Today’s Literacy Headlines

Can acts of kindness make a difference in the lives of others? As an instructional technology coach, I have worked with fourth-grade teachers for the past seven years to transform abstract themes of empathy and compassion into concrete learning experiences. Using resources from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation and the ISTE Standards for Students, we collaboratively plan social and emotional learning (SEL) experiences in the classroom.

There has been much research over the past decade building on research-practice partnerships. Teachers and researchers should work collaboratively to improve student learning. Here’s how teachers can find helpful ideas in research articles and take a strategic approach to get the most out of what they’re reading.

Literacy coach Mika Frame has a memorable mantra for accomplishing big goals. “My current principal always tells me, ‘Eat an elephant one bite at a time,’” she said. A K-2 literacy coach at Rose Hamilton Elementary School in Centerville, Frame is part of the first cohort of educators that trained in reading science practices as part of the Indiana Literacy Cadre. Now she co-teaches, analyzes student data to see who needs more help, and leads her colleagues through the state’s new requirements. Frame told Chalkbeat about her work as Indiana looks to bring more literacy coaches like her to its schools.

The scene on the lawn looks like any other summer camp around the country. But while fun and games are an important part of the experience, the 20 or so kids at “Camp LIT,” a program of the Mississippi University for Women, are here in late June for a more important reason: to become better readers.

The updated meta-analysis was published in July 2023 in the peer-reviewed journal Child Development. It was conducted by 14 researchers, the majority from Yale University, and it also found good results for SEL interventions in schools while simultaneously broadening the category of “social and emotional learning” to encompass even more non-academic skills. However, this latest research synthesis doesn’t really settle the debate over whether the evidence for SEL is strong or guide schools to which SEL interventions are most effective.  

You can never start too early. That’s the message from an unusually intensive and longlasting education study that is following low-income children from birth into elementary school. It found that students who consistently participated in a high-quality, early-childhood program from infancy until they started elementary school performed on par with children their age nationally in early literacy and math by the end of 3rd grade. The children in the study also significantly outperformed children who had experienced more informal preschool or no early education.

Three notable middle grade mysteries (two published earlier this year and one forthcoming in the fall) feature young sleuths who question the world around them and are undaunted when the answers they receive aren’t the ones they hoped for. These mysteries run the gamut, from quirky Gothic to small-town cozy to chilly Nordic noir.

Last school year, nearly a quarter of the state’s third graders did not pass an important reading test on their first try. What will get more children over the bar? To prepare students for that last chance to take the test, the Mississippi Children’s Museum, in partnership with Jackson Public Schools, held a Read to Succeed summer reading camp this June — the eighth time it has held the now-annual event.

As educators prepare for a new school year, state teachers of the year share the important lessons they’ve learned on classroom management, as well as establishing rules and expectations with students.

Joan Sedita, founder of literacy professional development service Keys to Literacy, suggests there may be literacy benefits in adopting and including handwriting in curricula. When young students are learning how to read and spell words, she said, the physical act of handwriting that information may help them better embed these skills. “In the earliest grades, learning writing letters reinforces and improves the learning of phonics concepts, and having students write letters while learning letter-sound correspondences supports both the decoding and spelling of words,” Sedita said.

Adults and kids love Bluey. This Australian animated show – hugely popular in the U.S. as well – focuses on a family of blue heeler dogs living in Brisbane. As developmental scientists who study children and how they interact with the world, we sort of adore Bluey too. The show exemplifies what years of child psychology research have made clear: that children learn through play. Bluey illustrates a variety of age-appropriate caregiving practices that parents and caregivers can use in the everyday life of a child.

We took a peek inside school libraries across America to see how librarians are reframing the space to support students’ social, emotional, and creative growth—while still prioritizing excellent reads.

Jason Reynolds, award winner, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature emeritus, was recently on The View. He talks about how he became a reader, his mother’s influence, letting kids read freely, and passing along a love of reading. The bestselling author also discusses his latest book, “Miles Morales Suspended,” and the moment he had “a place in this big pantheon of literature.”

In the first full year following pandemic-related school closures, public schools in the United States lost about 1.2 million students. The largest losses were in kindergarten and early elementary grades, according to analyses of enrollment changes. Where those students went has largely been a question mark, though some experts speculated much of the attrition was likely students switching to homeschooling and, to a lesser degree, private schooling.

Frustrated that many educators, administrators, and other stakeholders seem to ignore—or are unaware of—the data, champions of the science of reading are leading the charge for reading instruction reform that is currently sweeping the nation, and they are making some hard-won strides. The issue has taken on new urgency as the education system struggles with addressing pandemic learning loss and the racial and socioeconomic disparities that were seen even more clearly during the Covid lockdowns. Here we take a look at this movement’s rise and where it’s headed.

On a warm August evening, Brenda sits with her computer and a handful of envelopes. She eagerly opens the first envelope and begins to read. “Thank you for asking about our daughter Claire…” the letter begins. Each year Brenda sends a small survey along with her welcome-back-to-school letter to the parents, caregivers, or guardians of her incoming students. She asks them to introduce their precious children to her by describing them and answering some simple questions. What are your child’s interests? Likes and dislikes?

In this explainer, Education Week breaks down what standards are, how they have come to occupy such a central place in the U.S. education system, and how they have—and have not—changed instructional practice and student outcomes. Academic standards—sometimes called content standards—describe what students should know and be able to do in the core academic subjects at each grade level. They can cover skills, such as adding and subtracting within 100, or content, like understanding the roles of the three branches of government. Standards are not a curriculum, though. They don’t outline the day-to-day lessons and activities teachers use; rather, they provide an end goal for instruction.

Eight years ago, Chicago Public Schools launched a program that gave certain principals more control, such as more flexibility over budgets and being freed of extra oversight from district leaders. It was an effort to reward effective veteran school leaders with “more leadership and professional development opportunities.” Now, a new study by a Northwestern University professor shows that the initiative — known as the Independent School Principals program, or ISP — resulted in better test scores and school climates and could be a cost-effective way to improve schools.

At this school, nurturing a love of reading begins with book shopping, a practice where students choose books from their classroom libraries to bring home — every week.

Rajani LaRocca says Summer Is for Cousins was inspired by vacations with her own 10 cousins in India. “All of my favorite summer memories involved my cousins,” she says. “Cousins are kind of like superstar relatives. Because they’re kids, but they’re not your siblings.”LaRocca filled the book with universal details. There’s lots of sitting around doing nothing much in particular and there’s lots and lots of food.

This is the final post in a series offering advice to private foundations about their education-related funding priorities. If you have the rare chance at a big attention-grabbing idea that makes a big difference for students, seize it. And run far away from ideas that are not only mundane but, even worse, don’t help students. Are we brave enough to politely decline big splashy initiatives that do little for students? And are we humble enough to make the small changes that matter to students in the long run, but will largely go unnoticed by the general public?

Across the nation, state leaders are taking steps to improve reading instruction for struggling students. But in New York, concern has grown: Is too little being done?

It will take a collective understanding that every child needs high-quality, rigorous science education from an early age, and that schools need to devote more time and attention to this critical subject. Bringing simple experiments into the classroom setting and designing training modules for age-specific groups can increase learning and comprehension of science even when teachers lack a strong background in the subject. Science should be integrated into all class subjects, including general reading and writing. 

From Jackie Ormes to Christo and Jeanne-Claude, these nine picture books bring young readers into the lives of creatives who were born in the U.S. or spent years making art here. Share these titles to commemorate them and all artists.

It’s possible to love teaching, as I do, and, at the same time, not look forward to summer vacation ending, as I am not. Whatever the case is, it’s probably time to begin thinking about the new school year, and this series is geared toward helping us all do just that.

When it comes to disability representation in children’s literature, historically, books have been authored by non-disabled people and for non-disabled people, according to award-winning author Corinne Duyvis. To counter this imbalance, Duyvis recommended that educators, librarians and parents seek out books by disabled people. Duyvis and two librarians talked with MindShift about what else educators and caregivers should look for when selecting children’s literature that represents disability and what conversations with kids about these books and about disabilities can look like. They also offered recommendations of inclusive, affirming books for kids from preschool to high school. 

The novel spans prehistoric times to the present. It also packs in a lot of scientific information. For example, readers learn that plants really do communicate with one another through their roots. Most of these types of scientific facts are revealed in the book’s afterword. The book also ends on an optimistic note about the future of the planet. Although Big Tree is a middle grade novel, its story feels universal. Younger children will enjoy the adventure behind it, while the themes about the importance of family and working together will resonate with older children and adults.

NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe talks with children’s book author Matt de la Peña about summer reading recommendations for kids of all ages when they complain, “I’m bored!”

The research is clear: Explicit, systematic instruction in phonics is essential to building children’s foundational reading skills. But such instruction is missing in Reading Recovery, and the latest research reveals its long-term consequences. It’s long past time for Ohio—and every other state in the Union—to abandon Reading Recovery and work to implement interventions that follow the science of reading.

Texas and Ohio are training teachers in the science of reading and how to use multi-tiered supports to better identify students at risk for dyslexia. Both states are using OSEP-funded model demonstration project grants to help teachers with early and accurate identification of children with or at risk of dyslexia. Through training and resource-building for teachers, schools and district personnel, they can improve reading outcomes and begin to close achievement gaps between poor and proficient readers.

Nonfiction books can be a gateway to literacy as well as a portal to knowledge. They have the power to fuel a child’s natural curiosity and ignite a lifelong passion for reading and learning. The good news is that “the quality of nonfiction that’s coming out now is just over the top,” says Meg Medina, the 2023-2024 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Medina’s platform is ¡Cuéntame! Let’s Talk Books, and she’s deeply committed to making nonfiction part of the conversation.

With the start of the school year looming, some parents will choose to delay the start of their child’s educational experience, keeping them in day care or out of school entirely for another year. Education Week spoke to experts to weigh the reasons why parents might, or might not, decide to hold their children back a year.

One obvious way to start building a lifetime reading habit is ensuring children have plenty of books at home. But the presence of books probably isn’t enough to make a reader. Parents also need to read to their children consistently, reinforcing that books are a source of fun and family closeness. And once children are reading independently, caregivers should find creative ways to help them attempt harder texts. Some simple strategies can keep kids immersed — trusting children to pick their own books is essential. Librarians and teachers are key to guiding children to books that will engage them and encourage them to stretch without getting demoralized.

“Summer reading should be fun. It should bring that joy of reading back into students’ hearts, where they can take it up with abandon as they would like,” said longtime school librarian Courtney Pentland, president of the American Association of School Librarians, a division of the American Library Association. Pentland, an advocate and expert on both school and public libraries, shares key factors that impact the likelihood that students will pursue summer pleasure reading.

Lesa Cline-Ransome and James Ransome have been married for 33 years. Lesa Cline-Ransome became an author and James Ransome, an illustrator. Together, they’ve now created multiple picture books including Before She Was Harriet, Overground Railroad, and Satchel Paige. The Story of the Saxophone is their latest children’s book, inspired by a mutual love of jazz. The couple had just finished watching Jazz, the 2001 PBS documentary, and James Ransome had an idea. He knew that saxophonists like Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young were instrumental in helping the saxophone gain popularity in the jazz world.

I sent my child off to kindergarten full of excitement. Soon into his school days, my happy, outgoing, confident kid became withdrawn, scared, and anxious. Getting him out the door to school became a challenge. Full of worry, I reached out to our schools and began to ask questions. The teachers reassured me with common phrases: Relax, give it time, he’s a boy, some kids take longer to develop.

State legislation aimed at improving how reading is taught has been changing the instructional landscape in the country’s elementary schools over the past few years. A new report examines what these laws emphasize—and what they leave out. The analysis, conducted by the Albert Shanker Institute, a think tank affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, surveyed state reading legislation passed between 2019 and 2022.

A new report released today by the Albert Shanker Institute systematically examines more than 200 reading laws enacted in 45 states and the District of Columbia between 2019 and 2022. This granular analysis showcases an ambitious, bipartisan, state-driven effort to improve U.S. reading outcomes through multilayered investments in teachers and students. The report, Reading Reform Across America: A Survey of State Legislation, offers a comprehensive examination of reading legislation on more than 40 areas, including teacher preparation, professional development, assessment, family engagement and student supports. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom this week signed into law a bill that will require schools to implement universal screening in kindergarten through 2nd grade for reading delays, including the risk of dyslexia. These brief evaluations are not intended to replace more thorough assessments that can diagnose reading disorders.

Disability representation in picture books lags far behind reality. This gap has inspired many new books that picture disabilities, including those featured here. These new books portray children with a variety of disabilities: hearing loss, wheelchair use, arthritis, and more.

Names represent an individual’s identity, heritage, and culture, and taking the time to pronounce them correctly is one way teachers can show respect for students and their families. Educators shared their practices for learning how to correctly pronounce students’ names ahead of the first-day roll call. 

Chicago high schools that prioritized social-emotional development saw improved graduation rates and college attendance.

New Jersey teachers are integrating the state’s new climate change standards across K–12. We dropped in to see how they’re doing it.