Policy Review Blog

EDES 6359

Natalie Lozano

Loyola Marymount University

 Running Head: POLICY REVIEW BLOG 1

The Literacy Leadership Brief from the ​International Literacy Association ​that I chose to

examine in this blog post was, “Literacy Teacher Preparation.” This Literacy Leadership Brief

caught my attention because having just recently completed my own teacher preparation at a

private university in 2017, I was interested to learn more about the policies that have been made

not only regarding teacher preparation, but also literacy teacher preparation. This article takes a

deep dive into research based best practices in literacy teacher preparation. At the federal level,

research and theory are not taken into consideration when making policy decisions, especially

regarding alternative pathways to teaching, for example Teach for America. The article mentions

that there is little research to support the effectiveness of the rapid teacher preparation pace

included in these alternative pathways, and instead offers a comprehensive look at the best

research based practices for literacy teacher preparation.

According to the article, “One constant message has been that teachers and teacher

quality matter. It follows that the programs that prepare teachers also matter” (p. 2, 2017). After

conducting research, the National Council of Teachers of English determined key components of

an effective literacy teacher preparation program. Some of these components include a deep

understanding of content and pedagogical knowledge, experience learning about and teaching

reading to diverse communities, and meaningful field work assignments. Having gone through a

literacy teacher preparation program in which these components were significant parts of the

conceptual framework, I agree with the findings from this study published through this article.

The content courses I engaged in freshman year of college I still refer back to in my first two

years of teaching. Because I had experience in college learning about and engaging with students

and families of diverse backgrounds, I felt better prepared to meet the needs of my students
 Running Head: POLICY REVIEW BLOG 2

during my first year of teaching in Gardena, CA. Having multiple opportunities to experience

observing and teaching in a variety different grade levels from kindergarten through sixth grade

allowed me to have a better understanding of vertical alignment of standards and how to interact

with students in different grade levels. Because the private university I attended modeled their

literacy teacher preparation program to what was similarly published in this study, I believe I

was a strong teacher during my first two years of teaching. The findings in this study are

important for policy makers at the federal level to look at to ensure that effective teacher

preparation and effective teaching is happening nation wide in order for students to be

successful.
 Running Head: POLICY REVIEW BLOG 3

References

International Literacy Association & National Council of Teachers of English (2017). Research
advisory: literacy teacher preparation. ​International Literacy Association.​
(2017).