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