EDITOR’S
NOTE
t can empower students to expand their
opportunities and their understanding of
the world and the people around them. It
can provide avenues for educators to truly
engage with families, and it can turn around
the entire culture of a school and set it on a
new path of academic achievement.
That is very much what this Back to
School issue is about. Literacy is the key to
personal, school, and community success,
and it needs to be embedded within every
aspect of a child’s education.
That might sound lofty, but it can
begin in simple ways. In our article
on page 8, it starts with challenging
preconceived notions and recognizing the
literacy-rich lives many of our students
are already living outside of school,
particularly during breaks. This can lead
to new ways to engage with families and
make them stronger advocates in their
child’s learning.
In the pages that follow, you’ll
gain ideas for cross-content literacy
connections, establishing a stronger
partnership with your school librarian,
and even setting rules and expectations
regarding classroom behavior without
taking any time away from your
instructional units. (Bonus: Picture books
are involved!)
In “Differentiated and Meaningful
Instruction” on page 18 and then our cover
story, “Building a Culture of Literacy,”
on page 20, we dig deeper into the idea of
literacy as the key. You’ll see examples of
how school culture is impacted when both
classroom teachers and school leaders
recognize literacy as the foundation of all
learning.
If the culture described doesn’t sound
like your school, ask yourself what you
can do to change that this year and start a
ripple effect that impacts the lives of the
students in your classroom and beyond.
Warmly,
LITERACY IS THE KEY
Colleen Patrice Clark
Managing Editor
cclark@reading.org
LITERACY TODAY | July/August 2017 | literacyworldwide.org