Hot Topics in Literacy Education for 2016

The International Reading Association released its annual list that forecasts "hot" topics in literacy education. Hot is not the same as important, but indicates an area of high interest or even debate among reading experts.  Conducted by Jack Cassidy,Stephanie Grote-Garcia, and Evan Ortlieb, the 2016 survey polled 25 leading literacy scholars and researchers to find what's hot and what's not.

2015 IRA LITERACY SURVEY

VERY HOT:

• Common Core State Standards
• Close Reading/Deep Reading
• Digital Literacies/New Literacies/Media Literacy
• Disciplinary/Content Area Literacy
• College and Career Readiness
• Informational/Nonfiction Texts
• Text Complexity

SHOULD BE VERY HOT:

• Adolescent Literacy
• Writing--academic, argumentative, and based on sources

VERY COLD BUT SHOULD BE HOT:

• Literacy Coaches
• Motivation/Engagement
• Creative Writing
• Oral Language
• Summer Reading/Summer Loss

VERY COLD AND SHOULD BE COLD: 

• Phonics/ phonemic Awareness
• Fluency

HOT BUT SHOULD BE COLD:

• High-Stakes Testing

(Cassidy, Grote-Garcia, & Ortlieb, 2015)

Hot Topics in Literacy Education for 2014

The International Reading Association released its annual list that forecasts "hot" topics in literacy education. Hot is not the same as important, but indicates an area of high interest or even debate among reading experts.  Conducted by Jack Cassidy and Stephanie Grote-Garcia, the 2014 survey polled 25 leading literacy scholars and researchers to find what's hot and what's not.

2014 IRA LITERACY SURVEY

HOT AND SHOULD BE HOT:

• Common Core State Standards
• Close Reading/Deep Reading
• Disciplinary/Content Area Literacy
• College and Career Readiness
• Informational/Nonfiction Texts
• Text Complexity

NOT HOT BUT SHOULD BE VERY HOT:

• Preschool Literacy Instruction/Experiences
• Adolescent Literacies
• Motivation/Engagement
• Struggling/Striving Readers (4th grade +)
• Writing

NOT HOT BUT SHOULD BE HOT:

• Literacy Coaches
• Critical Reading and Writing
• Differentiated Instruction
• Early Intervention (K-3)
• Formative Assessment
• Professional Development for Inservice Teachers
• Teacher Education for Preservice Teachers

NOT HOT AND SHOULD NOT BE HOT:

• Phonics
• Phonemic Awareness
• Fluency
• International Comparisons

(Cassidy & Grote-Garcia, 2013)

Surprisingly,  lukewarm topics include digital literacies, English language learners, and political/policy influences, along with waning topics comprehension and vocabulary. The experts agree these should all be hotter!

Hot Topics in Literacy Education for 2013

The International Reading Association released its annual list of "hot" topics in literacy education. Conducted by Jack Cassidy and Stephanie Grote-Garcia, the 2013 survey polled 25 leading literacy scholars and researchers to find what's hot and what's not.

2013 LITERACY SURVEY

HOT:

• Common Core State Standards
• Comprehension
• Adolescent Literacy
• College and Career Readiness
• Informational/Nonfiction Texts

SHOULD BE HOT:

• English Learners/ESL
• Motivation/Engagement
• Struggling/Striving Readers (4th grade +)
• Vocabulary/Word Meaning
• Writing

SOMEWHAT HOT

• New Literacies/Digital Literacies
• Content Area Literacy
• Early Intervention (K-3)
• Political/Policy Influences on Literacy
• Response to Intervention
• Text Complexity

HOT BUT SHOULD NOT BE HOT:

• High-stakes Assessment

The experts agree; these two topics are

NOT HOT AND SHOULD NOT BE HOT:

• Phonics
• Phonemic Awareness

(Cassidy & Grote-Garcia, 2012) http://www.reading.org/general/Publications/blog/BlogSinglePost.aspx/reading-today-online/2012/09/14/2013-what-s-hot-what-s-not-literacy-survey-how-it-was-done

Hot Topics in Literacy Education for 2012

The International Reading Association's 2012 survey of 25 leading literacy scholars and researchers revealed the following "hot" topics in literacy education:

HOT
new literacies/ digital literacies
adolescent literacy
college and career readiness
Common Core standards
comprehension
high–stakes assessment
informational/non-fiction texts
response to intervention (RTI)

SOMEWHAT HOT
early intervention
English as a second language/English–language learners
political/policy influences on literacy
struggling/striving readers (grade 4 and above)
vocabulary/word meaning

NOT HOT
phonics
phonemic awareness
fluency

Finally, there's one topic that literacy experts strongly agreed that:

SHOULD BE HOT BUT IS NOT
Writing

(Cassidy & Loveless, 2011, Reading Today http://www.reading.org/General/Default.aspx)