NEWARK, DELAWARE, USA -- California teacher educators examined evidence-based reading instruction and teacher quality at a new reading faculty forum titled, "Evidence-Based Research in Reading: Implications and Challenges," in Sacramento this week. The workshop featured International Reading Association members, California Department of Education representatives, and several well-known reading researchers and faculty members. The workshop was cosponsored by California State University Center for the Advancement of Reading, California Department of Education, and California Commission on the Credentialing of Teachers.

According to MaryEllen Vogt, vice president of the International Reading Association and professor of teacher education at California State University, Long Beach, "The workshop encouraged evidence-based practice, a longstanding goal of the Association, which includes improving the quality of reading instruction at all levels by encouraging the study of the nature of the reading process, and stimulating and promoting research."

P. David Pearson, dean of the College of Education at the University of California, Berkeley, International Reading Association member, and faculty forum presenter commented on the need for teacher educators to prepare teachers who are knowledgeable about evidence-based reading instruction, "Somehow we must generate the political will to insist that every teacher receive quality training on all aspects of research-based pedagogy. Teacher education cannot accomplish this ambitious goal of knowledgeable and capable teachers in every classroom on its own. Schools, districts, professional organizations, and all of the other agencies in our society that do professional development will have to help. BUT, teacher education can help by getting all of its students off to a running start on acquiring the knowledge, skill, and will it takes to be an effective teacher. To that end, at least for preparing teachers to teach reading well, each and every teacher education program in the United States should ensure that its students...

• Know the basics of teaching kids how to read, including how reading develops, how oral language helps kids acquire written language, how to help kids crack the code, and how to teach them how to make sense out of textbooks, newspapers, and magazines.
• Get their practical experience under the best teachers our schools can provide as mentors.
• Know how to set up, organize, and manage classrooms so that kids can and will learn to read.
• Can motivate students to do their best work.
• Know how to read reports of the very latest research so that they can change their classroom practices to match new evidence.
• Can assess the progress of every child and change instruction when it is not working.
• Know enough about the cultures and languages kids bring to school to use those differences as resources rather than excuses for not teaching them well.

He continued, "And then we need to have the good sense and the professional courtesy to allow teachers some professional choices. Teachers deserve professional prerogative--as long as they are willing to guarantee that in return for that prerogative, they will seek the very best, the most up-to-date knowledge possible." He continued, "If our country wants better teachers, then we have to be willing to give teacher education a shot in the arm, a rap on the head, and a hit in the pocketbook. The shot in the arm is giving teachers a vote of confidence by affirming their right and responsibility to make professional decisions. The rap in the head is the reminder that with prerogative comes accountability for professional knowledge. And the hit in the pocketbook? If we want teachers who possess this kind of knowledge, skill and commitment, then we better be prepared to pay for the privilege. Frankly, $30,000 a year won’t do the job."

The reading faculty forum provided knowledge and tools to educators to help improve their evidence-based practices. The one-day program included a panel presentation entitled "Evidence-Based Research in Reading," featuring Edward Haertel, professor, Stanford University, technical advisor to What Works Clearinghouse; Mary Jane Pearson, Secretary’s Regional Representative, Region IX, U.S. Department of Education, Cathy Roller, Director of Research and Policy, International Reading Association, and P. David Pearson.

The International Reading Association is a community of reading professionals with over 80,000 members in nearly 100 countries, dedicated to promoting higher achievement levels in literacy, reading, and communication by continually advancing the quality of instruction worldwide.

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