"Parents must ensure that their children's literacy rights are honored."
This is the message from Donna Ogle, a past president of the International Reading Association (IRA) .
"Talk to people at your child's school and find out if they use a high quality elementary reading program, popular children's books, and classic children's books in the classrooms," Ogle continued.
She encourages parents to help their children's schools provide reading instruction that honors what the IRA has called the Child's Bill of Literacy Rights.
Child's Bill of Literacy Rights
- Children have a right to appropriate early reading instruction based on their individual needs.
- Children have a right to reading instruction that builds both skill and the desire to read increasingly complex materials.
- Children have a right to well-prepared teachers who keep their skills up to date through effective professional development.
- Children have the right of access to a wide variety of books and other reading material in their classrooms, and in school and community libraries.
- Children have a right to reading assessment that identifies their strengths as well as their needs and involves them in making decisions about their own learning.
- Children have a right to supplemental instruction from professionals specifically prepared to teach reading.
- Children have a right to reading instruction that involves parents and communities in their academic lives.
- Children have a right to reading instruction that makes meaningful use of their first language skills.
- Children have a right to equal access to the technology used for the improvement of reading instruction.
- Children have a right to classrooms that optimize learning opportunities.
All ten of the literacy rights are included in the International Reading Association's position statement, Making a Difference Means Making It Different: Honoring Children's Rights to Excellent Reading Instruction. The paper is meant to be a guide to policy makers, parents, teachers and others who want to improve schools. Read it online or call 800-336-READ, ext. 266.