IRA Board of Directors

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• IRA Board of Directors

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Mission Statement

• The mission of the International Reading
  Association is to promote reading by continuously
  advancing the quality of literacy instruction and
  research worldwide.

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• The IRA Board is committed to
• Managing the Association in a manner consistent
  with the mission and accepted standards for a
  non-profit organization
• Providing valued services to individual members,
  councils, and affiliates, leading to high levels
  of member satisfaction
• Maintaining and following a strategic plan
• Following established procedures to obtain the
  input of members, councils and affiliates on key
  issues
• Ensuring the financial viability of the
  organization
• Requiring indicators of progress and
  accountability for sponsored initiatives
• Being forward-looking with respect to digital
  tools for communication.

IRA Board Commitment
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• Enhance the professional development of reading
  educators worldwide
• Organize and support IRA Councils and Affiliates
  as networks of reading educators
• Promote a broad view of literacy
• Help educators to improve the quality of literacy
  instruction through publications and conferences
• Prepare educators to assume different roles as
  reading professionals
• Provide leadership in the continuously changing
  nature of reading in a digital age

Professional Development Goal
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• Advocate for research, policy, and practices that
  support the best interests of all learners and
  reading professionals
• Foster life-long literacy habits
• Promote high quality teacher and student learning
  to improve reading instruction
• Keep policy makers informed about IRAs positions
  
• Develop policy and position statements
• Provide members with background information and
  resources
• Collaborate with national and international
  policy makers

Advocacy Goal
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• Establish and strengthen national and
  international alliances with a wide range of
  organizations
• Work with governmental, nongovernmental, and
  community agencies businesses, industries, and
  donors
• Develop and support IRA councils and affiliates
  around the world
• Collaborate with a range of partners on long-term
  efforts to improve literacy

Partnership Goal
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• Encourage and support research to promote
  informed decision-making about reading practice
  and policy
• Support needed research on key literacy issues
• Communicate research results through conferences
  and publications
• Contribute to establishing a research agenda
• Provide recognition for exemplary literacy
  research

Research Goal
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Global Literacy Development Goal

• Provide leadership on literacy issues around the
  world
• Advance literacy education in all nations
• Promote coherent and sustainable literacy
  initiatives informed by local literacy leaders
• Promote reading and writing as lifelong habits
  and endeavors

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Building Community

• Annual convention
• Regional conferences
• World Congress
• State, national, and international conferences

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Developing a knowledge base

• New journal editors
• Upcoming books
• Online resources

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Extending professional development

• Local, special interest, regional, state,
  provincial, national
• Committees and commissions
• Linked in, facebook, twitter
• Council Leaders Ning

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Contributing to the Profession

• Lesson plans, articles, book proposals
• Teacher as researcher
• International development trainers and technical
  advisors

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Making voices heard

• Education funding
• Early literacy
• Response to Intervention
• Adolescent literacy
• Teacher preparation
• Urban education

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Expanding IRAs services

• Certificate of Distinction
• Status of Reading Instruction Institute

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JoinIRA Today!
Community Professional Development Leadership Re
ading matters and so do you. Welcome to
IRA. Call 800-336-7323 READ 1-302-731-1600
outside the United States and Canada www.reading.o
rg