Literacy Stars in the Making: Reading & Writing Fluency Idol

This article describes an intervention project with 20 K-5 students who were receiving remedial reading support during a summer reading clinic. Reading & Writing Fluency Idol capitalizes on the power of poetry, scaffolding, and explicit feedback to motivate and engage students while building a wide range of literacy skills. The K-5 students read mentor poems and texts using a variety of evidence-based fluency practices, and then used the texts as models for their own writing. The article explains how the authors implemented the intervention culminating in a Fluency Idol event to showcase and celebrate the children as readers and writers

Specialized Literacy Professionals as Literacy Leaders: Results of a National Survey

This large-scale national survey of specialized literacy professionals was designed to answer questions about responsibilities, including leadership, and preparation for these roles. Questionnaires, completed by over 2,500 respondents, indicated that respondents had multiple responsibilities that included both instruction of struggling readers and support for teachers. Four distinct role-groups were identified: instructional/literacy coaches, reading/literacy specialists, reading teachers/interventionists, and supervisors. The findings indicated a need for more precise definitions of the roles of these professionals and for preparation programs to include experiences that address the tasks required. Themes discussed included: roles have changed and require more focus on leadership, specialists must be nimble, and they require more in-depth preparation to handle the leadership demands of their positions