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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literacyworldwide.org | September/October 2017 | LITERACY TODAY