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The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted education at multiple levels over the last ten months. One common thread that has remained is the online learning and meeting platform for teachers, students, administrators, and families. This study reports on a survey of 560 K-12 educators across one southernmost part of a south-central state who shared their levels of preparedness during the transition to virtual learning in the Spring of 2020/amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Data analysis revealed that educators continued to focus on professional development during the summer of 2020 in preparation for the new academic year. Additional analysis showed that participants' self-efficacy of using technology to teach online remained high. This demonstrated the resiliency and adaptability of K-12 classroom teachers in the face of immediate changes affecting their pre-conceived notions of how a classroom looks and how learning is obtained.

Literacy teacher educators must actively engage as literacy leaders who are advocates for literacy, continuous professional learners, and responsive leaders. However, the literature base for literacy leadership is narrow and does not specifically address literacy teacher educators. To address this research gap, the current study explored current literacy leadership practices of literacy teacher educators and challenges they encounter during their literacy leadership pursuits. Using a survey research design, quantitative and qualitative data were collected among 65 experienced literacy teacher educators affiliated with university-based teacher preparation programs located in the South Central United States. Quantitative data were tabulated and reported as frequencies, and qualitative data were analyzed using three levels of coding. Findings revealed preliminary understandings about the literacy leadership practices of literacy teacher educators and pointed to three practical implications for teacher preparation programs administrators and leaders of professional organizations.

The purpose of this study was to gain a preliminary understanding of how literacy teacher educators in the United States view classroom teacher preparedness for literacy instruction. A cross-sectional survey was developed using the most recent version of professional preparation standards and components for classroom teachers released by the International Literacy Association. Quantitative data were collected among 205 respondents and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings for respondents' views were reported by grade-level band (i.e., preK/primary, elementary/intermediate, middle/high school), which revealed three overarching trends. A discussion of trends was provided, along with implications for literacy teacher education and future research areas.

High-quality literacy teacher preparation is critical for K-12 student success and an important topic. Teacher educators must develop instructional capacity and competence among preservice teachers, and the current study sought to discover how literacy teacher educators promoted understandings with curriculum, instructional approaches, and resources among preservice teachers. Using Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, we retrieved relevant survey data and examined reported preparation practices qualitatively. Our findings were congruent with preparation practices reported in extant literature for developing instructional capacity and competence among preservice teachers. Findings also revealed an imbalance with preparation practices, from which recommendations for literacy teacher educators were made.

Within Freedom Schools, the intellectual identities of academic achievement and success for Black children are fostered with positive cultural identity and social action as the foundation. This is partially accomplished with access to positive cultural messages in children's and young adult literature. The study in this article contributes to existing literature on the Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools and focuses on the ways in which Black children's positive racial identity development is supported through the use of culturally sustaining content and pedagogical practices at Freedom Schools. Specifically, this research explored racial identity development through examining the educational experiences of Black children's interactions with Movement Oriented Civil Rights-Themed Multicultural Children's Literature.

Racial identity development in young children is influenced by interactions with teachers and curriculum in schools. This article, using the framework of critical race theory, critical literacy, and critical pedagogy, explores how three elementary-aged Black children view their own identity development. Specifically, observing how children interact with Movement-Oriented Civil Rights-Themed Children's Literature (MO-CRiTLit) in the context of a non-traditional summer literacy program, Freedom Schools, to influence their Black identity. Professional development and preservice teacher preparation are needed to support teachers as they navigate through learning about pedagogical practices that increase student engagement.

Much literature has expressed concerns regarding preparation efforts for all aspects of literacy throughout all K-12 teaching areas, yet few studies have investigated preparedness through viewpoints of those who prepare literacy teachers. The purpose for the current study was to determine how literacy teacher educators view current levels of preparation among preservice literacy teachers with the dispositions, knowledge, and skills articulated by professional literacy standards. The current study utilized a cross-sectional, survey research design among 65 survey respondents selected by purposive sampling techniques. Data were analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics, and results were reported in the form of frequency counts and percentages. Findings revealed areas of strength and areas needing improvement with specific aspects of the professional literacy standards. Implications from these findings were discussed, as well as limitations of the current study and recommendations for future research.

Gender identity is influenced by a variety of characteristics, including race, social class, sexual orientation, language, and gender. This article explores the importance of critical literacy, critical pedagogy, and the influence on identity development. Furthermore, it seeks to provide practitioners and teacher educators with an understanding of the importance of introducing school-aged children to diverse multicultural literature and facilitating critical conversations to increase awareness around topics of gender identity.

Similar to K-12 classroom teachers, literacy teacher educators are susceptible to high levels of stress and burnout. The objective of the present analysis was to add to the limited base of available literature and specific challenges and pressures experienced by literacy teacher educators in Texas (n=61). Data from an open-ended survey question were collected and analyzed using content analysis techniques and three separate coding phases. Data analyses resulted in the following five categories: External Accountability and Mandates, Conceptions about Literacy and Professionalism, Characteristics of Preservice Teachers, Appropriate Classroom Settings, and Literacy Curricula and Preparation Program Requirements. Three implications from these findings were described, along with recommendations for practice.

This chapter focused on the notion of implementing Civil Rights-themed literature with elementary-aged students through interactive read alouds. With traditional pre-packaged scripted curriculum programs, teachers are challenged with implementing additional literature and utilizing resources to promote an expansive variety of learning experiences. Sample texts and interactive activities were addressed and provided for teachers to use as an initial starting point for introducing Civil Rights-themed literature in their classrooms. Lastly, implications for teacher professional development were addressed in an effort to provide teachers and teacher candidates with a space to explore a variety of authentic multicultural children's literature.

The purpose of this study was to determine the most prevalent African American Language (AAL) phonological and grammatical features in slavery- and Civil Rights–themed children's literature. Seventy-six books were initially selected to determine if they used AAL in dialogue or in narration. Of the 76 books, only 39 included AAL. The 39 books were analyzed further to categorize the specific AAL features used. The results revealed that the reduction of the final g (e.g., thinkin ') was the most prevalent phonological feature. Moreover, phonological features were used more often in slavery-themed texts than in Civil Rights texts. Additionally, the most frequently used AAL grammatical features were negation tense markers (e.g., didn't and neither) and subject-verb agreement (he listen). Grammatical features of AAL appeared more often in slavery-themed texts than Civil Rights themed texts. Implications for practice include suggestions for selecting, evaluating, and reading the books from this study with students. Implications for research include investigating other AAL features in slavery- and Civil Rights-themed books, authenticating the storylines of slavery- and Civil Rights–themed books, and analyzing other books with AAL that do not use these themes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]