Literacy Today March/April 2019

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Colleen Patrice Clark

Managing Editor

cclark@reading.org

EDITOR’S

NOTE

love when I come across a great quote as

we’re putting each issue of the magazine

together that encapsulates the issue’s

theme. With this issue, which focuses on

family and community engagement, the

quote that stood out to me comes from

Paul Emerich France, who wrote our cover

story on community partnerships:

“By intentionally forging partnerships

with the community, we grant our

students opportunities to not only fulfill

[the] basic need for human connection

and camaraderie, but also grant them

the opportunity to better their literacy

skills through real-world experiences that

convey the importance, relevance, and

authenticity of learning to read and write.”

That authenticity is key. By engaging

both families and communities, we

can provide the real-world learning

experiences needed to create 21st-century

learners. And how much more real can you

get than learning from and with students’

families, or learning from and with

students’ communities?

When we do this, we bring a wealth of

knowledge about students’ backgrounds,

cultures, interests, and challenges into the

classroom, in addition to knowledge about

the communities they call home. This can

be just what’s needed to create a curriculum

built on relevance and authenticity, one in

which students understand their role in the

community beyond the classroom and see

the impact they can make in the world.

I hope this issue will get you thinking

about new ways to enhance your engagement

practices. And as always, don’t forget

to share what you’re doing by emailing

literacytoday@reading.org or tweeting

@ILAToday. We’d love to hear from you!

Warmly,

BEYOND

SCHOOL WALLS

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literacyworldwide.org | March/April 2019 | LITERACY TODAY

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