Top Ten Reasons It Is Good If Your Teacher Is a Reader
NCTE member Katherine Sokolowski writes.  Nerdy Book Club blog, May 11, 2013

It's All on the Label
NCTE member Jennifer Ochoa writes about an alternative to computer scoring.  WNYC SchoolBook blog, May 9, 2013

the NCTE Position Statement on Machine Scoring

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. . . More on Standardized Testing, Teachers, and Students
"How Testing Will Change What I Teach Next Year":   Bill Ferriter's blog, Center for Teaching Quality, May 7, 2013
"It's Time to Refocus on the Learner":   SmartBlog on Education, SmartBrief, May 10, 2013

A "Beginner's Mind" for Thinking about Schools
Will Richardson writes.  SmartBlog on Education, SmartBrief, May 13, 2013

Diversity at Issue as States Weigh Teacher Entry
Education Week, May 8, 2013

CEE position statement on Supporting Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Learners in English Education

Singular "They": A Footnote
NCTE member Anne Curzan writes.  The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 10, 2013


NCTE Guidelines for Gender-Fair Use of Language

Survey Shows Cursive, on the Decline, Is Taught in Many Classrooms Nationwide
The Washington Post, May 9, 2013

Further Thoughts on "No Rich Child Left Behind"
NCTE member Mike Rose writes about the rich/poor gap in schools and the research of Sean Reardon.   Mike Rose's blog, May 6, 2013
Compare Mike Petrelli and Deborah Meier on this issue.

Five Ways Teachers Can Use Technology to Help Students
The Blog, The Huffington Post, May 7, 2013

. . . More on Technology and Schools
"Students Want More Mobile Devices in Classroom":  Read the report.  InformationWeek, May 6, 2013
"6th Graders Flex Their Social Media Muscles for Change!":   The Blog, The Huffington Post, May 1, 2013
"Which Students Spend the Most Time Online?"  Read the report.  eCampus News, May 10, 2013

Why America's "Hacker Generation" Can Thrive as Teachers
The Christian Science Monitor, May 7, 2013

Fostering Teacher Expertise: Reflections from an Educator at Gates
Education Week Teacher, May 6, 2013

Speaking about Teacher Collaboration: How Does Working in a Community of Practice Strengthen Instruction? 
Literacy in Learning Exchange

Teaching Reading: A Semester of Inquiry
NCTE member Antero Garcia shares his undergraduate class's inquiry on teaching reading.  DIGITAL IS community, National Writing Project, May 6, 2013

Celebrate Books Year-Round!
Just in time for Children's Book Week, May 13-19, the NCTE Children’s Literature Assembly has announced its list of Notable Children’s Books in the English Language Arts (E, M). The list includes 30 works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry written for children in grades K-8. See the following selected resources from NCTE and ReadWriteThink.org for ideas on how you can celebrate books next week and all year:

NCTE Orbis Pictus Awards for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children (G)

A Master Class in Children's Literature: Trends and Issues in an Evolving Field (E-M) includes essays, written by educators, that focus on contemporary issues in children's literature and provide suggestions, strategies, and resources for implementation and instruction; each is applicable for teacher educators, teachers, and librarians in children's literature courses.

In the ReadWriteThink.org podcast series Chatting about Books: Recommendations for Young Readers (E), Emily Manning chats with kids, parents, and teachers about the best in children’s literature for ages 4 through 11 and includes reading tips and fun activities.

Text Messages: Recommendations for Adolescent Readers (M-S), also from ReadWriteThink.org, is a monthly podcast providing families, educators, out-of-school practitioners, and tutors reading recommendations they can pass along to teen readers. Episodes are hosted by Jennifer Buehler and feature in-depth recommendations of titles that will engage and excite teen readers.

Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE (ALAN) and its ALAN Review, a journal emphasizing new books, research, and methods of teaching adolescent literature

Teri Lesesne's "Adolescents Reading: A Field of Dreams?" (S) provides sure-fire approaches for helping students find books that engage them. 

"Young Adult Literature in Today's Classroom" (TE), from English Leadership Quarterly, discusses both the robust explosion of young adult literature and the debate about the reasons for its popularity and its value in the classroom.

Several NCTE journals review new texts:

Language Arts:  "Children's Literature Reviews" provides reviews of children's and young adolescent literature.

Voices from the Middle:  "Young Adult Literature" highlights new YA titles based on themes such as "Books That Hook" and "Adolescents and Adolescence: Turning Their World Upside Down." There is also a column, "Student to Student," which features reviews of children's and YA lit that are written by middle school students.

English Journal:  "Off the Shelves" explores a wide range of topics related to literature written for and/or read by young adults, with a strong emphasis on recently published works.

For more ideas, see the ReadWriteThink.org calendar entry on Children’s Book Week.

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Join WLU July 18-20 for the Literacies for All Summer Institute
The 2013 Literacies for All Summer Institute is fast approaching! We hope you will join us July 18-20, as literacy educators from around the world converge on the Hofstra University campus for a weekend filled with workshops, speakers, networking, and more. Learn about the opportunity to celebrate relationships and partnerships in the Summer Institute Preview and register today!

CCCC Election Candidates Announced -- Ballots Will Be Sent by Email
Nominees for the 2013 Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) elections have been announced. Beginning this year, CCCC members with a current email address on file will receive their ballots by email. Please update your membership record with a new email address, if needed. Ballots will be sent out by the end of May.

June 15 Is Research Foundation Grant Deadline
The trustees of the NCTE Research Foundation encourage proposals that reflect the diverse interests among our NCTE membership, including but not limited to proposals focusing on underrepresented populations, equity pedagogies, curriculum changes and the effect the changes have on students, school policies, changes in teaching methods, student interaction and learning, community literacy, home-school literacy relationships, after-school programs, student literacy practices in and out of school, and other relevant topics of study. Applications must be received no later than June 15.

Apply to Become the Next Editor of English Education
The term of the current editors, Lisa Scherff and Leslie Rush, will end in July 2015. Applicants for the English Education editorship should be tenured (or have completed the tenure process with a reasonable certainty that tenure will be granted) and should have published in English Education or a national journal of similar quality. The application deadline is August 31.

A PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EDUCATORS IN ENGLISH STUDIES, LITERACY, AND LANGUAGE ARTS