Nina Zolt and Miles Gilburne sponsored these three new awards: 

IRA Esther Zolt Teacher Research Award 
This award, established in memory of Esther Zolt, a life-long elementary classroom teacher, may be given annually for a completed action research study. The study should be conducted by a teacher who has implemented In2Books with exceptional innovation and rigor, leading to the development of curious and independent learners. This award is for US $2,500. 

IRA Esther Zolt Academic Research Award 
This award, established in memory of Esther Zolt, a life-long elementary classroom teacher, may be given annually for a completed research study on the effective classroom implementation of In2Books that inspires others to improve teaching and learning in innovative ways. This award is for US $2,500. 

IRA Erwin Zolt Curriculum Excellence Award 
This award, established in memory of Erwin Zolt, who inspired in others a “zest for knowledge”, may be given annually to support exceptional design and execution of a curriculum unit based on In2Books and the Common Core State Standards, inspiring students to transform knowledge into creative action. This award is for US $2,500. 

All applicants must be members of the International Reading Association (IRA). Applications for these awards are due November 15, 2011. 

The Board of Directors approved the following research grants at its May meeting. Congratulations to all recipients. 

Steven A. Stahl Research Grant 
Lisa O’Brien, Boston University for The Role of Text in the Primary Grades: Supporting Young Children’s Development of Conceptual Knowledge and Expository Text Comprehension 

Elva Knight Research Grants 
Thomas Crisp, University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, for the proposal titled “I Just KNOW It’s a Boy: Re-Examining Constructions of Gender in Award- Winning Children’s Picture Books” 
Gay Ivey, James Madison University and Peter Johnston, University at Albany, SUNY, for the proposal titled “A Mixed Methods Study of Literacy Engagement and Its Influence on Youth Identities and Relationships” 

Nila Banton Smith Research Dissemination Support Grant 
Cheri Williams, University of Cincinnati and Connie Mayer, York University, for the proposal titled “Writing Development in Young Deaf Children: A Review of the Literature” 

Helen M. Robinson Grant 
Angie Zapata, University of Texas at Austin, for the proposal titled “Teachers’ Inquiry, Insights, and Instruction with Bilingual Children’s Literature to Enhance Language Study” 

Teacher as Researcher Grants 
Victoria Dodd, Duluth High School, Georgia, for the project titled From Beowulf to Facebook: Student Perceptions of Traditional Language Arts & New Media Literacies 
Joanna Kaiser, University of Nevada, Reno and Michele Cacioppo, Bordewich-Bray Elementary, Nevada, for the project titled Instilling a Love of Books: Reaching for a Lifetime of Literacy Learning 
Erin Vaughn, University of Nevada, Reno, for the project titled The Effects of Students’ Critical-Questioning Skills on Reading Comprehension and the Alignment of Teacher Instruction

Recently, $25 million in federal funding for RIF was eliminated. The amount is about 80% of RIF’s total operating budget.  The Be Book Smart campaign offered a timely opportunity to help RIF increase private funding while giving back to local communities. Since 2004, RIF’s partnership with Macy’s has raised nearly $21 million to support children’s literacy through customer-supported fundraising campaigns, in-store events, and volunteer activities. 

For the third year in a row, more than 1 million Macy’s customers sprung into action to support Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), the nation’s largest children’s literacy nonprofit. From June 24 to July 31, Macy’s customers donated $3 through the Be Book Smart campaign to provide a book for a child, and Macy’s donated 100 percent of every $3 to RIF for a total donation of $4.9 million. The organizations partnered with the goal of giving 1 million books to children. 

“RIF is overwhelmed by the generous support of Macy’s and the millions of customers who shopped during the Be Book Smart campaign,” said Carol H. Rasco, president and CEO of RIF. “As we look to our future, we are pleased to call Macy’s our partner and appreciate their ongoing commitment to RIF and our efforts to improve children’s literacy in the United States.” 

Earlier this year, federal funding for RIF was eliminated from the budget which accounts for 80 percent of the organization’s overall operating budget. Macy’s annual campaign offered a timely opportunity to help increase private funding for the organization while giving back to local communities.  

“Giving back to local communities is a cornerstone of our business,” said Martine Reardon, executive vice president of marketing for Macy’s. “Reading Is Fundamental has a long history of inspiring children to read and achieve by providing books to own at home. Macy’s passionately supports children’s literacy, and we thank our customers for adding their generous contribution to the RIF organization.”

Since 2004, RIF’s partnership with Macy’s has raised nearly $21 million to support children’s literacy through customer-supported fundraising campaigns, in-store events, and volunteer activities. Last year, Macy’s supported RIF programs that provided 3.6 million free books to more than 1.2 million children and donated 350 multicultural book collections to RIF programs throughout the country.

For more information, visit RIF’s website at www.rif.org.

Advocacy for Literacy

Membership

The National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources (NAEIR) is a program that helps schools receive free supplies.

Galesburg, Illinois-based NAEIR, dedicates energy and resources to soliciting donations of valuable, new merchandise from American corporations and redistributing that merchandise to members, which include schools, churches, and other nonprofit organizations. 

Companies donate merchandise to NAEIR to support nonprofit and charitable organizations, take advantage of tax deductions and clear out warehouse space. Schools and nonprofit organizations pay a small membership fee and nominal shipping and handling charges to participate in NAEIR’s program, but the merchandise itself is free. NAEIR handles sorting, processing, cataloging, and redistribution of the merchandise. They publish five, 200-page catalogs per year through which members can browse and request free merchandise.  

Organizations that become NAEIR members must agree to use the merchandise received through NAEIR in accordance with IRC section 170(e)(3), which states that the merchandise must be used for the care of the ill, needy, or minors and cannot be bartered, traded, or sold. The merchandise can be given directly to the qualifying individuals served by an organization or used in the administration of the organization.

NAEIR members are averaging more than $18,000 worth of free products per year for their organizations. In addition to the catalog allocations, as attractive merchandise becomes available, members receive 70 Special Offers annually. NAEIR also offers a variety of other special promotions, including participation in a “Grab Bag,” where members can visit their distribution center and gather materials on site.

For more information, call 1-800-562-0955 or visit www.naeir.org. 

Learning Forward (formerly the National Staff Development Council) released a revised set of Standards for Professional Learning. In collaboration with numerous educational organizations, the standards offer suggestions for increasing the effectiveness of professional learning in seven key areas. For more information, see: http://www.learningforward.org/standards/index.cfm