Highlights from convention …

 Wouldn’t it feel good to go back to school and tell your friends how you, Sharon Draper, Goldie Hawn, Tony and Lauren Dungy, and your colleagues had such a great time together? Many of you did just that if you attended the International Reading Organization Convention in Orlando, Florida, May 7-11. The Convention provided the special thrill that comes with from being with several thousand colleagues all there to participate in this professional development opportunity. The keynote speaker motivated those attending while many outstanding speakers shared the latest and best literacy practices.

A special thrill for Missouri State Council members was seeing President Jeanie Cozens accept the IRA Award of Excellence on behalf of the Council. In addition, Lee’s Summit Council, Northwest Missouri Council, Springfield Council, and St. Louis Suburban Council received IRA Honor Council Awards.

A new feature of the Convention was the Teaching Edge, a series of six two-hour sessions that provided connected professional development. The literacy superstars who presented the sessions in Orlando included Regie Routman, Beverly Tyner, Joan Moser and Gail Boushey, Valerie Ellery, Richard Allington, and Lori Ozkus. If you couldn’t make it to Orlando, you can get the professional development knowledge of the series through video recordings available through IRA. You can also access other presentations from the Convention at www.reading.org.

Do you want to be a part of this excitement next year in Chicago. April 29-May1? Start working now to secure permission and funding. The National Association of State Title I Directors, a participant at IRA's convention, has determined that convention sessions meet the definitions found in Section 2123, Local Uses of Funds of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Title II, Part A can support teacher professional development across all core academic subjects.

Also, a variety of grant making organizations fund professional development activities for teachers. These include:

• Governmental agencies: U.S. Department of Education, state education departments, school districts
• Private foundations
• Private corporations (usually from the charitable giving office) 
• Education associations, including NEA and AFTA

  Also, did you know that IRA members save $100 on convention registration?

Whether you can go to the IRA Convention in person or virtually through the www.reading.org, plan on enriching your professional knowledge of literacy with the many IRA resources available to you.