Commission on Reading

Function: The Commission on Reading is a deliberative and advisory body which each year identifies and reports to the NCTE Executive Committee on key issues in the teaching of reading; reviews what the Council has done concerning reading during the year; and recommends new projects and persons who might undertake them. The Commission monitors current and projected NCTE publications (other than journals); suggests topics for future NCTE publications on reading; and performs a similar role of review and recommendation for the NCTE Annual Convention program. Occasionally, the commission undertakes further tasks and projects as approved by the Executive Committee.

The NCTE Commission on Reading worked to meet the goals established at their annual meeting held at the close of the NCTE conference held in Pittsburgh, Pa., November 2005.

Outgoing NCTE Commission on Reading Director Jane Braunger led the meeting of the NCTE Commission on Reading, and established the goals for the coming year, including

• submission of proposals for conference sessions sponsored by the Commission on Reading at the NCTE 2006 conference in Nashville, TN. 
• writing a book critiquing the historical significance of national reading policy documents, and including significant reading research as demonstrated by three reading documents developed by the NCTE Commission on Reading over the past years
• nominate appointees to serve as members of the Commission on Reading at the end of the 2006 term of Commissioners Ayanna Brown, Danling Fu, Prisca Martins, and Michael Shaw

Five members of the Commission on Reading completed their term at the end of the convention in November, 2005: Stephanie Carter, Steve Kucer, Margaret Phinney, Laura Robb, Jane Braunger. Five new members were added: Karen Delbridge, Brenda Hawkins, Evan Lefsky, Jan Lewis, and Carleen Payne, with Ruth Rigby as new incoming director of the NCTE Commission on Reading.  New members and new director’ terms began at the close of the NCTE conference.

Director Jane Braunger reviewed the following NCTE documents: “How NCTE Serves the Public Interest 2005-2008”; 2006 Focus Issue”; and “NCTE’s 2020 Vision”.

Commission members formulated session topics around the NCTE focus area of professional development, and outlined book chapters at the Commission on Reading meeting held at the NCTE conference in Pittsburgh, November 2005. New appointees for Commissioners whose term will end in November, 2006 were also nominated and recommended to the NCTE Board: Daneel Edwards, Catherine Maderazo, Evan Robb, Andrew Ravin.

Following the 2005 conference, newly appointed NCTE Commission on Reading director, Ruth E. Rigby, established communication among the Reading Commissioners to put forward two major projects:

1) guaranteed proposals for two conference sessions sponsored by the Commission on Reading at the NCTE convention to be held in Nashville, TN, November 2006.

2) the commitment of authors for an edited book that “examines the policies and practices of reading instruction that go back to Becoming a Nation of Readers and ending with No Child Left Behind and beyond.”

Steve Kucer, Commission on Reading member, led the book project with Jan Lewis, Brenda Hawkins, and Karen Delbridge. Steve wrote a letter of invitation, and solicited chapter authors from current and immediate past NCTE Commission on Reading members. It was significant that commission members were tapped for this role, as the idea for the book was a direct outgrowth of Commission on Reading contributions to the seminal ideas and development of three reading documents which had been presented at NCTE conferences over past years. The Commission on Reading determined that the three reading documents authored by the Commission on Reading would serve as the core of the book, framed by Becoming a Nation of Readers (25th anniversary) and No Child Left Behind. Commission documents would serve as change agents to reform future policy documents: 1) On Learning to Read and Effective Reading Instruction: An Overview of What We Know and How We Know It; 2) A Call to Action: What We Know About Adolescent Literacy and Ways to Support Teachers in Meeting Students’ Needs; and 3) Features of Literacy Programs: A Decision-Making Matrix.

The following past and present Commission on Reading members agreed to serve as authors: Steve Kucer, Jan Lewis, Karen Delbridge, Brenda Hawkins, Margaret Phinney, Penny Silvers, Yetta Goodman, Danling Fu, Patrick Shannon, Ruth Rigby, Jane Braunger, Jan Lewis, Connie Weaver, Joann Yatvin, Linda Miller Cleary, -----(Linda—I need additional names from Steve Kucer.)

The 2006 NCTE guaranteed convention sessions were submitted to the Program Chair:

“Site-Based, On-Going Professional Development That Goes Beyond “No Child
Left Behind” Mandates: Coaching that Empowers Teachers” with speaker Katherine Bomer and members of the Commission on Reading: Danling Fu, Brenda Hawkins, Evan Lefsky, Laura Robb, Michael Shaw, Ruth Rigby, Carleen Payne.

“Teachers as Agents of Change for Effective Literacy Instruction” with discussion leaders: Stephen Kucer, Carleen Payne, Michael Shaw.

Other Commission contributions during the year included response to ACEI NCATE standards for early childhood teachers, two conference sessions to explain and provide discussion about the three NCTE Commission on Reading documents.

 “Literacy Coaching and Professional Development that Supports Teacher Learning, Teacher Instruction, and Improved Student Outcomes”, an IRA co-sponsored conference session in Chicago, IL in May 2006 (Michael Shaw, Laura Robb, Steve Kucer, Evan Lefsky, Jane Braunger, Brenda Hawkins, and Penny Silvers)

and, a conference session at the NCTE WLU “Literacies for All” conference in Charlotte, N.C. in July, 2006 (Caryl Crowell, Prisca Martens, Yetta Goodman)

Strategic Governance: Over the past two years, the NCTE Executive Committee has established outcomes and priorities relating to these key topics in our field: Teacher Quality, Adolescent Literacy, Assessment, Writing, Multimodal Literacy and Technology, Research and Teaching, and English Language Learners. Currently, they are investigating the broad topic of professional development for literacy educators.

Does your group have research findings or suggestions to contribute that are relevant to on-going work on these strategic governance topics?

Documents of the Commission on Reading contain research related to adolescent literacy, as well as other research-based reading documents, including a matrix of principles for consideration in the selection of reading curriculum.

Ruth E. Rigby, Director