Celebrating
Literacy Leaders
• Meet David Wilkie and the rest
of our ILA award winners
• Embracing your role:
The changing scope of
literacy leadership
• Top 5 highlights
from Orlando
September/October 2017
Volume 35, Issue 2
LITERACY TODAY
Nominate up-and-coming literacy leaders—people who transform
the classroom, the community, or the world—for ILA’s next 30
Under 30 list, and help us share their dynamic stories.
TO FIND OUT HOW, VISIT:
literacyworldwide.org/30under30
30
30
UNDER
WHO IS THE FUTURE OF
LITERACY?
ILA WANTS TO KNOW:
Who are the INNOVATORS and
DISRUPTORS, the VISIONARIES
and MOTIVATORS who are
changing the face of literacy?
Contents
LITERACY TODAY
Volume 35, Issue 2
September/October 2017
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, Educator
and Advocate, Michigan; 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
2
EDITOR’S NOTE
4
LIT BITS
6
ILA UPDATE
ILA 2017
8
Our Orlando Five: Favorite Highlights From
ILA 2017
12
Refl ecting on a Literacy Educator’s
Responsibility to Be a Changemaker
LITERACY LEADERSHIP
14
Year in Review: Catching Up With Our 30 Under 30 Honorees
18
The PD Next Door: The Power of Observation in O ur Own Schools
20
One Middle School’s Journey to Create a Culture of Literacy
22
A Look at the Schoolwide Impact of Reading Specialists
24
Keys to Remember When It Comes to Being a Literacy Leader
COVER STORY
26
Celebrating Literacy Leaders: Shining the Spotlight on Our 2017 Award
Winners
THE ENGAGING CLASSROOM
30
What Every Teacher and Parent Should Know About Why Young Children
Need to Write
32
Using Multiple Methods to Energize Vocabulary Instruction
34
Transmedia, Politics, and Encouraging Youth Authorship Anywhere and
Anytime
THE ILA NETWORK
36
How One Community Is Helping Ensure Young Readers Have Access to
Quality Books at Home
GLOBAL IMPACT
38
Teaching a Pedagogy of Peace in Sri Lanka
40
EVENTS
42
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Celebrating
Literacy Leaders
26
ll educators are literacy leaders—and that’s
a core belief that ILA has long held and
promoted. You might not always realize it,
but whether you foster students’ growth in
the classroom, mentor your fellow teachers,
or lead from an administrative perspective,
you are leaders with extraordinary potential
to shape the next generation and to build
collaborative school cultures based on a
foundation of literacy.
In our last issue’s cover story, we dug
into the idea of how to build that foundation
and ensure that literacy connections
are prevalent among all teachers, across
content areas. This issue carries on that
theme, starting with “The PD Next Door”
on page 18, which examines what can
happen when teachers observe and learn
from each other. We also look at how one
middle school created a literacy committee
to empower teachers across disciplines to
work together in creating a literacy culture,
explore the increasingly valued leadership
role of reading specialists, and detail how
elementary school principals are uniquely
positioned to ensure quality literacy
instruction is present in every classroom.
And with each article—including
“Celebrating Literacy Leaders,” our awards
cover story on page 26—we come back to
the idea of recognizing all educators as
literacy leaders. Read about our ILA 2017
award recipients, from rising stars to long-
standing legends, and help us celebrate their
incredible contributions to the field. They
represent just a sampling of the amazing
work being done to advance literacy
worldwide, and we thank them—and you.
Warmly,
A MOST DESERVING
RECOGNITION
Colleen Patrice Clark
Managing Editor
cclark@reading.org
EDITOR’S
NOTE
Consider Children’s Choices,
Teachers’ Choices, and
Young Adults’ Choices for
curriculum planning and
summer reading.
ILA Gives
You Choices!
Looking for a good book? Check
out the 2017 Choices Reading
Lists—vetted by students and
teachers themselves.
See all the lists at literacyworldwide.org/choices
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LIT BITS
ILA Hosts Local Literacy
Thought-Exchange
ILA convened a group of
Delaware and Maryland
school administrators
and educators during
their summer break to
have a frank discussion
about what their needs
are when it comes to
creating a culture of
literacy. The conversation
focused largely on
insuffi cient funding,
staffi ng, and resources
as well as barriers to
reaching students
and an overreliance
on standardized test
scores. To read our
blog coverage, visit
literacyworldwide.org/
thought-exchange.
Too Important to Miss
Investigative reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones led a diverse panel at the ILA
2017 Conference & Exhibits in a discussion on racism, implicit bias, and the
importance of literacy for driving social change. If you missed this powerful
session, you can read blog coverage at literacyworldwide.org/ILA17panel,
or view the entire recorded discussion on our Facebook page at facebook
.com/InternationalLiteracyAssociation/videos.
ILA’s Missouri State Council and
St. Louis Suburban Council, through
our Read, Eat, and Discover (READ)
partnership with the National Title I
Association, donated 1,000 books
to the students at the Leyendo con
la Familia summer program at
Confluence Academy, a charter
school in Missouri. Many
parents walk their children to
the school, where breakfast
is served. On this morning,
parents were invited to
stay and read to their
children.
the ILA
s, and the
s powerful
LA17panel,
acebook
and
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ks
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Read, Eat, and
Discover
LITERACY TODAY | September/October 2017 | literacyworldwide.org
Where We Stand
ILA’s latest literacy leadership brief,
Overcoming the Digital Divide:
Four Critical Steps, was released in
August. The piece explores the limits
of a digitally driven future when such a
large usage and knowledge gap exists
between the “haves and have-nots,” and
it off ers actionable steps that can be
taken to advance equity for all. Another
brief will be released later this
month. Early Literacy Learning
for Immigrant and Refugee
Children: Parents’ Critical
Roles will examine cultural
models of learning and
why it’s important
to maintain a fi rst
language as EL students
learn to read and write.
Download them both at
literacyworldwide.org/
position-statements.
Wanted: Rising Literacy Stars
Titles With a Hook
We were recently asked on Twitter for YA book
recommendations, particularly ones that would interest
male readers. We put the question to our Twitter followers
and received a fantastic list. Here is just a sample:
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and
Brendan Kiely (Atheneum)
The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow
(Balzer & Bray)
Bone Gap by Laura Ruby (Balzer & Bray)
Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman
(HarperTeen)
Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan
Sonnenblick (Scholastic)
Forged by Fire by Sharon M. Draper (Simon Pulse)
It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini (Miramax)
The Last Exit to Normal by Michael Harmon
(Laurel Leaf)
Miles Morales: Spider-Man by Jason Reynolds
(Marvel)
Miracle’s Boys by Jacqueline Woodson (Speak)
On the Edge of Survival by Spike Walker
(St. Martin’s Press)
Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt (HMH)
(Also a 2016 ILA Young Adults’ Choices selection)
Pax by Sara Pennypacker (Balzer & Bray)
The Seeds of America Trilogy by Laurie Halse Anderson
(Atheneum)
The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner (Ember)
(Also a 2017 ILA Young Adults’ Choices selection)
Solo by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess
(Blink)
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
(Mariner)
The Unwind Dystology by Neal Shusterman
(Simon & Schuster)
Wilder Boys by Brandon Wallace (Aladdin)
Winger by Andrew Smith (Simon & Schuster)
Be sure to follow @ILAToday so you don’t miss out on the
resources shared every day.
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. In the meantime, read about
what some of last year’s honorees have been up to on page 14.
Four Critical Ste
August. The piece
of a digitally driven f
large usage and kno
between the “haves a
it off ers actionabl
taken to advance eq
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It’s been nearly three years since the International
Reading Association became the International
Literacy Association (ILA), but the transition
continues. As part of our commitment to growing
and strengthening the organization, we have been
examining every offering and activity to ensure it is
of the highest quality, greatest value, and maximum
impact.
And that is why, at the recent ILA 2017
Conference & Exhibits, ILA Board members and
staff met to discuss important changes to the
entire ILA Literacy Leaders Awards program. These
awards—some of which have been given out for
the past 40-plus years—are one way for ILA to
honor the work of our members, dedicated literacy
professionals making significant contributions in the
classroom, community, and field.
Decisions were made at the ILA 2017 meeting,
but the work of reinvigorating the awards program
began several months ago.
A dedicated task force, chaired by P. David
Pearson, took a long, hard look at the existing
recognition opportunities, of which there were
nearly 30. Did they reflect our mission? Did they
shine a light on the full spectrum of literacy
professionals? Did they provide the kind of visibility
that will allow us to achieve our goal of elevating
the teaching profession?
One of the task force’s responsibilities was to
see if there were any awards that were no longer
serving our community or attracting great enough
interest from applicants. In some cases, this led to
discontinuing an award or combining two awards
into one. Some names and descriptions were
edited to best reflect the intent of an honor.
Next, we began drafting a list of what we
thought was missing from the program. We talked
about ways to increase member engagement
in the process. We identified new avenues for
recognizing our membership at the highest level of
professionalism.
Elevating the Profession
ILA UPDATE
You’ll see the fruits of these efforts in this year’s
slate of awards, the nominations for which opened
in August, at literacyworldwide.org/about-us/
awards-grants. In our cover story on page 26,
you’ll also meet David Wilkie, the first-ever recipient
of the Corwin Literacy Leader Award presented by
ILA, and learn about the work he does as principal
of McVey Elementary School in Newark, DE.
I’m proud of the work we’ve done and continue
to do. A more focused awards program—one that
accurately reflects the mission of ILA—allows us to
raise the visibility of ILA award winners. Our hope
is that by sharing their work through increased
efforts, we will reach a wider audience and, in turn,
help inform and inspire a greater number of literacy
champions.
Revamping the ILA Literacy Leaders Awards
program is but one important step the organization
is taking to enhance opportunities for professional
recognition. In the coming months, you’ll learn
more about some additional initiatives that are
equally exciting.
As always, we appreciate your feedback. So
don’t hesitate to send us your thoughts!
Douglas Fisher
President of the Board
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ILA 2017
Favorite highlights from ILA 2017—or, some of the
best of what you may have missed!
f you couldn’t join us for the ILA 2017
Conference & Exhibits, we hope you
followed along on Twitter, where the
chatter, excitement, and sharing of
knowledge and resources was nonstop
during that third weekend in July.
Get caught up by checking out the
#ILA17 hashtag, and be sure to view
the provocative discussion from our
equity in education panel—Disrupting a
Destructive Cycle: How Literacy Drives
Social Change—which can be found on
our Facebook video section (facebook
.com/InternationalLiteracy
Association/videos).
In the meantime, check out some
of the photos that stood out to us
when it comes to representing the ILA
experience and what you might have
missed. (And mark your calendars
now for the ILA 2018 Conference &
Exhibits, July 21–23, in Austin, TX!)
The learning, reimagining,
and questioning
Author Arree Chung during the Primary Author Meetup
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