Comparison Of Professional Organizations Coursework Example

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Date:Comparison of Professional Organizations
There are various reading organizations/associations that influence literacy instruction internationally. The four leading associations include The International Literacy Association (ILA), The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), The Literacy Research Association (LRA), and Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages Inc. (TESOL). The reading organizations impact literacy at various levels. This paper provides going to provide information from the four organizations that will be helpful to teachers as well as students.
The International Literacy Association
The ILA is an international advocacy and membership organization that has over 300,000 members that comprise of researchers, literacy educators, and experts that are spread across 78 countries. The organization has experience that spans over sixty years. It has thus helped in setting standards of literacy regarding how it is taught and evaluated. The organization’s mission is to “empower educators, inspire students, and encourage leaders with the resources that they need” (ILA n.p.). The organization has helped in making literacy accessible to all people. The organization recognizes the power of literacy in connecting people and empowering them to achieve various things in life that may appear unachievable.
The ILA emphasizes the importance of children learning their first language even when they are in a new country that speaks another language.

Parents play a critical role in the early literacy by using the first language with their children. The skills of the first language should be well established before the child begins learning the second language. The organization recognizes the cognitive benefits of being bilingual in one’s life. With regards to adolescent literacy, ILA provides that adolescents should expose to multiple literacy strategies to enable them to meet the demand of specific disciplines.
ILA offers different types of membership that include basic membership, online membership, student membership, emeritus membership, and developing economy membership. The developing economy membership is free while the other membership fees range from $ 39 to $ 54 (ILA n.p.). Registering for membership allows one to get access to resources and connections. The ILA does not offer discounts to college students. The organization provides training for all people through evidence-based teaching. There is no specific training for parents. Apart from benefiting from resources and training, members have a chance to make their voice heard in literary conversations. The association is helpful because it provides unlimited access to its resources.
The National Council of Teachers of English
NCTE is a national organization that supports both students and teachers by offering journals, publications, and resources that help in furthering education. The organization also helps in fostering the voice and expertise of educators both at the local and federal levels. It holds an annual conference where it shares lessons on research and teaching strategies. The mission of NCTE is to improve the teaching and learning of English at all levels.
NCTE holds that learning is a gradual process hence there is no point that children suddenly become readers. Literacy begins with learning the spoken language, having an understanding of the world, and going through experiences (National Council of Teachers of English n.p.). Over time, children get to grow in their ability to comprehend and interpret materials and experiences around them. In adolescence, learners begin to develop essential literacy resources that allow them to go through unique literacy challenges. The student also gets to engage more with disciplined literacy compared with learning at an elementary level. Adolescents also get to interact with diverse discourses that include popular culture, ethnic, and online communities.
The organization offers teacher and student membership types. The membership types are further categorized into “regular” and “green” types. Regular type membership for teachers is $50 and for students is $25. The green membership for tutors is $45, and that for students is $22.50 (National Council of Teachers of English n.p.). The students are offered a discount on membership. The organization provides state and national conferences. They do not provide any specific training for parents/families. Additional benefits of being a member include getting an opportunity to connect with experts in the language. The organization achieves its mission by providing access to unlimited resources and expert opinions.
The Literacy Research Association
The LRA is a professional organization that comprises of individuals that share a common interest in advancing literacy, in theory, research, and practice. It supports improvement in education through research-informed strategies. The mission of the organization is to promote research and enrich knowledge, understanding, and development of literacies in a multicultural and multilingual world (LRA n.p.). The organization is committed to conducting rigorous research that supports the development of literacy.
The organization provides that useful reading instructions in children take place over an extended number of years. There are changes that are experienced with the development of a child. Therefore, there are specific skills that are only appropriate for use at distinct developmental stages of children. Effective literacy instruction is achieved when there is a balance of skills instruction with the writing and reading experiences. The organization observes that phonemic awareness instruction is vital in the promotion of early reading. The teachers should provide children with systematic phonics instruction to help in improving reading and spelling (National Reading Conference 2). Teachers can also make use of computer technology to aid in enhancing beginning reading instruction. When learners achieve the adolescent development stage, the complexity of literacy instruction will also advance.
The organization offers different types of membership that include professional membership, emeritus membership, 2nd family membership, and student membership. The membership fee ranges from $40 to $130 (LRA n.p.). The students are offered a membership discount. The organization holds state and national conferences. There are no special training sessions that are dedicated to parents or families. Members get the benefits of paying a reduced conference fee as well as voting privileges for incoming executive members. The organization has helped in the improvement of literacy levels by conducting research and informing policies on education.
Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc
TESOL is an international organization that was founded in 1966 (TESOL International Association n.p.). The mission of the organization is to help in advancing the quality of English teaching by providing professional development, research, standards, as well as advocacy. The organization provides that literacy learning and language acquisition are important to the cognitive and social development of young children. Providing young children with a solid early education is critical to their long-term educational success (TESOL 2). Therefore, it is vital to improve the quality of learning programs during the beginning of reading. The organization also observes that knowledge of native language supports oral and literacy development.
TESOL offers different membership packages that include professional, lower income professional, new professional, global professional, TESOL student, and TESOL retired professional. The subscription fee for one year ranges from $35 to $98. The students are offered the lowest membership fee of $35 (TESOL International Association n.p.). The organization provides international conferences. There is no specific support that is provided to the parents or families. As a member, one stands to get a registration discount for TESOL convention. TESOL has helped in improving literacy in English learning and teaching by doing research, providing training and championing progressive policies.

Work Cited
International Literacy Association. Membership, 2018. Accessed on March 9, 2018, from https://www.literacyworldwide.org/membership
Literary Research Association. Join LRA, 2018. Accessed on March 9, 2018, from http://www.literacyresearchassociation.org/membership
National Council of Teachers of English. Membership Benefits, 2018. Accessed on March 9, 2018, from http://www2.ncte.org/membership/
National Reading Conference. The National Reading Panel Report and Effective Beginning Reading Instruction: A Summary. NRC n.d.
TESOL. Position Paper on Language and Literacy Development for Young English Language Learners (ages 3-8). TESOL, n.d.
TESOL International Association. Benefits of Membership, 2018. Accessed on March 9, 2018, from http://www.tesol.org/about-tesol/membership/membership-benefits