Testimonials
Teaching Literacy: Keeping Up with the Times
“Teaching Literacy: Keeping Up with the Times” by Patricia Fioriello will be a welcome addition to the library of any teacher interested in the new literacies that will define our students’ future.”
Donald J. Leu, Ph.D.
Neag Chair in Literacy and Technology
University of Connecticut
Your new book is truly a powerful and must-read document. The vision, insight, and sheer common sense practices that you share are awesome. Every teacher and every administrator must read your book. I am proud and truly honored to have been a part of your educational journey. After forty years in public education, I continue to be enlightened by your wisdom.
Robert R. Barner, Ph.D.
Professor GSE, Pepperdine University
Former Assistant Superintendent, LAUSD & LACOE
Teaching Literacy: Keeping Up with the Times is provocative! In order to fully prepare our students to thrive in today’s Digital Age, academic excellence must be acquired within the context of today’s technological environment and must embed the development of 21st century literacy skills. Your e book provides educators with literacy strategies that integrate technology and can be applied immediately! Thanks for keeping this very urgent work at the forefront of our thinking!
Dianne Talarico
Superintendent Burlingame School District
Dr. Fioriello’s latest e-book, “Teaching Literacy: Keeping Up with the Times,” is a wake-up call for school districts everywhere. While schools cling to old paradigms, the global economy and our children are forging ahead in cyberspace. If educators wish to remain relevant and make an impact on the students of the future—and the future is now— we must focus attention on these new literacies, audiences, and modes of communication and commerce. “Teaching Literacy: Keeping up with the Times” is a great introduction and overview of 21st century realities.
Veronica D. Fern
Stanford Center for Innovation in Learning/H-STAR
Working in the communication field, Dr. Fioriello’s eBook “Teaching Literacy: Keeping Up with the Times” opened my eyes to the many different communication styles and the globalization of reading and writing. Whether in the classroom or not, to understand the advancement of technology and the impact on how we read and write, impacts the future of our schools and work force.
Kristie Faletra
Development Officer
Boston University College of Communication
What Colleagues Have To Say
Great Newsletter! The content could have been written by our school’s administration as we struggle year after year to keep our best teachers. By the end of the spring semester, half of our new teachers make their transfer announcement to other districts or career changes not related to education. As a result, we end up with teachers who really need to make career changes or better yet, retire. It’s good to know we are not the only ones!!! I would like to remain anonymous so that our school does not get a bad reputation.
Did I Miss something? School districts want to retain teachers? How about paying them salaries in line with other professionals say starting around 80-100 thousand dollars for beginning teachers and going up from there depending on quality of instruction, service and continuing educational degrees…Just a though.
Jim Walker, Teacher, San Francisco
Wow! Patricia! Your newsletter and blog are so relevant and professional! Kudos to the 100th power!
Bryony Carys Quinn, C.P.C.C. NLP Coach & Clinical Hynpotherapist, www.catapultcoaching.com
It looks fabulous, Dr. F! Well done! You make me proud.
Susan Barnes, Vice President, iArchitects
http://www.iarchitects.com
Thanks for enlightening me to your newsletter. I’ve seen first-hand how reading short segments on-line stimulates reading interests among not only my lowest performing students, but nearly all of my students. It, also, facilitates more discussion than the all-exciting textbooks!
Rhonda Hall,Teacher, Abraham Lincoln High School
San Francisco Unified School District
Thank you for the newsletter. The Article on internet reading is very interesting to think about.
Larry Tish, Director, Los Angeles Unified School District
I like your approach in your article. Let us know what type of response you get to the newsletter.
Donna Bone, Project Coordinator, New Literacies Research Lab
University of Connecticut
Looks great! Thanks for sharing! Let’s continue to stay in touch.
Donald J. Leu, Ph.D. Neag Endowed Chair in Literacy and Technology
Board of Directors, International Reading Association University of Connecticut
The New Literacies Research Lab: http://www.newliteracies.uconn.edu
This issue was the best and so powerful. I have shared it with everyone I know and posted the article about nationwide drop out rates on my facebook page. Please keep doing this! Thank you.
Manisha Patel, Program Applications Specialist
Oakland Unified School District
I am blown away by the depth and polish your newsletter displays. Just publishing regularly is an accomplishment and I am happy and proud of what you have been able to do.
Muriel Ayanaba, Outreach Coordinator
UCSC’s New Teacher Center
Having taught global nomads through the department of defense I found the article on IB quite interesting. It has always been my contention the American system of educating our youth is antiquated at best…rife with waste of funds and bureaucratic red tape. I am always interested in novel approaches to education, which, although not so new, is refreshing to see. Why not offer the IB program in the U.S.? Anything to refresh an already stale system might be worth the lively conversation pro and con.
Teacher in San Francisco
Thanks for the email. I note that one of your current topics is the International Baccalaureate. My son Ben took an IB degree about ten years ago at Sonora High School, in the Fullerton school district. The experience was great, and launched him on the way to what is shaping up to be a very successful academic career (he did an undergraduate degree with high honors at Wesleyan, an MA at the London School of Economics, and is in the third year of his PhD program at UC Berkeley. He does (as I do) have certain reservations about IB, but, overall, we think it’s great!
Mike a LAN Coordinator in Los Angeles Unified School District
Thank you very much for very important information, I am going to share with the Latino Parents Club, I am going to work with the Spanish translation, because I want each parent to read this.
Daisy Hernandez, Latino Outreach Coordinator
PPS-Parents for Public Schools
Thanks for sharing. This is great!
Dr. Robert Barner
Assistant Superintendent
Los Angeles County Office of Education
Dr. Fioriello’s Newsletter Survey Results
June 2008
1. What is your current position?
elementary school employee
4.3%
middle school certificated staff
0.0%
middle school administrator
8.7%
high school certificated staff
8.7%
high school administrator
21.7%
central office level
17.4%
other education position
30.4%
not in education
8.7%
2. Are you able to read newsletters and other information emailed to you at work?
yes
87.5%
no
8.3%
depending on content
8.3%
depending on size of email
4.2%
depending on urgency of matter
4.2%
3. Have you read Dr. Fioriello’s newsletter?
yes
62.5%
no
25.0%
at times
12.5%
4. Do you find the information in Dr. Fioriello’s newsletter useful?
yes
77.8%
no
0.0%
at times
22.2%
5. If you could change anything about Dr. Fioriello’s newsletter, what would it be?
not make changes
75.0%
decrease length of newsletter
0.0%
change content
0.0%
increase number of newsletters received
12.5%
receive newsletters on a more consistent basis
12.5%
6. Would you be interested in reading a short monthly newsletter that provided tips on how to better do your job?
yes
58.3%
no
12.5%
maybe
29.2%
7. Would you be willing to order a paid subscription that would provide detailed information about current topics in your field?
yes, $40-$60 for newsletter subscription (4-6 issues)
12.5%
yes, $80-$100 for newsletter subscription (8-10 issues)
4.2%
not interested
25.0%
interested, but do not want to pay
33.3%
need to know more about content
25.0%
8. If you were to purchase “How To Guides”, how much would you be willing to pay for a guide? Each guide would be approximately 12-15 pages and downloaded from your computer. The guide would problem solve an issue and include background information, process steps, strategies, and implementation plan.
$25 – $30
50.0%
$30-$35
0.0%
$35-$40
0.0%
all the above, if the content is helpful
50.0%
9. What topics would you like to read about in a newsletter? What areas would you like covered in “How To Guides”?
-Topics related to human resources, budgeting, hiring, and teacher evaluations
-Master Schedule Basics , Parent Focus Groups for electives choices or special school wide projects
-Setting up own School foundation, How to get local artists and scientists in residence to visit my school on an overtime basis.
-Literacy instruction & assessment, coaching veteran teachers, professional learning communities, achievement of adolescents, students of color
-Discipline, truancy, expulsions, classroom management, positive behavior interventions how to make the best use of non certificated individuals..i.e….volunteers , retirees etc.
-Cross curricular projects
-Adolescent Literacy English Language Learners
-Unless I missed them, the topics didn’t seem to be too relevant to counselors. If there could be something more for counselors on working with at-risk youth, etc.., that would be helpful.
-New educational trends/topics related to high school. I would especially want to know how to increase our graduation rate at our high school.
-understand teen behavior, how we can help to be successful student in class-
10. Please share any additional comments that would help us more effectively meet your needs.
-Ways to adopt a school and bring in outside resources to enrich curricular program.
-keep up the excellent job….highly informative and useful
-Quick read articles are preferred.
-I love the fact that Dr. Fioriello’s Website’s information/ newsletters are up to date, especially the “hot topics”. Keep up the good work!
-I understand English (reading) but I prefer Spanish version and pay for this, also do you have a good price training I would like to attend to workshop you are really great.
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