Childhood Education Professor Leads Arkansas Reading Association

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Linda Eilers, left, new president of the Arkansas Reading Association, introduced Ard Hoyt, children's book illustrator, at a regional council meeting Aug. 14 of the association. The meeting was held at the Fayetteville Public Library.

Linda Eilers, University of Arkansas clinical associate professor of childhood education, is serving as president of the Arkansas Reading Association.

The 1,500-member association promotes reading and literacy through 26 local councils in communities all over Arkansas. It is the state affiliate of the International Reading Association.

Eilers joined the faculty of the College of Education and Health Professions in 2001. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a doctorate from Louisiana State University. Courses she teaches in the childhood education program include literacy assessment and teaching reading.

The Arkansas Reading Association conducts an annual conference, which Eilers chaired as president-elect in November 2009 in Little Rock. Eilers will preside over this year's conference Nov. 17-19 in Little Rock.

The association also offers its members scholarships, grants and publications as well as opportunities for community involvement and networking. Membership is open to educators, parents, community leaders and anyone interested in promoting literacy.

On Aug. 14, the association hosted a daylong regional meeting of northwest Arkansas councils at the Fayetteville Public Library. Ard Hoyt of Bentonville, a children’s book illustrator, opened the workshop with a presentation that included a drawing by him and stories about what inspired him. He also talked about encouraging children to try to discover their talents in whatever interests them.

Hoyt has illustrated more than 15 children's books including two New York Times best-sellers, I'm a Manatee by John Lithgow and The Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher Goes to School by Laurie Halse Anderson.

Eilers also coordinates the university's annual Literacy Symposium held each June in Fayetteville.

"Literacy is a vital tool for success in school and in life," Eilers said."Teachers often struggle with how to develop and sustain literacy for the children they teach. The literacy symposium is a forum for nationally recognized literacy experts to reach teachers in our region. Teachers hear authors with established track records talk about how to motivate and reach children of different backgrounds, interests and abilities. These speakers offer insight into writing, reading, and children's literature."

This symposium provides 12 hours of Arkansas Department of Education-approved professional development credit that is recognized by schools and districts and required by the state for teachers to keep their licenses current.