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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literacyworldwide.org | September/October 2017 | LITERACY TODAY