Dozens of teachers and literacy specialists from across the country hunkered down in Baltimore at round tables, with laptops, pens, and paper, intent on rewriting the collections that wield tremendous influence over the way millions of U.S. children learn literacy skills: the big-name basal readers. Hailing from 18 school districts in 11 states,…

Librarians say they view the common core, with its emphasis on explanation, complex text, and cross-disciplinary synthesis, as an unprecedented opportunity for them to really strut their stuff. Adopted by all but four states, the standards have prompted coordinating discussions among the library-association divisions that represent librarians in…

A respected literacy-research organization is asking that a process be put in place to make more transparent potential conflicts of interest that writers of the common national academic standards might have, and to address them. The Literacy Research Association sent a letter Oct. 21 to the groups overseeing the development of common standards…

A national panel urged federal policymakers to "take a more active role" in promoting adolescent reading and writing, and called for nothing short of a "literacy revolution" to keep students in school and ensure they are able to learn the complex material that college and careers will demand of them. The final report of the Carnegie Corporation of…