"If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch."  Matthew 15:14

by Dr. Jack Humphrey

In an era when 69 percent of fourth graders in high-poverty schools and 23 percent in low-poverty schools are not able to read at even the basic level on the 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress, the International Reading Association is beset by varied and conflicting opinions colored by myriad undercurrents.  Unlike other fields such as mathematics or science, reading leaders can't decide whether reading is an important field in itself or an uneasy partner with English, taking a place in language arts along with grammar, listening, speaking, spelling, and writing.

Things once were clear in the minds of IRA reading leaders.  Reading involved the development of proficient and voluntary readers.  Reading meant teaching word attack skills, comprehension, and vocabulary as well as practice of reading involving literature, libraries, books, and other print materials.  English meant grammar, listening, speaking, spelling, and writing.  Reading classes (and English classes) were available for all students through the eighth grade.  Colleges and universities provided opportunities for teachers to learn how to diagnosis reading problems.  Children's and young adult literature classes provided teacher candidates with knowledge about books and how to engage students with these books.

Today reading and what it involves is less clear.  Reading has become more complex and difficult to define resulting in some unfortunate consequences.  Many students have no reading classes beyond the fifth grade, and their teachers may have little training in reading.  Evidence of this trend is revealed by the lack of reading skills of many high school students involved in high-stakes tests that determine whether or not students graduate from high schools.

We need to reshape the landscape of our concern.  We need to place emphasis on the reading part of the International Reading Association.  We do not need to eliminate the word reading in our publications.  We do need national standards in reading, and IRA leaders should see that this is accomplished.

Since almost all IRA members live in North America we should focus our energies on these members.  This is no different than other national groups, such as the American Association of School Librarians, who have members from throughout the world but who direct their efforts towards the United States.

Leadership in the IRA should not only be at the board level.   States and many communities have IRA councils or associations that should provide good reading leadership and leverage support for reading.  We have never harnessed the power of local and state councils and associations in promoting the funding of books for school libraries, professional development for teachers, and early intervention programs.  Yet, states and school districts are where funding opportunities exist, and leadership at those levels will respond to a strong IRA initiative.

Primary need exists for the IRA to establish a national agenda that restores reading to prominence position in our nation's schools.  This agenda would establish a leadership network to harness the strength of local and state leaders and provide them with support.  Our strength should be from the bottom up, not top down.  At the top more emphasis needs to be directed at local and state leadership.  Program planning, membership recruitment, and legislation are of vital importance to reading, and strong support from the IRA would enhance the effort, especially if members and leaders felt that the theater of leadership and reading was now enlarged and that interests at all levels were mutual.

 Dwight D. Eisenhower said, "Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it."  If we agree with this statement IRA should commit to formulating a strong ten-year reading plan.  This plan must include allocation of resources, to help IRA leaders at every level.  As we work together we ensure that students have the best possible reading opportunities.