EDITOR’S
NOTE
Colleen Patrice Clark
Managing Editor
cclark@reading.org
here’s nothing quite like the energy that
a new school year brings. It’s so full of
possibilities. So full of promise. For me, it
brings to mind something author and poet
Kwame Alexander said during Opening
General Session at ILA 2016 in Boston.
There are questions all teachers should
ask themselves, mainly, what are you doing
here and why are you doing this? If you know
the answers, he said, the success of your
students will soar.
This is the time of year when those
answers should be clearer than ever. As
Shanna Peeples, the United States’ 2015
National Teacher of the Year, so powerfully
states in her article on page 18, you are not
“just a teacher.” You are a warrior. You are
the difference between hope and despair for
your students.
You are a leader whose service and
dedication impacts the classroom, the
school, and the community—and it doesn’t
go unnoticed.
With this issue, we salute you and
celebrate all literacy leaders. Along with
featuring some of ILA’s most inspiring
researchers and educators, this issue also
includes our second annual 30 Under 30
list, which honors the next generation of
literacy champions who are carrying on
our mission to advance literacy around the
globe. You’ll also find contributions from
recent ILA award winners and get a peek
into some of the empowering messages you
might have missed if you couldn’t join us
in Boston.
Let all the teachers, researchers,
volunteers, and advocates featured on
these pages be a reminder of who you are,
what you’re doing here, and why you’re
doing it.
Warmly,
WE SALUTE YOU
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September/October 2016 | LITERACY TODAY