are students who are in danger of dropping out of school, usually because of educational disadvantages, low socioeconomic status, or underachievement. Although poor minority children may be at greatest risk, many other students in our classrooms also are at risk of school failure. The reasons are varied : among them, poverty, drug and alcohol, abuse, crime, teen pregnancy, low self-esteem, ill health, poor school attendance, and welfare dependence.

is a challenge for teachers in the United States. Because we educate all children in our heterogeneous society, we must know how to respect and manage classrooms in which there are diverse economic levels, different cultures and religions, and different levels of literacy. This is very challenging.

is very important. It requires that readers realize how what they read is meaningful and applicable. Because all texts are created and situated within particular social and ideological contexts, " students of critical literacy are generally encouraged to take a critical attitude toward texts, asking what view of the world they advance and whether these views should be

accepted ". Recognizing the profound social and ideological dimensions of texts allows readers to " question, resist, or revise " their representations of the world.

is an issue that causes teachers and parents much concern. Sometimes children are mislabeled as having a disability when they do not yet have proficient English-speaking skills. A learning disability is a discrepancy between performance and ability that is cause d by a neurological disorder; the learning disability cannot be corrected but new ways to learn can be taught and accommodations can be made. A difference in one’s culture and / or language may cause misunderstanding and miscommunication, but this is NOT a learning disability ! 

can be very helpful in aligning educational practices across the United States. Sometimes they also cause challenges. The No Child Left Behind Act

( NCLB ), signed into law by President George W. Bush in January 2002, is the centerpiece of U.S. federal education policy. A major revision of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act ( ESEA ), this legislation redefines the federal role in K-12 education by requiring all states to set high standards of achievement and create a system of accountability to measure results.

Many of the act's provisions are controversial. IRA members hold a variety of views on these issues, and the Association encourages a continuing dialogue on finding the best ways to improve reading instruction.

In its position statement on high-stakes testing, the Association states its opposition to using scores on a single test as the criterion for important decisions about students' education. The statement offers specific recommendations for designing and implementing testing programs that yield a more accurate and useful view of students' abilities. 

Major demographic changes brought about by increasingly mobile populations mean that educators must provide quality instruction to increasingly diverse groups of students. Today's classrooms are likely to contain a sizeable proportion of students whose first language is not the primary language of instruction and whose culture and values differ from those of the larger community. As this trend continues, issues of language and cultural diversity will become increasingly important in any discussion of educational reform.

Teachers should be avid readers ! We are advocates of excellent children's and young adult literature. Quality literature can be used to help children grow into lifelong readers. Literature should be infused into instructional lessons in schools. 

In spring 2003 the International Reading Association released Investment in Teacher Preparation in the United States: A Position Statement of the International Reading Association, which calls for a major national investment in teacher education to ensure that every beginning teacher is competent to teach reading from his or her first day on the job. The statement also advocates more attention to work conditions that affect teacher performance and further research on the effectiveness of reading teacher preparation programs.

In its position statement Excellent Reading Teachers ( 2000 ), the International Reading Association states its belief that " every child deserves excellent reading teachers because teachers make a difference in children's reading achievement and motivation to read ". The Association then goes on to describe the " critical qualities of knowledge and practice " that mark an excellent reading teacher and to recommend specific steps that teachers, administrators, teacher educators, and others can take to develop excellence in a teaching program. 

The International Reading Association asserts that students must become proficient in the new literacies of information and communication technology ( ICT ) in order to become fully literate in today's world. The Association believes that it is the responsibility of literacy educators to prepare students for a future that will require these new literacies. Therefore, students have rights to the following :

High poverty rates, a highly diverse student population, and a high turnover rate among classroom teachers all contribute to the unique set of challenges facing America's urban schools. According to Richard Long, IRA Director of Government Relations, children in urban areas need teachers with different skills related to language, the impact of poverty, and a wide array of social issues.