On February 3 and 4, 2012, the Texas Association for Literacy Education (TALE) had a summit/conference in San Antonio based on the theme “What’s Hot in Literacy for 2012.” This theme, in turn, was based on the annual survey “What’s Hot in Literacy” which has been appearing in Reading Today for over 15 years. For information, see www.literacysummitwhatshot2012.com.

An IRA state association conference is hardly surprising—many have conferences. However, this association did not even exist six months prior to the conference.

Jack Cassidy, Stephanie Grote-Garcia, and
Denise Staudt

Some History

In May 2011, the Texas State Reading Association (TSRA) formally disbanded after 40 years of operation. TSRA had severe financial difficulties as well as problems recruiting and retaining officers.

Many people, including former IRA President Jack Cassidy, were dismayed that Texas would now be the only state that would not have an IRA-affiliated state association. With the blessing of some former TSRA leaders, Cassidy assembled a group of educators at his house in late August, 2011 to discuss the formation of a new organization.

From that group, TALE emerged. James Hoffman from the University of Texas, a former IRA Board member, surveyed educators from around the state to ascertain what role a state association should play. Hosting a conference was one of the high priority activities revealed in the survey.

Literacy Summit

It soon became obvious that any state conference from this new association could not succeed without some outside help. Therefore, Cassidy proposed that the conference be co-sponsored by two other groups: the Specialized Literacy Professionals Special Interest Group (SLP) and the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) in San Antonio.

Dr. Denise Staudt, Dean of the Dreeben School of Education at UIW, became an enthusiastic supporter of the event. UIW agreed to provide meeting rooms at their beautiful downtown campus and the Specialized Literacy Professionals SIG agreed to publicize the event nationally and get major speakers. Thus, virtually, all of the featured and keynote speakers, as well as many of the session speakers, came from the ranks of the SIG.

Educators from over 15 states presented. Enthusiasm for the conference ran high, and over 200 attendees from around the country were present. Dr. Jerry Johns, Northern Illinois University, a former IRA President, agreed to be the opening speaker. Dr. P. David Pearson, University of California at Berkeley and chair of IRA’s newly formed Literacy Research Panel, keynoted on Saturday. Dr. Karen Bromley, State University at Binghamton and a current member of the IRA Board, was the closing keynote speaker.

The Summit was co-chaired by Dr. Jack Cassidy and Dr. Stephanie Grote-Garcia from UIW. In connection with the Summit, Cassidy and Garcia also edited a book entitled Literacy Trends and Issues: What’s Hot, which is published by Kendall Hunt. The book contains brief chapters on the eight “hot” issues in literacy for 2012.

Each chapter is written by a SIG member including chapters by Cassidy, Grote-Garcia, and Jill Lewis-Spector, newly elected Vice President of IRA. The book was first introduced at the conference. Financially all three groups shared equally in the profits from the summit and profits from the book were shared by TALE and the SIG.

As Jill Lewis-Spector observed, “The inaugural TALE conference in San Antonio this February provided a wide range of speakers and topics, offering all attendees opportunities for exceptional professional development. I was thrilled to be a part of it!”

Dr. Bromley, as the IRA official representative to the conference said, “I was thrilled and energized by the 'Literacy Summit' held recently in San Antonio at the University of the Incarnate Word. The opportunity to hear outstanding speakers present on a range of “hot” topics was a huge plus. But, it was also exciting to see over 200 people in attendance who joined and are excited about the new Texas Association for Literacy Educators (TALE).”

The Texas Association for Literacy Education

At the conclusion of the Summit, Cassidy presented Dr. Bromley with the formal application to be officially chartered as an IRA affiliated group. Dr. Bromley took that application to the IRA Board at its meeting on February 25 and the group was officially chartered.

Cassidy is the President of the new organization, Carolyn Denny from the Northside School District in San Antonio is the President-elect, and Sharon O’Neal from Texas State University in Round Rock is the Vice President. Sheri Vasinda from Texas A&M University Commerce is the Secretary of the group, and Stephanie Grote-Garcia from the University of the Incarnate Word is the Treasurer.

Since the conference, the Executive Committee has had one meeting and is working on developing publications and other services for its members. Dr. Vasinda has established a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/texasreaders.org, and Dr. Grote-Garcia has established a webpage at www.texasreaders.org where interested potential members can obtain an application.

This article is reprinted from the April/May 2012 issue of Reading Today, the International Reading Association's bimonthly member magazine. Members: click here to read the issue. Nonmembers: join now!

Nance Wilson from the International Reading Association's Middle School Reading Special Interest Group (MSR-SIG) shares the groups exciting projects and activities. 

1. Are you especially proud of any of your SIG's projects?

One SIG project I am especially proud of is our efforts to link middle level authors with teachers and students. Beginning in 2010 we partnered with the author presenting at the annual convention with a classroom teacher. Throughout the year leading up to the conference, the teacher reads the author’s work with her students using interactive, interpersonal, and inquiry techniques. As the teacher finishes her study of the text, the students engage in a Skype session with the author. The lessons learned by both author and students are presented at the annual conference each year.  

This year we are excited to share lessons learned from using integrated technology, questioning, and collaboration from a fifth and eighth grade classroom. The fifth grade teacher, Monique Myers, will share a unit centered around the I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis, in which her students worked in literature circles to engage in discussions around the text, used iPads to research the facts behind the books, and prepared engaging in classroom presentations to share each of their texts. The eighth grade teacher, Bernadette Thompson, created a unit centered on Adam Gidwitz's novel A Tale Dark and Grimm to have students research multiple versions of the Hansel and Gretel tale, analyze narrative voice, and use an online Blog to facilitate discussion about the text within and beyond the classroom walls. 

A second MSR-SIG project that I am proud of speaks to the contributions and talents of our membership. Our newsletter boasts of regular columns such as Book Lists for Middle Grade Readers (by Melanie Koss) and Eye on Disciplinary Literacy (by Vassiliki Zygouris-Coe). Our biannual newsletter boasts peer reviewed articles that support the teaching of literacy across the curriculum for middle grade readers.

2. What are the benefits of joining your SIG? 

The biggest benefit to joining MSR-SIG is having access to professional development opportunities focused specifically on Middle Grades literacy as well as learning from the expertise of our members. Our membership is distributed between classroom teachers, literacy researchers, and librarians.   The goal of our SIG is to disseminate pertinent information and research on middle school reading, serve as a forum for expressing varying viewpoints on middle school reading, and promote an interest in further research in the field of middle level reading. In addition to having the opportunity to work with and learn from people across the country, registered members receive our SIG newsletter two times each year and can submit proposals to present at our annual MSR-SIG session.

3. Are there any future projects in store for your SIG?

One exciting new goal of the MSR-SIG is to create more dialogue among the membership throughout the years. For instance, we invite all middle grades teachers (4-9) to participate in our survey to determine what books are being taught in the middle grades classrooms. If you are a middle grades teacher, please take a moment to complete a brief 12 question survey by going to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/62HT57K to participate, or feel free to pass the link along to a middle grades teacher that you know. Through this investigation we hope to learn more about the books being used in classrooms and to provide support for the teachers using them.

In addition, we want to find more ways to effectively share our resources and meet the needs of classroom teachers through increased communication between the members. We have a Facebook page for members to share their thoughts and ideas as well as a website for distributing information from past newsletters to booklists.

4. How does one join your SIG? 

The easiest way to join our SIG is to visit IRA’s MSR-SIG website. From here, you can go to the membership page to print the one page registration form and mail it with your $10 annual registration fee to our membership chair, Billie Jo Dunaway. Her contact information is included at the bottom of the form. Please note that you must be a member of IRA in order to join the MSR-SIG. There is also space on the form to indicate your interest in serving as a MSR-SIG committee member.

5. Is there a website, newsletter, or another way to find more information about your SIG? Is there a person that prospective members can contact?

To learn more about the MSR-SIG, you can download a recent newsletter from our Reading in the Middle link at the MSR-SIG website. To learn more about our SIG, you can contact me (Nance S. Wilson, President of the MSR-SIG) at msrsig@gmail.com. For more information about our newsletter, you can contact our editorial team at msrsig@gmail.com.

by Melanie Cohen Goodman, Chestnut Hill College

The Mission of IRA’s Literacy and Social Responsibility Special Interest Group (L-SR SIG) is to study, understand, and advocate for high quality programs which integrate community service, participatory citizenship, social responsibility, appreciation for diversity, environmental stewardship, character education, and/or caring behavior into the development of literacy across the curriculum. L-SR Past President and Membership Chair, Melanie Goodman, shares what makes the SIG unique and fun. 

1. Are you especially proud of any of your SIG’s projects?

Members of the L-SR SIG are proud of all our activities including our consistently engaging sessions at IRA’s annual convention dedicated to introducing conference attendees to top-notch key note speakers and interactive round table presenters, our new special service award for students, informative newsletter, creative website, and most recent professional venue–the LSR e-journal. We work to build community at our sessions and leadership dinners, and online now via Facebook. We should also mention our newest award under development is for books that address–you guessed it!–literacy and social responsibility. 

Our newest project just unveiled last year is the Literacy and Service Recognition Award. This annual award celebrates the work of students (K-16+) who have been nominated by teachers and librarians for exemplary community service involving some form of literacy. Alma Flor Ada and Isabel Campoy inspired this award, provided seed funds, and serve on the award committee chaired by Denise Stuart. Award winners are presented with an engraved plaque and certificate of recognition and invited to showcase their work at IRA’s annual convention as part of the L-SR SIG program. The inaugural first place winner was a team of third-grade students in an advanced literacy class at the Columbus School for Girls, who traveled to Orlando to present their service project last year. The work of Ahlam Jallaq, Aubrey Lanham, Ailis Rees, Leslie Robins, and Evelyn Stuntz was celebrated for developing and expanding Project S.O.A.R. (Save Our Albatross Research). Visit the L-SR website for submission details and information about our first award recipients.

Photo caption: Evelyn Stuntz, Leslie Robins, Ahlam Jallaq, Ailis Rees, and Aubrey Lanham along with teacher Debbie Charna display the service award and certificate at their school library.

Photo caption: Denise Stuart, Awards Chair of L-SR SIG, presents Literacy and Service Award certificates to the 2011 winners from Columbus School for Girls for Project S.O.A.R. (Save Our Albatross Research) at the L-SR SIG session. Ahlam Jallaq, Aubrey Lanham, Ailis Rees and Leslie Robins, traveled to Orlando with nominating teacher Debbie Charna and Director of Lower School Joan Hill.

2. What does your SIG program look like at the Annual IRA Convention?

Our Literacy and Social Responsibility (L-SR) SIG conference program has always engaged the most dynamic keynote speakers. Children's literature is the vehicle of choice through which Opening Keynoters and noted children's book authors Eve Bunting (The Terrible Things: An Allegory on the Holocaust) and Lynne Cherry (The Great Kapok Tree) have addressed issues of social justice. On more than one occasion, praise for the talent and courage of our keynoters has drawn high praise and much appreciation from a room filled to capacity with conferees. 

In various conference venues, L-SR SIG conferees have tapped to the lyrics and songs of singer, songwriter, and Grammy Award winner John McCuthcheon; waxed poetic with Dixie Goswami; and were ready to march to the Capitol with literacy advocate Patrick Shannon. A more recent keynote address was offered by authors and educational consultants, Alma Flor Ada and Isabel Campoy (our very own!), whose "transformative education" practice suggests that teacher practitioners incorporate reflection to “give voice to life experiences.” A potpourri of Roundtable discussions at the L-SR SIG sessions continues to add an authentically interactive component to an already lively SIG session.

The Closing Keynote address has been a welcome addition to the L-SR SIG program and well received by conference attendees, many of whom remain in the conference room for our business meeting (organized and run by L-SR President, Patricia Dean) at which point they are invited to become active members and perhaps consider a leadership role in our SIG. Unique to IRA and truly a wonderful moment in the life of our Literacy and Social Responsibility SIG was the inclusion of students as recipients of the Literacy and Service Recognition Award in Orlando in May 2011. 

Photo caption: Patrick Shannon presents as keynote speaker at the L-SR SIG session in Orlando, 2011. 

Photo caption: John McCutcheon performs as he discusses Literacy and Social Responsibility at the L-SR SIG session at Chicago 2010.

3. Are there other benefits to joining your SIG?

As a member of the L-SR SIG you will benefit from the opportunity to dialog and exchange ideas with colleagues who are interested in social responsibility and literacy. Under the leadership of ejournal editor, Margaret-Mary Sulentic Dowell, we offer a peer-reviewed journal and each year, accept submissions for that journal. Reviewers represent a diverse geographical board with a wide variety of expertise, interests, and experience. The submission process is becoming increasingly competitive. Last year, we received 16 submissions and published five manuscripts, approximately a 33% acceptance rate. The most recent call and submission requirements can be downloaded from the link above.

Members also benefit from the opportunity to serve fellow educators by creating strands for display on the L-SR website. For example, Best Literacy Practices with Pro-social Twists is a new instructional strategies project under development as a website strand this year. At least five research-based and highly regarded literacy strategies appropriate for grades four through 12 will be presented in a user friendly format including: Definition, Goals, Teacher Preparation, Instructional Procedures, Prosocial Enhancements, Relevant Common Core Standards, and Further Resources. Please contact L-SR Secretary, Beth Breneman, at bethbreneman@comcast.net for information about the web-based strategies project.

Also, keep in mind that we’re on Facebook! Members can benefit by using Facebook for building their professional communities and for publicizing their publications and projects to a broader audience. Please join us on Facebook and search for "Literacy Responsibility." Our Communications Chair, Ernie Bond, set up the site specifically for our LSR SIG. Log on, check it out, and add your own comments and connections. Not sure how to join Facebook? It’s easy...just go to the website above and follow the instructions. You’ll need an email address and a password. It’s lots of fun!

4. Is there a way to find out more information about your SIG?

All those interested in the IRA Literacy and Social Responsibility SIG are invited to visit the LSR website, created by Web-manager, Kaye West, at www.csulb.edu/misc/l-sr to learn more about the organization. The website includes information about our SIG: past and upcoming programs, resources including reviews of professional and juvenile literature, a list of websites related to the mission of the L-SR SIG, and ways to get involved in our Special Interest Group. 

In addition, every spring prior to the IRA Convention members receive an electronic copy of the L-SR program and update of SIG activities in the annual “Literacy & Social Responsibility Newsletter” thanks to our Newsletter Editor, Susan Speer-Powers. 

Currently, there are no dues for the L-SR SIG, but you must be an up-to-date member of IRA. Please contact Melanie Cohen Goodman, Membership Chair, goodmanm@chc.edu to become a member and learn about volunteer opportunities. 

5. What presenters and topics will be featured at your session in Chicago? 

Program Chair Andrea Karlin has announced two keynote presentations, one by innovative author/illustrator David Geister titled, “Memories and Stories from the Past: Historically Responsible Books for the Present and Future,” and the other by dynamic author/poet Kwame Alexander, “Words Changing Worlds.” In addition, round table discussions will include these topics: “What ARE the Gaps: ELs in Mainstream English Classrooms;” “Not Just Dead White Guys: Using Multi-Genre Writings to Study Overlooked Heros;” “Cinderella’s Prince Who? Looking at Resourceful Females in Multicultural Folk Literature;” “Putting Into Practice: Ecological Literacies for Classroom Instruction;” “Fostering Social Responsibility Through Inquiry;” and “Wiki Writers: Students and Teachers Making Connections Across Communities.”

Please join us in Chicago on Tuesday, May 1, 2012, at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, CC21, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.!   

The Specialized Literacy Professionals Special Interest Group (SIG) of the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) are conducting a survey to obtain information about the current roles and responsibilities of reading specialists/literacy coaches across the United States. The SIG invites current reading specialists and literacy coaches to complete the online survey by March 21, 2012, at the following URL: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L7XVFLR

The survey will take about 20 to 30 minutes to complete. It is not necessary to be a member of IRA or NCTE to complete the survey. Educators who provide a similar service as a reading specialist or literacy coach but who may not have those specific titles are encouraged to complete the survey. 

The purpose for conducting this survey is to provide information to various stakeholders to assist with decision making, including: (a) institutions that prepare reading specialists/literacy coaches, (b) agencies and organizations (International Reading Association, National Council of Teachers of English, State Department of Education) that provide professional development for reading specialists/literacy coaches, (c) policy-makers and legislators, and (d) school districts that employ such professionals. They believe this information will also be helpful to individual reading specialists/literacy coaches who are seeking information about how others function in their schools and recent educational policies (e.g., RTI).

IRA will use the survey data to update the position statement on The Role of the Reading Specialist (2000) and The Reading Coach (2004).

The IRA Specialized Literacy Professionals SIG is chaired by Rita Bean, Professor Emerita, University of Pittsburgh, and Jack Cassidy, Professor Emeritus, Texas A & M, Corpus Christi.