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 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Commission on Reading met on Sunday, November 19, 2006 and Monday, November 20, 2006 following the NCTE annual convention in Nashville, Tennessee. Business included debrief of conference session presentations, book project progress update, NCTE goals combined with discussion and submission of 2007 conference proposals, and deciding a slate of new, incoming Commissioners.
Conference Sessions
Each conference session highlighted documents authored by NCTE Commission on Reading members:
- On Reading, Learning to Read, and Effective Reading Instruction: An Overview of What We Know and How We Know It
- A Call to Action: What We Know About Adolescent Literacy and Ways to Support Teachers in Meeting Students’ Needs
- Features of Literacy Programs: A Decision-Making Matrix
The NCTE Commission on Reading’s laser focus on providing a venue for constructive dialogue related to research-based practices on reading education and reading instruction, culminated with two conference sessions at the November, 2006 NCTE annual conference in Nashville, Tennessee.
November, 2006 NCTE conference sessions by Commission on Reading
- “Teachers as Agents of Change for Effective Literacy Instruction” including keynote followed by roundtable discussions led by Commissioners
- “Site-Based, On-Going Professional Development: Literacy Coaching and Beyond” featuring Catherine Bomer, followed by roundtable discussions led by Commissioners
These NCTE conference sessions were crafted to help teachers develop ways to provide effective literacy instruction when faced with the obstacles of NCLB and Reading First mandates, including scripted instruction. The phrase applied to this informed mode of teaching reading that goes beyond the narrow view of reading proffered by NCLB, is sometimes expressed as “teaching in the cracks”.
In addition to these two anchor sessions, members of the NCTE Commission on Reading also presented at the July, 2006 Whole Language Umbrella (WLU) conference in Charlotte, N.C. and at the May, 2007 International Reading Association (IRA) conference in Toronto, Canada.
July, 2006 and May, 2006 conference sessions by NCTE Commission on Reading
- “Three Documents of the NCTE Commission on Reading”, NCTE/WLU session by Caryl Crowell, Prisca Martens, Yetta Goodman
- “NCTE Commission on Reading: Professional Development That Goes Beyond Reading First Mandates--Literacy Coaching that Empowers Teachers”, NCTE / IRA co-sponsored session by Michael Shaw, Yetta Goodman, Jane Braunger, Evan Lefsky, Brenda Hawkins, Evan Robb, Catherine Maderazo, Prisca Martens, Carleen Payne
Book Publication
The significance of the NCTE Reading Commission documents had been affirmed over multiple years of conference sessions. As a result, Commissioners determined a real need to provide these documents as the core of a book, intended to impact a much wider audience. A goal for book publication had been set in November, 2005.
March, 2006
Steve Kucer sent an invitation letter which included a working title, proposed table of contents, tentative chapter topics, and committed authors as of that date, was sent to past and present Commissioners who were given a December, 2006 deadline for submitting chapters organized in three major areas:
- Part I Historical Framework
- Part II What Does the Research Say?: The Reading Commission Documents
- Part III Where Do the Reading Commission Documents Take Us?
November, 2006
This year-long process to publish a book moved forward. Steve Kucer, Reading Commission book project manager, and Ruth Rigby, Commission on Reading Director, presented the book proposal to NCTE publications editor, Kurt Austin, during the November, 2006 NCTE annual conference. The results of this meeting affirmed the viability of the project, and chapter deadlines were cemented.
February, 2007
Steve Kucer submitted the manuscript for the book to Kurt Austin, NCTE publications editor. The title of the book: For Your Eyes Only: What the Federal Government Won’t Let You Know About Teaching Reading, by the NCTE Commission on Reading, edited by Steve Kucer.
October, 2007
“The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is pleased to undertake the publication of your contribution to be included in our book entitled, For Your Eyes Only: What the Federal Government Won’t Let You Know About Teaching Reading. The Book manuscript was approved, and chapter authors were sent “Consent to Publish” and “Assignment of Copyright” forms for completion and submission to NCTE.
Commission on Reading BLOG
At the November, 2006 meeting, a discussion about a BLOG hosted by the NCTE Commission on Reading resulted in it being established. Evan Robb fulfilled the requirements of the project and communicated information about how to post. Invitations for posting will be discussed at the next meeting of the Commission on Reading.
“In Progress”
In progress at this time is the agenda for the convening of the Commission on Reading, when new projects, initiatives, and studies will be discussed.
Strategic Governance: Over the past three 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 , English Language Learners, and Professional Development . Currently, they are investigating how to expand access to reading research, how NCTE can help close the “achievement gap” in English language arts, and other audiences that NCTE could be serving. Does your group have research findings or suggestions to contribute that are relevant to on-going work on these strategic governance topics?
The Commission on Reading is publishing a book that includes reading research for the purpose of reaching a wide audience. (See Commission on Reading Annual Report.)
Ruth Rigby, Director
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