NCTE INBOX

August 2, 2005
...news


News links are provided for informational purposes, do not imply endorsement by NCTE, and were live when this issue was published.
*States and Districts Send Literacy Coaches to the Rescue (Education Week, July 27) (free registration required)* In the movement to improve reading instruction, a growing cadre of literacy coaches is helping new and veteran teachers alike craft lessons, hone teaching strategies, select materials, analyze student data, and find relevant journal articles. http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2005/07/27/43coach.h24.html
*Many Schools Require Summer Reading Only for the Best Students (South Florida Sun-Sentinel, August 1)* Fearing their low-performing students will not buy books or get the parental support needed to enforce nightly reading time, most Palm Beach County schools have been mandating summer reading only for their best students: those in honors, Advanced Placement, and International Baccalaureate classes. Many schools have low expectations for poor readers and decline to give out a list of summer books that may go unread, said Agathaniki Locklear, chair of NCTE's Secondary Section Steering Committee. She said they also fear parents will not support a summer reading push. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/ sfl-pread01aug01,0,6388422.story?coll=sfla-news-sfla	Partially underwritten by: (advertisement)
*9 of 10 Teens Now Using the Internet (Chicago Sun-Times, July 28)* A survey released by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 87 percent of teens are Internet users, up from 73 percent five years ago. A whopping 84 percent of teens reported owning at least one communication device, either a desktop or laptop computer, a cell phone, or a personal digital assistant. http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-teen28.html Read the report Teens and Technology: Youth are Leading the Transition to a Fully Wired and Mobile Nation at http://www.pewinternet.org/report_display.asp?r=162 *Schools Shift Approach as Adolescent Readers Fail to Improve (The Washington Post, August 1) (free registration required)* Stagnant reading scores among middle school students in Maryland and Virginia have caught the attention of educators, who are starting to target literacy programs at adolescents after years of focusing mostly on younger children. New data from NAEP show that, nationwide, the typical 13-year-old could read no better in the 2003-04 school year than the student's counterpart five years earlier. Nine-year-olds, however, showed significant gains. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/ article/2005/07/31/AR2005073100959.html *To Pump Up Reading, Schools Cut Back Fun (St. Petersburg Times, July 29)* A statewide effort to improve reading in middle and high schools is whittling away beloved elective courses that many educators think keep struggling students from dropping out. http://www.sptimes.com/2005/07/29/Tampabay/To_pump_up_reading__s.shtml *College Enrollments Continue to Swell (Inside Higher Ed, August 1)* For-profit colleges are growing faster than their peer institutions and the representation of female, Black, and Hispanic students is rising at greater rates than is true for other students, a new Education Department study shows. http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/08/01/enroll Read the report Enrollment in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2003; Graduation Rates 2000 Cohorts; and Financial Statistics, Fiscal Year 2003 at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2005/2005177.pdf *How to Keep Those Kids in Class? Pay Them. (The Christian Science Monitor, July 29)* Under a new plan, students at Chelsea High School in Boston stand to earn up to $400 by receiving $25 per quarter -- redeemable only when they graduate -- for perfect attendance. http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0729/p01s03-ussc.html
...views


Effective Literacy Coaching Supports Teachers of Adolescent Learners "A Call to Action: What We Know About Adolescent Literacy and Ways to Support Teachers in Meeting Students' Needs" addresses the needs of secondary readers and their teachers. See http://www.ncte.org/about/over/positions/category/read/118622.htm Collaborative leadership is one key to tackling the literacy issues school face. Find the NCTE online resource collection on coaching at http://www.ncte.org/collections/literacycoach
...ideas


Free access to journal articles mentioned in this INBOX is provided for 21 days. After this free access period expires, articles are available to journal subscribers only. Initials in annotations indicate academic level of the resource (E=Elementary, M=Middle, S=Secondary, C=College, G=General).
Connecting to Summer Reading This Fall Last spring, you encouraged students to read over the summer. What do you do now that they're returning to the classroom? Whether your school had a formal summer reading program or students read self-selected texts, you can offer activities that invite discussion and strengthen reading skills. These resources offer specific classroom activities that can connect with students' summer reading. http://www.ncte.org/about/over/inbox/ideas/121388.htm
...announcements


Register for NCTE's Two-Day Workshops on Teaching Writing! Discover strategies and techniques for effective writing instruction in a series of two-day workshops from NCTE. You'll learn what quality writing programs look like at the secondary level, how to create a supportive context for writing, methods for assessing quality writing in a time of testing, and much more. For more information, visit http://www.ncte.org/profdev/conv/workshops/writing/ NCTE Annual Convention Preview and Housing Information The 2005 NCTE Annual Convention Preview is now available online. You can visit the online version today for a look at all of the exciting speakers and events at the 2005 Annual Convention in Pittsburgh! Visit http://www.ncte.org/profdev/conv/annual/news/121351.htm Online and print housing reservation forms are now available for the 2005 NCTE Annual Convention in Pittsburgh. Be sure to book your hotel room today! http://www.ncte.org/profdev/conv/annual/reg/121249.htm
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