Behind the
Scenes
• Creating the ILA conference
• ILA 2019 General Session speakers
Chelsea Clinton, Pedro Noguera,
Renée Watson, and Hamish Brewer
• Keys to a culture of literacy
July/August 2019
Volume 37, Issue 1
LITERACY TODAY
Contents
LITERACY TODAY
Volume 37, Issue 1
July/August 2019
EDITORIAL STAFF
Managing Editor Colleen Patrice Clark
Editors Christina Lambert & Alina O’Donnell
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, Marion
P. Thomas 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,
DE 19714-8139, USA. CANADIAN GST:
Registration number R-129785523. Publications
Mail Agreement No. 40033039. Return
undeliverable Canadian addresses to PO Box
503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill,
ON, L4B 4R6.
CONTACT US
CUSTOMER SERVICE
800.336.7323
customerservice@reading.org
EDITORIAL
800.336.7323 x 446
literacytoday@reading.org
Write to Literacy Today, PO Box 8139, Newark,
DE 19714-8139, USA.
MAILING LIST RENTALS
ILA rents mailing lists only to groups approved
by the Association. Members can have
their names removed from lists rented by
writing to ILA Customer Service or emailing
customerservice@reading.org.
© International Literacy Association
2
EDITOR’S NOTE
4
LIT BITS
6
ILA UPDATE
LITERACY LEADERSHIP
8
Keys to a Culture of Literacy: Equity, Access,
Relevance, and Joyful Interaction
Online Exclusive: Beyond Teachers and
Principals: Creating Districtwide Eff ective
Literacy Programs, by Mark Weakland and
Carrie Zales
RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE
10
Decoding Digital Literacy: Developing 21st-Century Skills for Today’s Learners
ILA 2019
12
Creating a Culture of Literacy: The ILA 2019 Conference Preview
16
Behind the Scenes: Creating Your Conference Experience
20
Chelsea Clinton: In Her Own Words
24
Sound Bytes From Pedro Noguera
28
Fortifi ed Through Words: Renée Watson on Owning Our Stories
32
One More Round With Hamish Brewer
36
The ILA 2019 Research Address
THE ENGAGING CLASSROOM
38
The Power of the Classroom Library: Why Every Classroom Needs This Well-
Curated Resource for Students
40
Disrupting Your Texts: Why Simply Including Diverse Voices Is Not Enough
42
Literacy and Democracy: Engaging Readers, Nudging Humanity
Online Exclusive: STEM Collaboratory: Grounding STEM Lessons in Literacy
and Literature, by Denise Frazier
THE ILA NETWORK
46
Sharing Successes in the Keystone State: Inspiring Literacy Initiatives Across
Pennsylvania
48
EVENTS
50
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
16
Behind the Scenes
On the cover:
Adora Svitak on the screen
during the ILA 2016
General Session
Colleen Patrice Clark
Managing Editor
cclark@reading.org
EDITOR’S
NOTE
o me, the next best thing to attending the
ILA conference, as an ILA staff member,
is putting together the conference issue of
Literacy Today.
Attending conference is an amazing
experience. It’s when we get to interact
with our members face to face and see
the hard work of our programming and
meetings and events teams come to
fruition. Speaking of which, check out
page 16 for our behind-the-scenes feature
on just how much preparation goes into
creating the conference.
What I love about this issue, though,
is that it’s when the countdown really
begins. It’s when I learn more about our
speakers and their powerful words that lie
ahead.
The features on this year’s General
Session speakers will get you excited
about their message too. Starting with
author and early literacy advocate
Chelsea Clinton on page 20, you’ll find
her thoughts on how words empower the
next generation to take action. On page
24, you’ll get a peek at researcher and
equity advocate Pedro Noguera’s Twitter
presence. If he can inspire change and
legions of followers in 280 characters or
fewer, just imagine what his keynote will
be like.
On page 28, you’ll hear from author
Renée Watson, as she shares a personal
account of how coming to understand
the power of her own words changed
her life. And, finally, on page 32, you’ll
meet Hamish Brewer, an award-winning
principal whose philosophy comes down
to one word: relentless.
Take in their words, and get ready
to join us in New Orleans where there
are 500+ speakers who have important
messages to share. Get inspired, be sure to
network, and don’t be afraid to share your
own ideas. Remember: Your words have
power too.
Warmly,
THE POWER OF WORDS
The International Literacy Association invites applications from qualified
members for the position of editors of The Reading Teacher (RT). This prestigious
editorship functions as a two-person team of either two coeditors or one editor
with one associate editor. These volunteer positions have a term of 6 years: The
first year overlaps with the current editorial team, and the subsequent years
constitute the volumes for which the new editors provide material.
Editor search open: August 1, 2019
Application deadline: October 15, 2019
Term: June 1, 2020, to May 31, 2026
Volumes: 75 through 79, publishing July 2021 through May 2026
RT is the leading peer-reviewed journal for educators of literacy learners up to age 12. Its special
emphasis is primary and elementary classroom instruction, and its readership consists of school-based
educators, university researchers and scholars, literacy consultants, administrators, and policymakers.
Qualified applicants must be recognized experts in the field of literacy education of learners in this age
group and in professional development of pre- and inservice teachers; they must also demonstrate a
commitment to translating sound research to practice.
For further information and application instructions, visit www.literacyworldwide.org/rt-call.
Editor Search Open for
The Reading Teacher
2
literacyworldwide.org | July/August 2019 | LITERACY TODAY
4
literacyworldwide.org | July/August 2019 | LITERACY TODAY
LIT BITS
The Results Are In
ILA is pleased to announce the newly elected
members of the ILA Board of Directors,
including our new vice president, Stephen
Peters, superintendent of Laurens County
School District 55 in South Carolina.
Our three new Board members-at-large are:
Kia Brown-Dudley, director of literacy and
development, The Education Partners,
New York
Rachael Gabriel, associate professor of literacy
education, University of Connecticut, Storrs
Laurie Sharp, associate professor and
assistant dean of Undergraduate Studies for
First- and Second-Year Experience at Tarleton
State University, Texas
Their terms run from 2019–2022.
To learn more about our newly elected
leaders, visit our interview series at
literacyworldwide.org/2019board.
Peters
Brown-Dudley
Gabriel
Sharp
ILA recently signed onto a letter, organized by the
Association of American Educators Foundation, sent to
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and leaders in
Congress addressing the lack of teacher diversity in U.S.
classrooms. The letter reports that 53% of public school
students are children of color, whereas only 18% of
teachers identify as a person of color. Studies show this
disparity causes overall lower achievement, especially
among at-risk students and students of color. The letter
states, “We believe that increasing teacher diversity
elevates the teaching profession and improves the lives
and outcomes of all students,” and calls on all parties to
play a role in addressing the problem. View the letter a nd
lend your support at aaeteachers.org/diversity.
ILA Joins 75
Organizations
Calling for
Greater
Teacher
Diversity
LITERACY TODAY | July/August 2019 | literacyworldwide.org
Where We Stand
The following literacy leadership briefs from
ILA are now available or will be published soon.
Check out literacyworldwide.org/statements
for these new pieces:
Published in June, Principals as Literacy Leaders
presents a framework, consisting of challenge,
clarity, and feedback and their related indicators,
that principals can employ to “ensure equitable
practices that nurture students’ self-efficacy and
lead to comparable academic
outcomes.”
Meeting the Challenges
of Early Literacy Phonics
Instruction, which will be
published in July, describes
key characteristics of effective
phonics instruction as well as
common obstacles related
to instruction and how to
overcome them.
Advocating for
Children’s Rights to Read
In May, ILA published an advocacy manual to
guide literacy partners in protecting the right to
read. The manual is an extension of ILA’s Children’s
Rights to Read campaign, which launched with
the goal of ensuring every child, everywhere,
has access to the education, opportunities, and
resources needed to read. Categorized into five
audiences (teachers and
reading/literacy specialists,
administrators, librarians,
families and caregivers,
and policymakers), the
manual includes targeted
action items for each
audience and concrete
next steps they can take.
Download the advocacy
manual at rightstoread.org/
takeaction.
With great sadness we announce the passing of
Alan N. Crawford, emeritus professor of education
at California State University, Los Angeles.
Crawford leaves behind a long legacy
of championing best practices in literacy
instruction, especially for English learners. A
longtime member of ILA, he served as president
of the California Reading Association from
1986 to 1987, as a representative of the
International Reading Association (IRA)
to UNESCO for many years, and on
the editorial review board of Lectura
y Vida, IRA’s former Spanish-
language journal.
In 2018, Crawford and his
colleague, Charles Temple,
were awarded the ILA Constance
McCullough International Research
Grant. The two used the funds to launch
the Reading-Krio project, an effort to promote
native language literacy instruction in Sierra Leone.
Working with local authors, they translated more
than 20 books into Krio, the local language.
They were also developing a training program to
prepare first-grade teachers to teach beginning
reading in Krio and other local languages.
Through his work, Crawford hoped to
strengthen collaboration between ILA and other
global literacy institutions.
“He deeply cared that ILA be international and
that it be a real two-way street,” Temple says.
“There really are things you learn about
literacy and about teaching when you
travel to other countries.”
Temple will most remember
Crawford’s dry, understated sense
of humor and the kindness he
extended to everyone he met.
“He was not the one to put
himself forward, but he was just
genuine and kind. If a group of us went
to some foreign place, he was the one who
made a personal connection with everyone in the
room,” Temple says. “I don’t know how he did it,
but he did.”
Remembering Alan Crawford
rners. A
as president
n from
the
RA)
nch
global literacy
“He deeply
that it be
“The
lit
hi
genu
In my current work, I have been focused on
engagement and how we, as teachers, can engage
with students, families, and communities. John
T. Guthrie describes in part that engagement is “a
merger of motivation and thoughtfulness.”
Teachers are essential to student engagement
that ignites thoughtfulness and motivation. In
designing lessons, we draw upon the curriculum
and examine the world around us as we observe
our students’ needs and interests. Gay Ivey and
Peter H. Johnston link student engagement
with learning that is relevant, allows choice,
and incorporates time to talk with fellow
students. Opportunities to engage in learning
that appropriately and steadily builds upon each
subsequent task flourish through success
and praise.
So how might we extend this engagement
from the classroom environment into the family
setting? Let me share one example.
I recently received Bao Phi’s book A Different
Pond (Capstone Young Readers) as a gift. The
text tells the story of a fishing trip between a
dad and his son. But it’s more than a fishing tale.
The themes link to understanding diversity of
others and their cultures, the economy of living in
America and its impact on families, and the power
of story that bonds our history to the present. All of
this is wrapped into the simple richness of family.
Here’s a book that can be shared as a read-aloud
in the early grades but thematically extended to
jump-start discussion among older students. War,
culture, survival in a new country. Relevant topics,
certainly. Family connections, definitely.
As a teacher, I can also use A Different Pond
to create student-engaged investigations into the
current cost of living, the impact of war upon
families, and the difficulties of relocating from
On Student and Family
Engagement
ILA UPDATE
one country to another. As for the power of story,
students may interview older family members to
learn about their struggles and joys growing up.
Simple stories can tell about connections that span
across generations. My instructional interest also
extends into the stories my students might one
day tell their own children about simple life lessons
presently experienced.
For additional professional development
information, I encourage you to access ILA
position statements, briefs, and papers from
our website, literacyworldwide.org, under Get
Resources. I particularly recommend the following:
Engagement and Adolescent Literacy (2019)
Expanding the Canon: How Diverse Literature
Can Transform Literacy Learning (2018)
The Power and Promise of Read-Alouds and
Independent Reading (2018)
Characteristics of Culturally Sustaining and
Academically Rigorous Classrooms (2017)
Don’t forget to also visit ilaconference.org
for registration information about our ILA 2019
Conference, Oct. 10–13, in New Orleans, LA,
featuring keynote speakers Chelsea Clinton, Pedro
Noguera, Renée Watson, and Hamish Brewer.
I look forward to seeing you in New Orleans!
Kathy N. Headley
President of the Board
6
literacyworldwide.org | July/August 2019 | LITERACY TODAY
� Children’s Choices
� Young Adults’ Choices
� Teachers’ Choices
ILA Gives
You Choices!
Looking for a good book? Check
out the 2019 Choices Reading
Lists—vetted by students and
teachers themselves:
Become an ILA Choices team leader!
For project details and to access all three lists, visit
literacyworldwide.org/choices
ducators are often asked, “How do we build a strong culture of literacy?” Within a
secondary setting, this question is particularly complicated to answer. Middle and
high school students are bombarded daily with a myriad of entertainment options,
literally right in the palm of their hand. Literacy leaders and teachers often face
disinterested, distracted, and dormant readers.
By the time students get to secondary school, the focus has shifted. Our
culture is vastly and necessarily different from that of elementary schools, and
we must build a culture of literacy differently—with an eye toward adult literacy
demands. We know this: Secondary school administrators rarely spend hours on
a roof in the cold waving to gleeful high school students or reluctantly kiss a pig
because their middle-level students reach a reading goal.
A lasting culture of literacy isn’t created with contests and rewards and it isn’t
measured in test scores. It’s about equity, access, relevance, and joyful interaction.
It’s about an enthusiasm and a commitment by all staff—not just the English
language arts (ELA) teachers—to ensure that all students have a text in their
hands they are excited to read. Staff must value student choice as well as believe in
the power of reading beyond the traditional, one-size-fits-all definition.
A culture of literacy means students see themselves as readers, which means
students must do the following:
See themselves in texts
Culturally relevant and inclusive texts are essential—or nothing else matters.
Students need to see themselves, and their own culture, reflected in the texts they
are assigned across the curriculum. Time and space must be dedicated to students
thinking of themselves as readers and writers of social studies, mathematics,
science, health, and world languages. Students should have frequent opportunities
to experience other perspectives, and they should be encouraged to build bridges
between worlds. They should have a say in what has relevance in their classrooms.
See relevance and authenticity
When embracing and celebrating a culture of literacy, students read and write
these relevant texts for authentic reasons. Students witness literacy as necessary
and valuable in the lives of adults. Staff must embrace and value student choice as
well as believe in the transformative power of reading.
In a school with a strong commitment to literacy, teachers rarely spend
time telling students the key points in a text through a lecture. Instead,
students read the text themselves, perhaps multiple times. Excerpts of crucial
Equity, access, relevance, and joyful interaction
KEYS TO A CULTURE
OF LITERACY
By Julie Scullen
Julie Scullen
(jscullen1@me.com), an
ILA member since 1990,
is a teaching and learning
specialist for secondary
reading in the Anoka-Hennepin
School District in Minnesota,
working with teachers of
all content areas to foster
literacy achievement. She
teaches graduate courses
at Hamline University in St.
Paul in literacy leadership
and coaching, disciplinary
literacy, critical literacy, and
reading assessment and
evaluation.
LITERACY
LEADERSHIP
8
literacyworldwide.org | July/August 2019 | LITERACY TODAY