Philadelphia Reading Council Connection

Winter, 2015
Dear Members and Friends,
We hope that many of you are enjoying a snow day! Yesterday, Rita
touched base to encourage everyone to join into our online
conversation about Thrive by Meenoo Rami. There are currently three
threads to check in on -- Introductions of Participants, Introduction &
Chapter 1 of the book, and Chapters 2 & 3. Jump in wherever you wish,
whether you have a comment about the book, the topic of teacher reinvigoration overall, or a connection with another participants post.
(For those who are reading ahead, look for a familiar face on page 64!)
We also wanted to update you on a few other issues. Rita and I were
virtual attendees at a KSRA Board Meeting this weekend. Here are
some of the highlights of the discussion:
*As many of you know, the Pennsylvania Department of Education very
suddenly announced, in a memo in December, that the reading
specialist certification can now be added-on by taking and passing
the Praxis exam, without any additional coursework or fieldwork. To
most if not all literacy professionals, this represents a gross
misunderstanding and oversimplification of the role of the reading
specialist. KSRA has taken an active role in trying to overturn this
change. Despite their efforts, no real progress was made with the
previous administration, so their advocacy will start again with Pedro
Rivera, the new education secretary. Please visit the KSRA and IRA/ILA
(see next item) websites for more information on this topic.
*The International Reading Association has been going through a
process of transition in an effort to expand their scope and to represent
our increasing understanding of the interrelatedness of all aspects of
literacy. To reflect this expanding focus, the IRA is now the International
Literacy Association. The website has the same URL (reading.org), but
a new look and many excellent resources, including an FAQ page about
the transition, so be sure to stop by.
*The International Literacy Associations annual conference will be held
in the summer for the first time, to accommodate the reality of
teachers schedules. The conference will be held in St. Louis, from July
18th to 20th. Registration is open and there is much info on the ILA
website. If you are able to attend, it promises to be a great
opportunity!
*Closer to home, were looking forward to our next Phila Reading
Council event! On Saturday, May 2nd, we are co-sponsoring a literacy

conference with the AUA Honor Society of St. Joes. We are honored to
have Linda Gambrell as the featured speaker. She is an icon in the
areas of comprehension and motivation, and an influential literacy
leader. There will be also be a wide array of breakout sessions from
which to choose. We are attaching a preliminary flier; stay tuned for
more information.
We hope to see you online soon and face-to-face at our May event. We
also have a general discussion board on our website, so stop by there
at any time if youd like to leave a comment or post a question for the
group.
Best wishes for a cozy winter,
Janice