What’s Hot in
Literacy 2018
• You weigh in on what really
matters
• Impact of classroom design on
literacy learning
• Normalizing classroom
conversations about race and
racism
January/February 2018
Volume 35, Issue 4
LITERACY TODAY
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Contents
LITERACY TODAY
Volume 35, Issue 4
January/February 2018
EDITORIAL STAFF
Managing Editor Colleen Patrice Clark
Editors Christina Lambert & Alina O’Donnell
ILA LEADERSHIP
Executive Director Marcie Craig Post
Associate Executive Director Stephen Sye
2017–2018 BOARD MEMBERS
Douglas Fisher, San Diego State University,
President; Bernadette Dwyer, Dublin City
University, Vice President; William Teale,
University of Illinois at Chicago, Immediate Past
President; Gwynne Ash, Texas State University;
Catherine Collier, Chesapeake Public Schools;
Beverley E. Harris, Mico University College,
University of the West Indies; Rachel Karchmer-
Klein, University of Delaware; Stephanie Laird,
Southeast Polk Community School District;
Susan Paasch, Sauk Rapids Public School
District; Stephen Peters, Laurens County
School District 55; Julia Reynolds, Allendale
Public Schools; Jennifer Williams, Calliope
Global Education Initiatives
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 e-mailing
customerservice@reading.org.
© International Literacy Association
3
EDITOR’S NOTE
4
LIT BITS
6
ILA UPDATE
LITERACY LEADERSHIP
8
ILA’s Literacy Research Panel Redirects
the Literacy Conversation
10
Launching the Read to Be Ready Coaching
Network
12
Democratic Stewardship and the Digital Divide
14
Opening Doors for Incarcerated Students Through Literacy
16
Professional Learning Mechanisms for Stronger Disciplinary Literacy
Instruction
18
MSQI Framework: Strong Leadership Meets Collaborative Culture
THE ENGAGING CLASSROOM
30
Fostering a Culture of Racial Justice Work
32
Modeling Metacognitive Process Using Think-Aloud
34
Renewing Hope With English Literacies
36
Designing Literacy-Rich Learning Spaces
38
Improving Students’ Disciplinary Reading Motivation
40
Literature Circles 2.0: Book Clubs in the Digital Age
THE ILA NETWORK
44
Eliminating a Community Book Desert T hrough Greater Access to Books
GLOBAL IMPACT
46
Cultivating Home Languages in the Classroom
48
EVENTS
50
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
What’s Hot in
Literacy 2018
22
anuary marks the release of our 2018
What’s Hot in Literacy Report, which polls
literacy professionals around the world to
identify what topics in literacy education
are hot and what topics are important.
This feedback guides ILA’s direction for
the years ahead. By identifying wide gaps
between what educators consider the most
pressing topics and those garnering the
most attention, we can shift our focus onto
the issues that matter most.
If we’ve learned anything from this
year’s report, it’s that we need to be paying
more attention to equity issues. Comments
from last year’s survey inspired us to
broaden the topic of equity to account for
more factors—academic proficiency,
geographic remoteness, socioeconomic
status, gender identity, and more. In addition
to the overarching issue of Equity in Literacy
Education, we asked respondents about
Mother Tongue Literacy, Access to Books
and Content, and Diversity. Together, three
of the four equity-related topics have the
largest gaps. The stories featured in Literacy
Today bring depth and perspective to these
issues.
We’ll hear from educators who are
serving as equity advocates—a literacy
specialist working with struggling readers
in a juvenile hall (page 14), a teacher who
started a Race Matters Committee to
promote anti-bias education in her district
(page 30), and educational consultants
promoting bilingual education for
rural indigenous children in Guatemala
and the United States (page 46). We talk
about democracy in the context of the
digital divide (page 12), language privilege
(page 34), book deserts (page 44), and
more.
Dive into the results of this year’s
What’s Hot survey on page 22, and be
sure to download the full report at
literacyworldwide.org/whatshot.
Warmly,
WHAT MATTERS MOST
Colleen Patrice Clark
Managing Editor
cclark@reading.org
EDITOR’S
NOTE
ILA WEST 2018
San Diego, CA | March 16–17
Literacy: A Pathway to Equity
Register Now!
literacyworldwide.org/ilawest2018
A Special Two-Day PD Event!
Learn how you can close achievement
gaps for minority and low-income
students through literacy education.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Stephen Peters
Glenn Singleton
Valerie Ooka Pang
LITERACY TODAY | January/February 2018 | literacyworldwide.org
4
literacyworldwide.org | January/February 2018 | LITERACY TODAY
LIT BITS
Supporting Bilingual Education
In October, the Cultural Services of the French
Embassy announced the inauguration of the
French Dual Language Fund. Initiated by President
Emmanuel Macron of the Republic of France,
the program will direct $2 million to French dual
language and immersion programs in U.S. public
schools between 2017 and 2022. In his speech,
President Macron underlined the importance of
bilingualism in our increasingly globalized world
as a means to bring people closer together and to
help us understand one another. More information
is available at face-foundation.org/french-dual-
language-fund.
To learn more about the value of bilingual
education and multicultural learning environments,
read ILA’s recent briefs Early Literacy Learning
for Immigrant and Refugee Children and
Second-Language Learners’ Vocabulary and
Oral Language Development, both available at
literacyworldwide.org/position-statements.
Rebuilding Libraries in Houston, TX
Organized by library media/instructional technology specialist Jennifer Gossen and reading
interventionist Laura Devine, Hemlock Elementary School in DePere, WI, hosted a book drive to
help rebuild home and school libraries affected by Hurricane Harvey. The staff partnered with
Books Between Kids, a nonprofit that provides books to at-risk youth in the Houston area, to
collect and send more than 7,000 books to local students and schools.
LITERACY TODAY | January/February 2018 | literacyworldwide.org
Who Is the Future
of Literacy?
The nomination period
for our next 30 Under
30 list is open! Help
us show the world
who our future literacy
leaders are by submitting
a nomination at
literacyworldwide
.org/30under30.
Nominations must be
received by June 1, 2018.
Released in December, ILA’s latest
brief, Content Area and Disciplinary
Literacy: Strategies and Frameworks,
explores content area literacy and
disciplinary literacy as two approaches
to literacy instruction. Another recent
brief, The Roles of Standardized
Reading Tests in Schools, explores
the roles, uses, and caveats of
standardized reading tests to assess
student achievement, evaluate
programs, create educational policy,
and more. Download them both at
literacyworldwide.org/position-
statements.
Where
We Stand
ILA Cosponsors Briefing on Literacy
Leadership
In November, ILA and the National Association of Secondary School Principals
(NASSP) joined forces to deliver a briefing on “Improving Student Literacy:
Leadership Needed at Every Level” at the Russell Senate Office Building in
Washington, DC, with Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) providing a keynote speech. To
read our blog coverage, visit literacyworldwide.org/dcbriefing.
Join Us for ILA West 2018
Join us March 16–17, 2018, in San Diego, CA, for a
two-day event that is specifically designed to help
practitioners and professionals like you. Our theme,
“Literacy: A Pathway to Equity,” explores how literacy
can transform lives, level the playing field, and drive
positive school developments. Through hands-on
workshops and cutting-edge research, attendees will
leave with “use-this-tomorrow” teaching strategies;
action steps to address curriculum, assessment, and
instruction; an expanded professional network; and
more. Visit literacyworldwide.org/ilawest for more
information.
The release of the What’s Hot survey results heralds
the beginning of a new and exciting year for the
International Literacy Association (ILA) (see page 22).
This year, 2,097 literacy professionals across
91 countries and territories responded to the
survey. Such a comprehensive survey reflects the
role a professional organization like ILA can play
in foregrounding important issues in literacy—
thereby influencing research, classroom practice,
professional development, and policy.
Moreover, the survey amplifies the voices
of literacy professionals; permits the literacy
community to pause, consider, and debate
emerging trends; and provides a road map of
important topics in literacy in 2018.
This year’s results suggest that we do indeed live
in a global village. Despite geographical, linguistic,
cultural, and political differences, what emerges
from the survey is the interconnected nature of
the world and the common concerns that are
exercising us all in the field of literacy. This year,
respondents said Early Literacy, Equity in Literacy
Education, and Teacher Preparation are the three
most pressing issues in literacy education today.
It is notable that Early Literacy is deemed the No.
1 most important topic in the United States and No.
3 internationally. Today’s children are growing up in a
highly connected and multimodal world. There is an
increasing awareness of the role that effective literacy
pedagogies and positive early literacy experiences
can play in shaping a child’s holistic development.
The transnational movement of people, the critical
role of parents, and the need to enhance awareness
of cultural differences in classrooms is reflected in the
Literacy Research Panel’s (LRP) recent briefs, including
Early Literacy Learning for Immigrant and Refugee
Children: Parents’ Critical Roles and Characteristics
ILA: Finger on the Pulse of
Literacy
ILA UPDATE
of Culturally Sustaining and Academically Rigorous
Classrooms (see page 8 for more on the LRP’s work).
Equity in Literacy Education and Teacher
Preparation were both ranked significantly more
important than hot, which suggests that these
issues deserve more attention in the literacy
community’s research and policy work. ILA will
tackle both topics—advancing teacher quality
and equity initiatives simultaneously—at ILA West
2018, to be held in San Diego, CA, March 16–17.
With the theme “Literacy: A Pathway to Equity,”
dynamic keynote speakers and innovators in the
field of literacy will reflect on research-based best
practices for closing the gap for marginalized
populations and inspire teachers and coaches,
early childhood educators, and administrators to
become passionate and knowledgeable advocates
for literacy in their communities. Registration is
open now. Learn more at literacyworldwide.org/
ilawest.
The feedback garnered by the What’s Hot
survey will guide the direction of ILA’s future
research, professional development, and
programming. So, as we welcome 2018, let us
celebrate what we have achieved and insist that
we “forever begin” to revitalize our resolve to work
proactively to advance literacy for all.
Bernadette Dwyer
Vice President of the Board
6
literacyworldwide.org | January/February 2018 | LITERACY TODAY
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FRESH IDEAS
for Your
Literacy Instruction
eveloped by Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw in 1972, agenda-setting theory
describes the ability of the news media to influence how much importance we
attach to an issue. The more coverage a topic receives, the more salient it becomes.
In this way, the priorities of the media strongly influence the priorities of the
public.
Today’s media landscape is a lot more developed than it was 50-plus years
ago—traditional media giants are now competing with citizen journalists,
bloggers, and Facebook and Twitter users. With so many modes of production,
how can we be sure that we’re getting the content that best serves us?
January marks the release of ILA’s What’s Hot in Literacy report (see
page 22 for full details). Based on responses from more than 2,000 education
professionals, nonprofit leaders, and government representatives in 91 countries
How ILA’s Literacy Research Panel is redirecting
conversations around literacy
MINDING THE GAPS
By Alina O’Donnell
Alina O’Donnell
(aodonnell@reading.org)
is the communications
strategist at ILA and the
editor of ILA’s blog, Literacy
Daily.
LITERACY
LEADERSHIP
8
literacyworldwide.org | January/February 2018 | LITERACY TODAY