Adult Education 6000 Education subject sub_topic <p>The goal of Reading & Literacy training is to provide support to teachers to increase their teaching efficiency and effectiveness. The focus is on providing teachers with tools that help them incorporate literacy work in core subject areas such as history, science and math. They should have excellent verbal communication and interpersonal skills, and be able to work well with teachers to develop strong working relationships. 0 1 1 6540 <p>A bachelor's degree or a master's degree can be obtained in this crucial area of education. Reading and literacy education is taught in all K-12 schools, and is even a critical shortage area in many parts of the US. This essentially means that there are a high number of school systems that are in need of reading and literacy teachers, and because of this, incentives are often given to teachers entering the field in the form of higher pay, student loan forgiveness programs, and tuition reimbursement. It also pays to have a masters degree, as teachers of reading and literacy with advanced degrees are rewarded with higher pay, qualifying for more job openings, and opportunities to move into supervisory and administrative roles.</p> <p>There are several teaching degree programs that offer a masters degree that will fulfill state requirements for teacher certification or licensure, and only require one to two years of study. In this scenario, it most definitely makes financial sense to earn a master's degree. However, many teaching professionals do not have the time or financial means to attend teacher courses on a daily basis. However, there is an alternative to on-campus study, and that is online degree programs in reading and literacy education. An online school is no less difficult to complete than an on campus program as far as curriculum is concerned. But the flexibility and self-pace options that go hand in hand with online study make earning a master's degree accessible to many more busy teaching professionals seeking to advance their career.</p> <p>The field of reading and literacy education is broad and affords teachers in this area with several directions to move and specialize in. Basic reading skills can be taught at a primary level in elementary schools, intermediate literacy can be explored with middle school students through language arts, or advanced studies can be discussed with a high school literature class. Reading and literacy teachers also have opportunities to shift directions if they desire and work with second language learners, students who may have fallen behind, or gifted classrooms. Teachers may choose to work with students in a group setting or in some cases on an individual basis. Teachers can even expand into adult and remedial literacy. Overall, the field is dynamic and satisfying as teachers help students overcome literacy challenges and enjoy the many pleasure of effective reading.</p> <b>Earning Potential</b> <p>Teacher earnings vary by grade level, length of time in a position, and degree level earned. Nationally, and according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a teacher with only a bachelor's degree had median annual earnings of $47,602 in 2006, and this includes K-12 reading and literacy teachers. Median annual earnings of adult literacy and remedial education teachers was $43,910 in 2006. However, earning a master's degree can significantly raise a teacher's salary, by how much varies from state to state is usually around several thousands of dollars per year. Also since reading and literacy is a critical shortage area in many parts of the US there are often additional financial incentives for teachers entering or crossing over into this field. Some of which include higher pay, student loan forgiveness and repayment programs, and/or tuition reimbursement. Check with your state's Department of Education for further information.</p> <b>Education Requirements</b> <p>Since the job growth outlook for the teaching profession in general is very good, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and since reading and literacy is a shortage area in many states, requirements have been somewhat relaxed in recent years. Most states require a minimum of a bachelor's degree in an approved teacher education program, with a substantial amount of credits in reading and literacy education. Some states require much less, indoctrinating teachers with the lowered standards set in place by the "No Child Left Behind Act." However, regardless of state requirements, earning advanced teaching degrees will afford higher pay and open doors to the most coveted teaching opportunities in reading and literacy education.</p> <b>Article Resources</b><br/><br/> Bureau of Labor Statistics<br/> <a href="http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm"target="_blank">http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm</a><br/><br/> International Reading Association<br/> <a href="http://www.reading.org/resources/community/programs.html"target="_blank">http://www.reading.org/resources/community/p rograms.html</a><br/><br/> SmartTeaching.org<br/> <a href="http://www.smartteaching.org/library/teacher-education-programs/reading-literacy-education-degree-programs/"target="_ blank">http://www.smartteaching.org/library/teacher-education-programs/reading-literacy-education-degree-programs/</a><br/> <br/> reading-literacy-education Reading & Literacy Education Reading & Literacy Education 6330, 6400, 6100, 6130, 6140, 6120 Accredited Education Degrees in Reading & Literacy Education 1 0