National Council on Language and Literacy

National Council on Language and Literacy
Name	National Council on Language and Literacy
Formation	1978
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Leader title	Chair
Leader name	Dr. Eleanor Price

National Council on Language and Literacy is an independent advisory body focused on policy, assessment, and practice related to language acquisition and literacy development across the United States. The council engages with federal agencies, state departments, nonprofit organizations, and academic institutions to develop guidance on reading instruction, bilingual education, and literacy assessment. It convenes panels of scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to produce consensus statements and recommendations for classroom practice, assessment standards, and teacher preparation.

History

The council was founded in 1978 following recommendations from panels that included participants from National Academy of Sciences, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Ford Foundation, Spencer Foundation, and stakeholders connected to U.S. Department of Education, National Endowment for the Humanities, American Council on Education, Council of Chief State School Officers, and AASA (American School Administrators Association). Early leadership included scholars affiliated with Teachers College, Columbia University, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Stanford University Graduate School of Education, University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Education, and University of Chicago; these figures collaborated with practitioners from National Education Association, American Federation of Teachers, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, and local districts such as New York City Department of Education and Los Angeles Unified School District. In the 1980s the council influenced debates alongside organizations like National Right to Read Foundation, International Literacy Association, Reading Recovery Council of North America, Routledge, and Oxford University Press contributors. During the 1990s and 2000s it produced reports referenced by policymakers in the Every Student Succeeds Act, dialogues with researchers from University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, University of Virginia Curry School of Education, Johns Hopkins University School of Education, and partnership projects with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Carnegie Mellon University. The council’s convenings have featured appearances from recipients of awards such as the MacArthur Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship, National Medal of Arts, Pulitzer Prize, and National Humanities Medal.

Mission and Objectives

The council’s mission statement aligns with recommendations issued historically by bodies including National Research Council, Institute of Medicine, American Educational Research Association, National Council of Teachers of English, and Modern Language Association. Objectives emphasize standards development in reading instruction linked to practices promoted by International Reading Association, evidence syntheses produced by Campbell Collaboration, and large-scale assessment discussions involving National Assessment of Educational Progress, Programme for International Student Assessment, Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, and researchers from Educational Testing Service. The council articulates goals to support teacher preparation programs at institutions such as Michigan State University College of Education, Columbia University], Teachers College, Vanderbilt University Peabody College, University of Texas at Austin College of Education, and Boston College Lynch School of Education while coordinating with agencies like Office of Special Education Programs, Institute of Education Sciences, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Organizational Structure

The council is governed by a board of directors drawn from universities, nonprofit organizations, and school districts, including representatives from University of California, Los Angeles Graduate School of Education, Brown University Graduate School, Yale School of Education, Princeton University, Duke University, Northwestern University, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Florida, University of Minnesota, and Ohio State University. Standing committees have included chairs associated with National Council of Teachers of English, International Literacy Association, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, and National Governor's Association. Staff and research liaisons have been seconded from RAND Corporation, Brookings Institution, Urban Institute, Mathematica Policy Research, and American Institutes for Research. The council operates working groups organized by topical areas connected to institutions such as Syracuse University School of Education, University of Oregon College of Education, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Education, and University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.

Key Initiatives and Programs

Signature initiatives have included nationwide professional development networks modeled after projects funded by Carnegie Corporation, implementation partnerships akin to programs run by Teach For America, literacy campaigns comparable to efforts led by Read Across America, and curriculum reviews similar to those conducted by Council of Chief State School Officers. Programs have targeted early literacy interventions inspired by research from National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, multilingual education models paralleling work at Center for Applied Linguistics, adult literacy collaborations with ProLiteracy, and digital literacy pilots with partners such as Microsoft Philanthropies and Google for Education. Field implementations have been piloted in districts including Chicago Public Schools, Houston Independent School District, San Francisco Unified School District, Atlanta Public Schools, and Boston Public Schools in collaboration with nonprofits like The Literacy Project, Success for All Foundation, Reading Partners, and Communities In Schools.

Research and Publications

The council publishes consensus reports, technical manuals, policy briefs, and practitioner guides drawing on studies from researchers at University of Chicago Consortium on School Research, MDRC, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, National Bureau of Economic Research, Pew Research Center, RAND Education and Labor, and SRI International. Its bibliography cites works published by Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Harvard University Press, MIT Press, Princeton University Press, and articles in journals such as Reading Research Quarterly, Journal of Literacy Research, American Educational Research Journal, TESOL Quarterly, and Language Learning. Collaborative white papers have been coauthored with scholars affiliated with Columbia Teachers College, Stanford Graduate School of Education, CUNY Graduate Center, University of Maryland College Park, and University of Georgia.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critiques of the council have come from advocacy groups, academic critics, and policy commentators including voices associated with Parent Teacher Association, National Right to Read Foundation, People for the American Way, The Heritage Foundation, Center for American Progress, and independent scholars at University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Kansas, and Arizona State University. Controversies have centered on perceived influence by philanthropic funders such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Carnegie Corporation, debates over phonics-oriented instruction versus whole-language approaches highlighted by critics from International Literacy Association and Reading Recovery Council of North America, disagreements over standards referenced in Every Student Succeeds Act implementation, and legal challenges involving local school board disputes reminiscent of cases heard in United States Court of Appeals and discussed in outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and Education Week.

Category:Literacy organizations