American Education, from a literacy perspective

Delivered by

Dr. Judy S. Richardson, Professor Emeritus at Virginia Commonwealth University

Key Words	Lecture content
	I. Introduction In the United States, free and public education spans pre-kindergarten to grade 12. Also, we offer inexpensive technical, pre-college, and liberal arts preparatory courses at our Community Colleges. Colleges and universities offer undergraduate degrees in many areas, as well as masters and doctoral-level study.
	II. Important Issues in American Education today: Adolescent literacy needs At-risk students Beginning reading instruction Classroom management Critical Literacy Difference vs. disability Government mandates such as: NCLB; National & standards for education; High Stakes Assessment Language & cultural diversity Literature in the classroom Teacher education Technology Urban education initiatives NOTE: Much of this lecture is based on information provided by The International Reading Association (http://www.reading.org) A. Adolescent literacy needs and the ongoing literacy development of adolescents is just as important, and requires just as much attention, as that of beginning readers. The expanding literacy demands placed upon young people at the beginning of the 21st century include more reading and writing tasks than at any other time in human history. A. At-risk students are students who are in danger of dropping out of school, usually because of educational disadvantages, low socioeconomic status, or underachievement. Although poor minority children may be at greatest risk, many other students in our classrooms also are at risk of school failure. The reasons are varied—among them, poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, crime, teen pregnancy, low self-esteem, ill health, poor school attendance, and welfare dependence. B. Beginning reading instruction is a controversial topic in American education. The International Reading Association states that there is no single method or single combination of methods that can successfully teach all children to read. Therefore, teachers must be familiar with a wide range of methods for teaching reading and have a strong knowledge of the children in their care so they can create the appropriate balance of methods needed for each child. Further, these professionals must have the flexibility to modify those methods when they determine that particular children are not learning. C. Classroom management is a challenge for teachers in the United States. Because we educate all children in our heterogeneous society, we must know how to respect and manage classrooms in which there are diverse economic levels, different cultures and religions, and different levels of literacy. This is very challenging. C. Critical literacy is very important. It requires that readers realize how what they read is meaningful and applicable. Because all texts are created and situated within particular social and ideological contexts, "students of critical literacy are generally encouraged to take a critical attitude toward texts, asking what view of the world they advance and whether these views should be accepted." Recognizing the profound social and ideological dimensions of texts allows readers to "question, resist, or revise" their representations of the world. D. Difference versus disability is an issue that causes teachers and parents much concern. Sometimes children are mislabeled as having a disability when they do not yet have proficient English-speaking skills. A learning disability is a discrepancy between performance and ability that is cause d by a neurological disorder; the learning disability cannot be corrected but new ways to learn can be taught and accommodations can be made. A difference in one’s culture and/or language may cause misunderstanding and miscommunication, but this is NOT a learning disability!. G. Government mandates can be very helpful in aligning educational practices across the United States. Sometimes they also cause challenges. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), signed into law by President George W. Bush in January 2002, is the centerpiece of U.S. federal education policy. A major revision of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), this legislation redefines the federal role in K-12 education by requiring all states to set high standards of achievement and create a system of accountability to measure results. Many of the act's provisions are controversial. IRA members hold a variety of views on these issues, and the Association encourages a continuing dialogue on finding the best ways to improve reading instruction. High stakes assessment: the International Reading Association believes that assessment should be more than a means of labeling or categorizing students. Authentic reading assessments can provide a basis for making decisions about the needs of individual learners. Properly designed and used, they can inform instruction that not only addresses students' weaknesses but also builds on their strengths. In its position statement on high-stakes testing, the Association states its opposition to using scores on a single test as the criterion for important decisions about students' education. The statement offers specific recommendations for designing and implementing testing programs that yield a more accurate and useful view of students' abilities. L. Language & Cultural diversity: Major demographic changes brought about by increasingly mobile populations mean that educators must provide quality instruction to increasingly diverse groups of students. Today's classrooms are likely to contain a sizeable proportion of students whose first language is not the primary language of instruction and whose culture and values differ from those of the larger community. As this trend continues, issues of language and cultural diversity will become increasingly important in any discussion of educational reform. L. Literature in the classroom: Teachers should be avid readers! We are advocates of excellent children's and young adult literature. Quality literature can be used to help children grow into lifelong readers. Literature should be infused into instructional lessons in schools. T. Teacher education: In spring 2003 the International Reading Association released Investment in Teacher Preparation in the United States: A Position Statement of the International Reading Association, which calls for a major national investment in teacher education to ensure that every beginning teacher is competent to teach reading from his or her first day on the job. The statement also advocates more attention to work conditions that affect teacher performance and further research on the effectiveness of reading teacher preparation programs. In its position statement Excellent Reading Teachers (2000), the International Reading Association states its belief that "every child deserves excellent reading teachers because teachers make a difference in children's reading achievement and motivation to read." The Association then goes on to describe the "critical qualities of knowledge and practice" that mark an excellent reading teacher and to recommend specific steps that teachers, administrators, teacher educators, and others can take to develop excellence in a teaching program. T. Technology: The International Reading Association asserts that students must become proficient in the new literacies of information and communication technology (ICT) in order to become fully literate in today's world. The Association believes that it is the responsibility of literacy educators to prepare students for a future that will require these new literacies. Therefore, students have rights to the following: * Teachers who are skilled in the effective use of ICT for teaching and learning * A literacy curriculum that integrates the new literacies of ICT into instructional programs * Instruction that develops the critical literacies essential to effective information use * Assessment practices in literacy that include reading on the Internet and writing using word-processing software * Opportunities to learn safe and responsible use of information and communication technologies * Equal access to ICT U. Urban education issues: High poverty rates, a highly diverse student population, and a high turnover rate among classroom teachers all contribute to the unique set of challenges facing America's urban schools. According to Richard Long, IRA Director of Government Relations, “Children in urban areas need teachers with different skills related to language, the impact of poverty, and a wide array of social issues.”
	III. An Instructional Framework for Reading and Writing to Learn A framework arranges basic components in a systematic manner. An instructional framework (IF), then, organizes instruction in a systematic manner. The goal is optimal learning. An instructional framework helps students and teachers think and learn actively. Richardson and Morgan (2003) developed a recent version of an IF. You will note that P = preparation; A =assistance; R = reflection. Notice in the version below that an IF encourages learners to become engaged or connected by participating in activities before they read, helps them to create an intention to attend and acquire information during their reading, and thus enables good comprehension after they read. A focus for learning is very important to ensure that learning takes place. Preparation happens before reading; guidance or assistance happens during reading; independence or reflection happens after reading. Richardson and Morgan’s version can be remembered as the acronym PAR. To see this Instructional Framework in action, along with the use of technology in instructional lessons, please go to Dr. Richardson’s recent article in Reading Online: http://www.readingonline.org/

Richardson & Morgan’s IF-PAR

Preparation

Determine one's background for the learning

Build one's background where necessary

Assistance

Read purposefully

Develop comprehension

Reflection

Provide extension, critical thinking

Determine comprehension