contemplate what
stakeholders around the world are imploring us to consider—because we just
don’t know what we don’t know.
The report allows me to facilitate learning opportunities that are in line
with current “hot” and important topics in literacy education. For example,
we explore equity and opportunity (54% of literacy professionals in this year’s
survey said the topic deserves more attention) and access to high-quality,
diverse books and content (42% said more attention should be paid to this
topic) in our course readings, responses, and discussions. Other topics of
Using the ILA 2020 What’s Hot in Literacy Report to
frame our study of current issues in reading research
A GUIDE TO
PROFESSIONAL
GROWTH
By Elizabeth LaGamba
Elizabeth LaGamba
(elizabeth.lagamba@sru.edu),
an ILA member since 2014, is
an assistant professor in the
Department of Elementary/
Early Childhood Education at
Slippery Rock University in
Pennsylvania.
LITERACY
LEADERSHIP
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