Department of Reading and Educational Media
Strategic Plan
Spring 1998
The Department of Reading and Educational Media prepares K-12 literacy educators to meet present and future literacy demands in a democracy. We view literacy as a vehicle for social and political transformation. We realize that the diverse backgrounds of the individuals in public schools today require educators who understand the impact of multicultural backgrounds upon student learning. The Department therefore attempts to provide students with experiences which help them to recognize the moral and ethical dimensions of teaching and to recognize and respect the perceptions and views of the individual learner.
The advanced programs of study in Educational Media and in Reading are designed to meet state and national standards for professionals, including research, theory, and best practice. This general goal and its related objectives are based upon the requirements and guidelines for professional education of Montclair State University, the State of New Jersey, the Association for Educational Communications and Technology, the International Reading Association, and the National Council of Teachers of English.
At the graduate level the Department offers a Master’s Degree in Reading as well as advanced certification programs for Reading Specialists, Associate Educational Media Specialists, and Educational Media Specialists. At the undergraduate level departmental course offerings include four courses in reading and critical thinking for the pre-service teacher education program, two courses, Media and Intercultural Communications, and Communicating Through Text, which fulfill General Education requirements of the University, a course in Reading and Study Skills, and the Basic Reading Skills class for entering students who fail to demonstrate college reading skills.
I. Mission Statement.
The mission of the Department of Reading and Educational Media is consistent with the philosophy that literacy development is a life-long process. We believe that through literacy individuals grow and engage in the transformation of self and society. Thus the department seeks to educate individuals for professional growth and personal development. Theory and practice are combined in the curriculum to afford students opportunities for productive roles in a variety of multicultural and institutional contexts. This mission is explicated in our Portrait of a Literacy Educator and is consonant with the missions of the College and the University.
A. Portrait of a Literacy Educator
The Department of Reading and Educational Media is committed to the development of literacy educators who:
1. continue to inquire into the nature of teaching and learning and reflect upon professional practice
a. know philosophies and theories of literacy instruction.
b. possess knowledge of the reading process, language development, cognition, and learning.
c. demonstrate knowledge of assessment principles and techniques.
d. demonstrate knowledge of appropriate instructional strategies.
e. are effective communicators who share information about reading with colleagues, parents, and the public.
f. are technologically literate and know how technology facilitates learning and enhances literacy.
g. model a commitment to lifelong learning and literacy development.
2. possess the skills and dispositions necessary to create literacy environments which stimulate critical thinking and inquiry
a. can organize and plan effective literacy programs for the classroom, school, and district levels.
b. instill an enthusiasm in others, for the delights and rewards of literacy development.
c. possess the interpersonal skills and dispositions to work cooperatively and collaboratively with colleagues.
3. understand the principles of democracy and the roles of literacy and critical thinking within a democracy
a. possess the literacy and critical-thinking abilities associated with the concept of an educated person.
b. plan instruction to promote critical reflection about the ideas, values, and practices of citizenship based upon democratic principles.
4. understand and are committed to the moral, ethical, and enculturating responsibilities of those who work in the school
a. believe in the educability of all children and
b. seek to ensure equitable learning opportunities for every student.
5. model respect for individual differences and an appreciation of the basic worth of each individual
a. plan instruction with sensitivity to issues of class, gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and special needs; and
b. work to foster an appreciation of diversity among students, colleagues, and parents.
6. are committed to renewal and best practice in the schools.
[Adapted from Montclair State University’s Portrait of a Teacher, and Standards for Reading Professionals (1992), IRA & NCTE.]
B. Goals
The goals of the Department of Reading and Educational Media are to:
- Prepare students who will use literacy for empowerment, as well as political and social transformation.
- Enhance teaching and learning.
- Create and construct knowledge about literacy.
- Prepare students to become leaders and change agents
- in education (including nontraditional settings).
- in business and industry.
- Nurture and reward professional development.
- Develop technological and media literacy.
- Provide services to the campus and community.
C. Components of the Department of Reading and Educational Media
Reading |
Educational Media |
| The Reading program offers graduate students an MA in Reading and a Reading Specialist Certificate. The undergraduate program offers four courses in the professional education sequence, as well as classes in basic skills and study skills.The faculty provides services to the campusnd the community, through the Reading and Study Skills Center and outreach programs. | The Educational Media program reflects the State of New Jersey guidelines for certification of Media Specialists, as well as the standards of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. The program provides instruction for persons preparing to function as directors of a school media centers and programs, at three levels: district secondary, and elementary. |
D. Snapshot of the Department of Reading and Educational Media
Our department consists of eight full-time Reading faculty and five full-time members of the professional staff who teach in the Educational Media program. Of the eight full-time Reading faculty, six are female (two Black and four White) and two are White males; the Media faculty (four White and one Asian) are all male. By the year 2008, we anticipate that four or five of our current faculty will have retired.
Adjunct faculty are also employed in our department as needed. Reading specialists are hired to teach classes for the Basic Reading Skills program while specialists with Library Science backgrounds are employed to teach in the Educational Media component.
Our areas of interest and expertise are numerous and varied: critical thinking, critical literacy, emergent literacy, multicultural literacy, technological literacy, family literacy, adult literacy, media literacy, psycholinguistics, child and adolescent literature, the socio-political contexts of literacy, the reading-writing connection, assessment and enhancement of literacy development. We view our diversity of interests as a major strength of our department. In the future we intend to enhance our understanding and proficiency in technology, inclusion, and media literacy.
A. Undergraduate Pre-Service Program
The Department currently offers the following undergraduate courses:
(In addition, Reading Minor courses are described in the catalog, but are not offered currently.)
B. The Department offers the following graduate courses:
1. Courses leading to the Master’s Degree in Reading and Reading Specialist Certification:
- READ 500 The Nature of Reading
- READ 501 Techniques of Reading improvement in the Secondary School
- READ 502 Administration and Supervision of Reading programs
- READ 503 Literature for Adolescents
- READ 504 Literacy Needs of Adult Learners
- READ 505 Research Seminar in Reading
- READ 506 Reading Resources
- READ 507 Understanding Reading Comprehension
- READ 508 Critical Thinking and Literacy
- READ 510 Field Experience in Reading
- READ 511 Case Studies of Reading Difficulties
- READ 513 Supervised Clinical Practicum, Part I
- READ 514 Supervised Clinical Practicum, Part II
- READ 600 Workshop in Contemporary Issues in Reading
2. Courses leading to the Media Specialist Certification or Associate Media specialist Certification
- MEDI 401 Foundations of Cataloging/Classifying Educational Resources
- MEDI 402 Reference and Bibliography for School Resource Centers
- MEDI 403 Reading Materials for Children and Youth: Selection and Evaluation
- MEDI 500 Media, Technology, and Learning in the Curriculum
- MEDI 520 Production of Materials for Media Technology
- MEDI 521 Design of Innovative Curriculum Resources
- MEDI 540 Television Production in Education
- MEDI 541 Television Programming in Education: Independent Study
- MEDI 550 Administration and Supervision of Media in Education
- MEDI 570 Developing Materials for Computer Technology in Training and and Education
- MEDI 615 Supervised Field Experiences for Educational Media Certification
- MEDI 610 Research & Development Seminar in Instructional Technology & Resources
In recognition of the dynamic needs of our students and community, our Department considers the following external and internal conditions and assumptions relevant to our strategic planning:
1. Population
The population in the United States will increase (from 266,476,278 in 1996 to an estimated 274,000,000 in 2000, to 323,052,000 by 2020). By the 2001-02 school year, about 134,000 more teachers will be required to maintain current pupil- teacher ratios, in addition to hundreds of thousands of teachers needed for retirement replacements.
Implications for our department and actions we will take
2. Underserved Populations
According to the U.S. Bureau of Census (March 1996), the numbers of Blacks will increase from 44,075,000 as of July 1,1998, to 35,454,000 as of July 1, 2000. The numbers of American Indians, Eskimos, and Aleuts will increase over the same period from 2,337,000 to 2,402,000. The numbers of Asian and Pacific Islanders will increase from 10,480,000 to 11,245,000. The numbers of Hispanics will increase from 29,566,000 to 31,366.
These groups are under-represented in higher education. The Task Force on Women, Minorities, and the Handicapped in Science and Technology (1989) finds that African-Americans make up 12 percent of the population, yet they earn only 5 percent of the bachelor’s degrees. Hispanics are 9 percent of the population, yet they hold only 3 percent of the bachelor’s degrees. Native Americans make up 0.6 percent of the population, yet they hold only 0.3 percent of all bachelor’s degrees. White women represent 43 percent of the population, but they earn only 22 percent of all bachelor’s degrees.
As a result of federal legislation, there is more inclusion of students with special needs in regular classrooms.
In New Jersey, the minority population will rise from 20.3 million in 2000 to 21.3 million in 2005 to 23.6 million in 2010.
Our department anticipates four or more retirements or transfers by 2008.
Implications for our department and actions we will take
In line with the above assumptions, coursework in literacy and literacy instruction will provide our students, who will be part of the 21st century workforce, with the different skills and understandings they will need to succeed. For example, READ 105, "Communicating Through Text," one of our two GER offerings, focuses on the processes of learning from text to become life-long learners using texts from different cultures and of a variety of genres. It meets the needs of the more diverse student population that we anticipate during the next ten years.
Recruitment of individuals from underrepresented groups will continue to further diversify our faculty
The university mission as well as our portrait of a literacy educator values the concept of access to education for disadvantaged students, many of whom are minority students. Our Basic Reading Skills courses address the needs of our underserved populations of students who come to MSU from poor areas of Newark, Paterson and East Orange. These courses offerings should be maintained and expanded as needed as they provide a final opportunity for some students to learn the skills necessary for success in college.
More teachers and students with handicapping conditions will be present in our department and in the public schools; therefore, our faculty needs to gain a better understanding of inclusion issues and ways in which to approach them pedagogically. Additionally, we need to incorporate into our courses information on inclusion as it relates specifically to language and literacy. Finally, we hope to work more closely with the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and the program of School Psychology.
Full-time faculty should be hired to oversee and coordinate the entire Basic Reading and Study Skills programs.
We plan to offer literacy support to teacher-education students who come from under-represented groups and are referred to us through the newly established Teacher Education Advocacy Center. We plan to use graduate assistants in this effort, and will need resources to train these graduate assistants.
3. College-age and Older students
The mean age of U.S. citizens will increase, from 36.2 years as of July 1, 1998, to 36.5 by July 1, 2000, and to . The number of 18-year-olds and older will increase during that same time period from 209,917,000 to 222,388,000.
The numbers of students graduating from New Jersey high schools will increase from 89,635 in 1998 to 101,449 in 2008. In the same time period, numbers of students graduating in the Northeast will rise from 581,500 to 692,460.
Between 43 to 51 percent (around 3,000,000) of New Jersey’s adults function at the lowest levels of literacy as defined by the National Adult Literacy Survey.
Nearly three-quarters of adults who are poor or near poor perform at the lowest literacy levels.
Adults at the lowest literacy levels are more likely to receive food stamps or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). Approximately 80 percent of recipients demonstrate skills at the lowest literacy levels.
New Jersey ranks 48th out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia in awarding doctorates in education.
Implications for our department and actions we will take
We anticipate that the new doctoral program in pedagogy will be up and running in the near future. Our department will be offering one of the required core courses related to access to knowledge and at least one core elective, related to multicultural literacy. We have begun development of a Literacy and Language Arts specialization for the doctoral program.
We plan to develop a strand for the Masters in Reading program and/or our Doctoral Program, Literacy Needs of Adult Learners. This strand would include a concentration in family literacy, as well as a clinic component.
4. Other demographic groups
New Jersey has the fifth-largest number (13%) of foreign-born residents in the United States. A significant number of these adults do not have sufficient proficiency in English to compete successfully in the work place.
Between 70-75 percent of incarcerated adults are estimated to function at the lowest literacy levels. Similar estimates apply to incarcerated youth.
More than 17,000 students dropped out of the State’s public school system during the 1994-95 and 1995-96 school years.
Global interdependence has increased and will continue to increase, with more attention to trade with foreign countries and more foreign students attending American universities.
Implications for our department and actions we will take
5. Workforce
The 21st century workforce will require different skills.
More than 50 percent of participants in the (Job Training Partnership Act) JTPA Title II programs have basic skills deficiencies.
Implications for our department and actions we will take
More full-time technology/media faculty will be needed. Our current faculty will engage in professional development to increase our technology understanding and skills.
Our courses need to be revised to incorporate technological learning as well as the use and understanding of a variety of media.
In addition, our courses in basic skills and self-improvement, need to be expanded and revised to include more technological understanding and use. We can incorporate the use of software (such as Praxis I) to assess student needs and then use other appropriate software programs to help them address those needs. Such software will free up class time to enable classes to become communities of inquiry; students will be able to acquire the literacy and critical thinking skills needed for success in our society.
We are in a position to benefit from the unique contributions which can be provided by the Educational Media component of our department. For example, the GER course MEDI 355 Media and Intercultural Communication, is designed to provide students with opportunities to develop technological and critical thinking skills as well as with an understanding of how visual imagery, print and other media influence learning, mass culture, politics and the social arena. This course affords opportunities for enhanced communication among different cultures in a global society.
Recognizing the significant role of technology for citizens in the next decade it is logical for our department to consider developing an Instructional Technology minor or concentration for pre-service teachers and other students, to insure that they will enter the workforce with appropriate technological skills and abilities.
While the reading minor has been inactive over the past few years, we would like to maintain it and revise it to include more technological learning. We anticipate the creation of a new elementary education program, (a campus task force has recently been established to examine the issue); it is imperative that students acquire in-depth understanding of literacy and literacy instruction.
Technology demands higher level skills and has resulted in increased reading on the job. Therefore, literacy in workplace settings should be addressed in our graduate reading program. A new program strand in our MA should be developed entitled "Literacy for Business and Industry."
We anticipate that business and industry will seek our advice and offer consultant opportunities to our faculty.
6. Social activism
There is a changing climate in this country with a shift towards social activism.
As of October 1996 schools were required to dedicate 5% of their work-study slots to community service. President Clinton called on colleges and universities to dedicate new money (a 35% increase in money to work-study students from FY 1996 to FY 1997) to community service. The President’s initiative asked that work-study slots be used to mobilize 100,000 students to tutor children in reading by FY 1999.
Implications for our department and actions we will take
Literacy is vital for our citizens’ performance in the workforce, the home, and the community. Our department continues to advocate literacy as a vehicle for social transformation. We plan to speak to community groups, issue publications, and use the mass media in this effort.
A rebirth of social activism among students calls for approaches such as service learning and volunteerism . Currently, we are involved in America Reads and are piloting a Service-Learning program. We hope to continue this effort and expand our efforts in other areas that allow students to transform society through literacy.
7. Legislation
Legislation will continue to influence education.
a. Goals 2000.
b. State and federal funding.
c. Mandates for teacher certification and certification renewal.
Implications for our department and actions we will take
Because of the greater need for teachers in the coming years, our teacher education course offerings should be expanded. They should be revised to include technological learning to meet the needs of our technologically oriented society. These courses prepare students to teach content understanding through text. Given the information explosion that is already happening and will continue to happen during the next ten years, students must learn how to comprehend and apply information that they read independently. We can no longer rely on traditional transmission models of teaching and learning, where the teacher is the main provider of information. Students must be taught not only how to comprehend a variety of texts and visual information, but must also learn how to critically assess what they read.
We have recently applied for an Eisenhower grant, which, if awarded, will provide professional development in language arts and literacy to math and science teachers in Newark, Paterson, and Montclair. The faculty from our department will provide these services.
We will continue to seek outside funding for literacy efforts. A professional grant writer would greatly enhance funding opportunities for our department.
We plan to engage in lobbying efforts to influence legislation and public policy.
As more districts continue to become affiliated with the NJNER, and as the number of professional development schools increases, the need for professional development in literacy will also increase. This places a great demand on our department.
8. Research and practice
Research theory and practice in language and literacy will continue to evolve.
With the increased population, there will be a greater need for elementary school teachers.
At the present time students in teacher education in New Jersey are only required to take one course in reading instruction in their professional sequence. The thirty- credit cap on education courses precludes the inclusion of additional reading courses.
Our Masters in Reading program is the second fastest-growing programs in the University, increasing from 35 students in 1994 to 65 students in 1997. In 1995 five students graduated from our program; this year we expect over twenty students to graduate. Of these students, more are interested in teaching on the elementary level than in the past.
Implications for our department and actions we will take
With the new focus on balanced instruction (NY TIMES), there is national call for more reading teachers. The debate on whole-language versus phonics instruction has raged for more than a decade. We believe that faculty in reading must address this problem and put the debate to rest. The National Commission on Reading has called for a balanced approach to literacy instruction. To achieve this, the Commission calls for an increase in professional development in literacy instruction for classroom teachers, as well as preparation and hiring of more reading specialists in the public schools.
Our department would like to reactivate the reading minor, which was the first reading minor in the State of New Jersey to enable pre-service teachers to develop expertise in the field of reading.
Our department is currently participating in the development of a new elementary certification program which will have an expanded emphasis on reading.
We need to focus more attention on creation and construction of knowledge, theory, and research that has practical implications for language and literacy.
In a department such as ours which has so many dimensions, it is important that we engage in on-going self-assessment. Three structures which are already in place accomplish this: The NCATE folio, Visiting Committees, and Follow-up Studies. As a result of the processes, we are able to assess our program in relation to our professional organizations’ standards. These standards have changed considerably over the past five years and it is likely that they will continue to change in the next ten years. Participating in this self-assessment, is a vehicle requiring us to stay current with up-to-date practice in the field. The Visiting Committee process allows us to assess our program through the lenses of individuals engaged in similar work from other institutions. This experience will also continue to be valuable for us. Follow-up studies of graduates of the Pre-service Teacher Education Program and of our Reading MA program are regularly conducted by the College. These reports provide us with opportunities to see the value recent graduates place on individual courses and experiences in our programs. We are also provided with a systematic assessment of our effectiveness.
Two additional assessment procedures can be used to monitor our progress. One is to have a critical friend, that is, an individual from another higher education institution, who is involved in a program similar to ours. This person would visit with us on a yearly basis and provide non-evaluative feedback on all aspects of our program.
Another assessment procedure is based upon portfolio development. This year we will implement a new format for portfolio assessment. Our department has always required graduate students to develop a portfolio as part of their work in the MA program. This portfolio was highly useful to graduates in attaining jobs in that it showcased quality examples of their work developed as part of their graduate program. The new format calls for students to develop a portfolio which continues to highlight their work, but also requires them to demonstrate how they are moving towards the standards and ideals of our Portrait of a Literacy Educator. This will allow students to assess the progress of their own growth and will enable us to monitor our program through the work and insights of our own students.
The faculty of the Department of Reading and Educational Media works closely with faculty from other units, both within our College and outside it. We play an active role in the Center of Pedagogy through our participation on the Teacher Education Policy Committee, in the Leadership Associates Program, in the NJNER, in our Professional Development Schools and in Project Thistle. We also are involved in the new Service Learning initiative on campus which involves students, and faculty, in outreach activities in the community. Joint appointments of campus faculty might provide an additional way for our faculty to meet student needs, for example in learning about special education, media literacy, etc.
Given the external assumption related to the projected diversity in our student body related to special needs, we feel that we should work more closely with the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. The nature of our work and that department’s work is similar in terms of assessing students’ communication skills and finding ways to improve instruction for special needs students. A pooled effort would make both departments more effective in these efforts.
With the proposed elementary program, there is a need for our department to work more closely with other departments such as Human Ecology, English, Math, and Science.
We also hope to work closely with the newly established Teacher Education Advocacy Center, which will provide support services to students from underrepresented groups who want to teach. Such services would include individual tutoring and small group instruction to enhance their literacy and critical thinking abilities.
Another connection that our department should make is with departments in the arts and sciences. To achieve the goal of creating world citizens (expressed in our university’s mission), students must learn how to critically assess the texts they read and apply these ideas to improve our democracy. We foresee partnering with disciplines in the arts and sciences to teach students how to study, comprehend, and think critically about, the texts they read. This partnership might take the form of three week modules, where students register for one credit tied to a particular course. A faculty member from Reading would meet with students from that discipline during this time and teach reading and study skill strategies that will increase their proficiency with the variety of texts appropriate to that field of study.
Partnerships with Arts and Science faculty would also be beneficial to our students and programs. Through collaboration, we could tailor our literacy courses to better meet the needs of the specific disciplines and Arts and Science faculty could learn new and better ways of developing students’ language and literacy needs.
We hope to develop the doctoral specialization in literacy and language arts with the English, and possibly the Linguistics, Departments.
In regard to the external assumption that the 21st century workforce will require different skills, literacy in workplace settings needs to be addressed. Alliances with the business community should be developed.
In writing our strategic plan, we could not find any aspect of our program to eliminate. Instead we have laid the groundwork for expansion of existing programs, and courses and services, development of new courses, strands and specialization areas in our graduate programs, and increased professional development opportunities for our faculty.
The following is a list of those resources we believe are critical to carrying out our strategic plan:
A. A state-of-the-art Literacy Center housed in a new building for our college where all faculty in our department and teacher education in general can be together. (At the present time our department faculty are housed in two separate buildings.) Such proximity would allow for ongoing collaboration.
The new literacy center would contain:
1. MAC and PC computers
2. Reading, writing and study skills software
3. Sets of books that reflect the diversity of our campus and community
4. Moveable furniture to allow for group work
5. Private cubicles that allow for individual and small group tutoring and assessment
6. Distance learning capabilities to deliver instruction to populations in nontraditional settings, such as prisons.
B. Additional personnel needed, especially in the area of media and technology:
1. faculty
2. secretaries
C. Professional development for our faculty in technology, media and inclusion.
D. Guest speakers for student and faculty seminars and courses.
E. Travel funds for conferences and seminars.
F. Restructuring of our time and load to allow us to reach out to underserved populations in our communities.