IRA Advocacy Efforts Pay Off

Wording on reading and literacy included in reauthorization of Higher Education Act

The reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) was passed on July 29, 2008. While the majority of the bill focuses on student loans and grants, as well as new accountability for institutions of higher education, IRA had a fundamental role in affecting the reading and literacy sections by having very specific language included in the bill.

The idea for this language was the result of the efforts of an IRA Board committee, which drafted a set of legislative recommendations to improve professional development opportunities and programs in reading. IRA members were then able to reinforce the importance of reading preservice and inservice programs during their congressional visits at IRA's Legislative Workshop in February.

These advocacy efforts resulted in several key changes in literacy training to provide additional literacy instruction for elementary and secondary teachers, principals, and administrators. These changes are included in Title II of HEA, which pertains to Teacher Quality, and include the following:

Establishing reading as a high-need area for support
Expanding the understanding of preparation of reading teachers to include more emphasis on high-need students with a well-educated teacher

Below is some of the specific language in HEA related to literacy that was affected by IRA's input.

Definitions

Early childhood education programs will address children's cognitive (including language and early literacy) development.
Literacy coaches will have teaching experience and a master's degree with a concentration in reading and writing education; will have demonstrated proficiency in teaching reading and writing in a content area; will provide professional development related to literacy; and may provide students with reading or writing diagnosis, instruction, and assessment.
Teachers will have the teaching skills to focus on...students with low literacy levels.
Teacher mentoring of new or prospective teachers will include instructional strategies for literacy instruction.

Teacher Quality Partnership Grants Program

Teacher Quality Partnership Grants will be awarded to programs that include:

Strategies to meet the needs of students with low literacy levels
Successfully employ effective strategies for reading instruction using the essential components of reading instruction
An evaluation plan that includes objectives and measures for increasing the percentage of such teachers who teach high-need academic subject areas (such as reading)

Literacy training

Teacher Quality Partnership Grant Programs must

Provide reading instruction for elementary and secondary teachers and literacy coaches
Provide evidenced-based reading curricula aligned with state academic content standards and with postsecondary standards for reading and writing
Provide training for principals so they understand the teaching of reading
Select mentor teachers who have skills in the essential components of reading instruction and teacher training in literacy instructional strategies across core subject areas

Allowable use of funds

Partnership grant funds may be used to

Upgrade curriculum with high-quality instructional strategies for teaching reading
Develop teacher preparation programs that emphasize the essential components of reading instruction
Address early intervention strategies for students with reading difficulty

Partnership grant funds may be used by community colleges to

Develop associate's degree programs with an emphasis on the essential components of reading instruction to train preservice teachers, paraprofessionals, speech-language pathology assistants, and tutors to teach students with reading difficulties
Develop licensure programs for early childhood educators that emphasize the essential components of reading instruction
Address strategies for early screening and early intervention for students with reading difficulty

Next steps

The passage of the literacy training provisions in HEA provides teacher education programs the opportunity to expand their programs for high-quality reading education. The U.S. Department of Education will now seek feedback in proposing regulations for the law. This includes Title II, which encompasses the literacy training pieces in the Teacher Quality Partnership Grants and other new grant programs, including Preparing General Education Teachers to Teach Students With Disabilities.

The U.S. Department of Education will hold hearings around the country to give the public an opportunity to comment.

IRA advocacy efforts pay off (October/November 2008). Reading Today 26(2), 14.