Professional Organizations and Partnerships

Alliance for Excellence in Education
An alliance promoting high school transformation to make it possible for all students to graduate prepared for postsecondary learning and success in life. Resources related to ELA/Literacy include updated reports on national and state legislation, fact sheets, blogs, newsletters, state data, press releases, and Webinars.

American Association of School Librarians
An association working to ensure that all members of the school library media field collaborate to provide leadership in the total education program, participate as active partners in the teaching/learning process, connect learners with ideas and information, and prepare students for life-long learning, informed decision-making, a love of reading, and the use of information technologies.

American Council on the Teaching of World Languages
A council providing an alignment of the world language standards with the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (CCSS for ELA). The four strands of the CCSS for ELA – reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language – are represented in the National Standards for Learning Languages by the communication standards (interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational) and the levels of proficiency demonstrated.

American Library Association
An association helping children and adults develop the skills they need to read and to use computers, understanding that the ability to seek and effectively utilize information resources is essential in a global information society.

American Speech-Language Hearing Association
A professional, scientific, and credentialing association of more than 99,000 audiologists; speech-language pathologists; and speech, language, and hearing scientists ensuring that all people with speech, language, and hearing disorders have access to quality services and resources to help them communicate more effectively.

California Association for Bilingual Teachers
An organization incorporated in 1976 to promote bilingual education and quality educational experiences for all students in California. Members work promote equity and student achievement for students with diverse cultural, racial, and linguistic backgrounds.

California Association for the Gifted
An organization of educators, parents, and community members who support implementing research-based training in differentiation and advocating to help ensure that the academic and affective needs of gifted learners are met.

California Association of Teachers of English (CATE)
CATE is a non-profit organization promoting communication, collaboration, and educational knowledge among all responsible for teaching English and the language arts.

California Language Teachers Association
An organization of educators whose mission is to provide support, leadership and vision for quality World Language and Culture teaching and learning in California.

California Reading Association
An organization of California educators actively involved in all aspects of reading and language arts education. An affiliate of the International Literacy Association, it consists of more than 55 local reading councils located in service areas throughout the state.

California Association of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (CATESOL)
An organization that promotes excellence in education for English language learners and a high-quality professional environment for their teachers. CATESOL represents teachers of English language learners throughout California and Nevada, at all levels and in all learning environments.

California School Library Association (CSLA)
The CSLA is an organization of teacher librarians, classroom teachers, paraprofessionals, district and county coordinators of curriculum, media and technology, and others committed to enriching student learning. The CSLA advocates for excellence in school library programs, develops leaders in the school library field, and collaborates with other educational leaders to ensure that all California students are effective, responsible users and creators of ideas and information.

The California Subject Matter Projects
A network of nine discipline-based statewide projects supporting ongoing quality professional learning that are fee-based. Activities and programs are designed by university faculty, teacher leaders, and teachers to improve instructional practices and lead to increased achievement for all students. Every project integrates the CCSS for ELA/Literacy into its programs. The following Projects are especially ELA/Literacy-oriented:

• The California Reading & Literature Project
• The California World Language Project
• The California Writing Project

Center for Applied Special Technology
An organization expanding opportunities for individuals with disabilities to learn all content, including ELA/Literacy, through the development of innovative uses of technology. Resources include publications, sample software programs, and teaching strategies that are interactive and demonstrate the universal curriculum concept for students of all learning abilities and disabilities.

Glean Education
Glean Education provides resources on dyslexia awareness and structured literacy for teachers, practitioners, schools, and districts to help teachers better support students with reading difficulties in their classrooms. They have a regular podcast with experts discussing reading and literacy.

International Literacy Association (formerly International Reading Association)
An association armed with a deep understanding of the history of reading and literacy research that advocates for teachers' and students' needs and sets the standards for how literacy is taught and evaluated.

International Dyslexia Association
An association promoting effective teaching approaches and related clinical educational intervention strategies for people with dyslexia. It facilitates the exploration of the causes and early identification of dyslexia and is committed to the responsible and wide dissemination of research based knowledge.

KQED Learn
KQED Learn puts media literacy front and center for middle and high school students. Whether discussing classroom-ready topics using KQED's video series "Above the Noise," or engaging in collaborative inquiry leading to original, media based responses, students are developing the skills they need to be successful communicators in today's world.

KQED Teach
KQED Teach offers a collection of free, hands-on professional learning opportunities focused on Digital Media. Educators can build skills in digital storytelling, data visualization, and critical media use to support all curriculum areas, including English Language Arts. These skills allow teachers to facilitate learning environments where their students can create digital content, develop their communications and technology skills, and engage in deeper learning that encourages critical thinking.

Literacy Research Association (formerly National Reading Conference)
An association of scholars promoting research that enriches the knowledge, understanding, and development of lifespan literacies in a multicultural and multilingual world. It is committed to promoting and disseminating ethical research that is rigorous, methodologically diverse, and socially responsible.

National Association for Bilingual Education
An association representing both English language learners and bilingual education professionals at the national level, it represents a combined membership of more than 20,000 bilingual and English-as-a-second-language teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, university professors and students, researchers, advocates, policymakers, and parents.

National Center on Improving Literacy
The National Center on Improving Literacy is a partnership among literacy experts, university researchers, and technical assistance providers with funding from the United States Department of Education. They provide resources for parents and families, schools and districts, and state agencies.

National Council for Teachers of English
A council working on improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education. Since 1911, it has provided a forum for dealing cooperatively with issues that affect the teaching of English.

National Writing Project
A nationwide network of educators working to improve the teaching of writing in the nation's schools and in other settings. It provides high-quality professional learning programs and online resources for teachers to help students become successful writers and learners.

Public Library Association
An association developing the effectiveness of public library service and public librarians. It incorporates the latest research to promote the library as a hub for community-based information resources, knowledge creation, and discourse.

RTI Action Network
A network of people dedicated to implementation of Response to Intervention (RTI) in school districts nationwide. The goal is to guide educators and families in the large-scale implementation of RTI so that each child has access to quality instruction and that struggling students — including those with learning disabilities — are identified early and receive the necessary supports to be successful.

The Secondary Literacy Partnership
An established partnership that includes the California Department of Education, the Association of California School Administrators, the California Teachers Association, and the California Comprehensive Center at WestEd. This partnership has sponsored a series of webinars focused on the CA Standards and on the California English Language Arts/English Language Development Framework that may be accessed on their Web site.

Teaching LD
The Division for Learning Disabilities is a special interest group of the Council for Exceptional Children that provides information and resources for teaching students with learning disabilities. It encourages interaction and dissemination of exemplary literacy instructional practices among the many disciplinary groups whose research and service efforts affect persons with learning disabilities.

TESOL International Association
A professional community of educators, researchers, administrators and students advancing excellence in English language teaching for speakers of other languages worldwide. It fosters the exchange of ideas, research and peer-to-peer knowledge, and provides expertise, resources and advocacy on issues affecting the profession.