Professional Development Resources

Acknowledgments

• Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) Clearinghouse on Reading, English and Communication. The Educational Resources and Information Center (ERIC) is a national information system designed to provide ready access to an extensive body of education–related literature, and contains more than one million records of journal articles, research reports, curriculum and teaching guides, conference papers, and books. This clearinghouse is dedicated to providing educational materials, services and coursework to parents and teachers interested in language arts.
• Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children, 1998. (See also NAEYC: http://www.naeyc.org/resources). This joint position statement of the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Association of the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a concise summary of the current issues and a review of the research on young children’s literacy development. It addresses the continuum of learning from birth through age eight and the teaching practices that support the achievement of benchmarks along that continuum.
• Standards for the English Language Arts, sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the International Reading Association (IRA). These standards, a joint effort of NCTE and IRA, offer guidance for the opportunities and resources students should have in order to develop the language skills they need. These standards encourage the development of curriculum and instruction that make productive use of the emerging literacy abilities that children bring to school.
• Starting Out Right: A Guide to Promoting Students’ Reading Success, 1999. This book identifies the most important questions and explores the authoritative answers on the topic of how children can become successful readers.
• A Conceptual Framework for Early Childhood Professional Development. (A Position Statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), November 1993). Washington, D.C. This comprehensive document addresses the need for quality standards in early childhood education programs and the principles of effective professional development.

• Eager to Learn, Educating Our Preschoolers, (2001). National Research Council.  The Committee on Early Childhood Pedagogy of the National Research Council has prepared a report that focuses primarily on research and practice related to the understanding of early childhood pedagogy. It provides a distillation of the knowledge base for practice in early childhood education programs, the training of teachers and child care professionals, and future research directions. Of particular interest are the chapters on curriculum and pedagogy which includes literacy, assessment and the preparation of early childhood professionals.
• Every Child Reading: A Professional Development Guide. (November 2000). Baltimore, Maryland: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.  As a companion to Every Child Reading: An Action Plan, the purpose of this document is to assist planners of professional development for reading and language arts education to set goals, select or design viable programs, and allocate resources wisely. This document contains an excellent list of what literacy teachers should know and be able to do. Pennsylvania Literacy Framework, 2001.  This framework is based on current thinking about teaching language arts in all subjects from early childhood to grade 12.
• Preventing Difficulties in Young Children. (1998). Washington, D.C.; National Research Council. Edited by Snow, Burns and Griffin. This book explores how to prevent reading difficulties and includes recommendations that identify children at risk, outline effective instruction for preschool and early grades, and discusses the many levels of implications for parents, teachers, schools communities, media and government. It explores in detail how to foster literacy from birth through kindergarten and through the primary grades, including the valuation of philosophies, systems and materials commonly used to teach reading.
• Results-Oriented Professional Development: In Search of an Optimal Mix of Effective Practices. Thomas R. Gusky, University of Kentucky. This article considers what research says about the effectiveness of professional development. In particular it considers the mixed messages reformers are getting from research and how we might make sense of those messages. A set of guidelines for professional development is drawn from the research on individual and organizational change to help educators translate the research into practice. Finally, the article examines the potential impact of implementing these guidelines.
• Standards for Reading Professionals, International Reading Association (IRA). This booklet describes what reading professionals should know and be able to do. It describes the literacy process and the teaching proficiencies professionals should possess to effectively apply that knowledge. The standards apply to individuals of all ages and levels and are provided for ten distinct roles performed by three categories of literacy professionals.
• Standards for Staff Development, Revised. (2001). Oxford, Ohio: National Staff Development Council (NSDC). Twelve standards define what is necessary if staff development is to impact student achievement. Each standard is accompanied by a two-page discussion that includes a rationale, case study, discussion questions, etc. These standards are organized into Context, Process, and Content areas.
• Teaching Reading IS Rocket Science: What Expert Teachers of Reading Should Know and be Able to Do. (June 1999). Louisa C. Moats, American Federation of Teachers. This paper, prepared for the American Federation of Teachers, explains what research says about effective reading instruction. It discusses the current state of teacher preparation in reading and describes the knowledge base and essential skills that teacher candidates and practicing teachers must master if they are to be successful in teaching all children to read well.

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