Literacy and Equity in Education

Literacy and Equity in Education
Having solid reading and writing skills is at the heart of student achievement and therefore must be part of the solution to achieving greater equity in the United States. As Suzanne Carreker points out, "With literacy comes academic success, informed decision-making, improved self-esteem, personal empowerment, greater economic opportunities, and active participation in local and global social communities. Ultimately, it is the gateway to lifelong learning... Without equity in literacy education, achievement gaps will persist and too many students will not reap literacy's innumerable benefits." Unfortunately, too many students do not have access to quality literacy instruction. As the recent publication of the AFT's American Educator devoted to reading instruction notes, "Today, about 20 percent of elementary students across the country struggle with learning to read, and another 20 percent are not meeting grade-level expectations in reading. But these nationwide averages mask a tragedy: among students growing up in under-resourced communities -- mainly African American and Hispanic students and students whose home language is not English -- about 60 to 70 percent have weak reading skills." (p. 3)
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The Advantage of Taking Notes by Hand

The Advantage of Taking Notes by Hand
Research shows that taking notes by hand is more effective for remembering conceptual information over the long term than taking notes on a computer or laptop.

I recently read two pieces about research conducted by Mueller and Oppenheimer demonstrating that students who write out their notes on paper learn more than students who type notes on laptops. The first was in Scientific American and the second was in KQED Public Radio News.

Because students can type significantly faster than they can write, those who use laptops in the classroom tend to take more notes than those who write them out. At first, this may seem like an advantage....

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Task, Audience, and Purpose When Writing

Task, Audience, and Purpose When Writing
Lately I have been pinning a large button on the lapel of my jacket when I deliver professional development for writing instruction that says: AUDIENCE, TASK, PURPOSE. I wear the button as a reminder to participants that they should teach their students to always be mindful of the audience, task, and purpose when they write because these elements influence a number of important decisions that a writer must make, including (McKensie & Tompkins, 1984)...
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What Does Rigor Mean?

What Does Rigor Mean?
I hear many administrators talking these days about the need for teachers to institute more rigor in their classrooms. Rigorous classrooms are needed to meet the requirements of the Common Core Standards and to prepare students for the demands of the world after high school.

What does rigor mean? Does it mean teachers should be piling on more homework, pushing students to work harder, longer hours so they can learn as much content as possible? Does it mean teachers should be lecturing more so they can cover the vast requirements of the curriculum? Does it mean teachers should let students “sink or swim,” figuring out on their own how to make sense of the content and communicate that knowledge?.....
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Main Idea and Note Taking Tips for Parents

Main Idea and Note Taking Tips for Parents
In August, The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) published in Dyslexia Connection: A Parent Newsletter an article I wrote for parents titled "Helping Your Child with Main Idea and Note Taking Skills".

The article includes suggestions for how parents can help their children develop categorizing and main idea skills. It also presents an overview of the two-column note format that students can use when they are reading for homework...

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Reading and the Brain

Reading and the Brain

Recently I ran across two articles related to studying the reading brain:

Advances in this area are made every day, but unfortunately very little of what these researchers learn gets in the hands of educators in the field. So I decided to devote this post to providing links to resources about this fascinating topic of reading and the brain.....

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Hot Topics in Literacy Education for 2015

For the past 20 years, Jack Cassidy, former president of the International Reading Association, has conducted a survey polling 25 leading literacy scholars and researchers to find out "what's hot and what's not" in the field of reading. “Hot” trends, as defined by survey respondents, indicate those receiving the most attention in a given year (not those that are most important). In this year's “What's Hot, What's Not” survey, which was published in the September/October 2014 issue of Reading Today, the following five topics were named “very hot” for the second consecutive year.......
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Welcome to Literacy Lines!

Welcome to the first post of Literacy Lines! On this site, we will share information related to best practices for teaching reading and writing.

Since Keys to Literacy was started in 2007, part of our mission has been to share what we learn about literacy instruction with educators so they can improve the reading and writing skills of students. This mission has its roots in my personal mission that began in the late 1970's when I first had the opportunity to teach students who struggled to read and write at the Landmark School......
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ACCESSING KEYS TO LITERACY PD DURING SCHOOL CLOSURES

We are closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation and the impact on our employees and the schools where we provide professional development.

During this time period when onsite, face-to-face training and coaching is not possible, we offer multiple options for accessing our literacy PD content and instructional practices.

If you are a current or new partner, explore our website or contact us to learn more about:

info@keystoliteracy.com
978-948-8511