Collaborating for Literacy
Thursday, April 11th, 2013Librarians are talking this week about the new report from the National Center for Literacy Education (NCLE), entitled Remodeling Literacy Learning. The report offers findings and policy recommendations based upon the Center’s national survey of 2,400 educators across grade levels, roles, and subject areas as to their roles in literacy learning and what they have and need in terms of structure, support, training, and tools to collaborate. Do check out the Full Report, the Executive Summary, and/or the Infographic. Here are a few items to spark your interest!
First, these are the key findings highlighted in the study (on the study’s main site). These themes will probably strike a familiar chord for school librarians, including shared responsibility for literacy learning, the benefits of collaboration, and the requisite structure for supporting effective collaboration.
NCLE Report: Remodeling Literacy Learning | Literacy in Learning Exchange via kwout
Next, this graph (from page 8 of the study) breaks down by subject area the 77% of classroom teachers who agreed or strongly agreed that “developing students’ literacy is one of the most important parts of my job.” The study also notes that other educators like librarians and principals (not included in the graph) were even more likely than classroom teachers to take this stance.
www.literacyinlearningexchange.org/sites/default/files/ncle_report_final_format_0.pdf via kwout
Finally, lest we fear that school librarians are overlooked in this report, the findings state that “librarians and literacy coaches play a critical role in building schools’ collective capacity to improve literacy learning” (19). Librarians are described as having been vocal in identifying their roles in supporting information skills in the Common Core State Standards. I was curious about the source of this (mostly as to which vocal moment they captured!), and it turned out to be the Education Week article, “Common Core Thrusts Librarians into Leadership Role,” which I wrote about here back in September. This table from page 19 highlights participation in school-based collaborative teams.
www.literacyinlearningexchange.org/sites/default/files/ncle_report_final_format_0.pdf via kwout
I’d be interested to read a further breakdown of the teams here, with qualifiers of elementary versus secondary, and perhaps some background on the how and when these groups are collaborating.
There’s quite a bit to read and ponder in this report. What were some key parts as you reviewed it? And maybe, what’s not there?
Reference: Remodeling Literacy Learning: Making Room for What Works. National Center for Literacy Education. 2013. http://www.literacyinlearningexchange.org/remodeling.
–Rebecca Morris









