EDITOR’S
NOTE
Colleen Patrice Clark
Managing Editor
cclark@reading.org
s we welcome 2017, we also usher in a new
What’s Hot in Literacy survey, which we have
published for 20 years to gauge the topics in
literacy that are trending as well as the topics
that should be and shouldn’t be trending.
The results have traditionally been used to
foster relevant professional development,
timely research, and conversations in teacher
education programs.
While preparing for this relaunch—
which expanded the survey from 20–25
respondents to more than 1,500—I went
hunting through the archives to find past
editions of What’s Hot to see how the topics
have changed. They have—from balanced
reading and phonemic awareness topping
the charts in the ’90s to new literacies and
literacy coaching in the last decade—but
there were other archive highlights that
stood out as I flipped through what was our
member newspaper at the time. There were
pieces on the value of encyclopedias, changing
standards and regulations, and a gem from
1997 announcing our plans to launch a
website. “The possibilities are endless,” it
proudly proclaimed.
I got a side-by-side look—my fingers
becoming more ink stained with each page—at
how trending topics in literacy and the ways
we communicate and view our world have
evolved simultaneously. This evolution won’t
be slowing down, which makes it important for
us to continue the What’s Hot survey.
It’s why, although the methodology has
changed, the purpose remains the same: Take
the temperature of the literacy dialogue, note
the trends, and help drive conversations in the
directions they are most needed.
As you’ll see in this year’s results, there
are quite a few gaps between what’s trending
and what’s truly important, which leads us to
a series of issues that need to be elevated in
the current literacy landscape.
Dive into those issues with us on page 18,
and be sure to download the full What’s Hot in
Literacy Report—also a new component this
year—at literacyworldwide.org/whatshot.
Warmly,
WHAT’S HOT 2017
800.988.9812
www.stenhouse.com
Craft Moves | Lesson Sets for Teaching Writing with Mentor Texts
Stacey Shubitz; Foreword by Lester Laminack
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Becoming a Literacy Leader (Second Edition) | Supporting Learning and Change
Jennifer Allen
The new edition of Becoming a Literacy Leader is a thoughtful, reflective evolution of Jennifer’s work as she
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Grades K–6 | August 2016 | 4K-1096 | $25.00
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LITERACY TODAY | January/February 2017 | literacyworldwide.org