Futures Conference drafts IRA's long-range goals. (cover story)

This article reports on the Futures Conference of the International Reading Association (IRA) in Washington D.C. in January 1991. The conference was held to examine the direction the IRA wishes to take in the future and to draft goals to help it get there. Once the goals are revised and established, they will provide a framework for the future efforts of the entire organization. This Futures Conference opened with a review of the previous long-range planning efforts of the IRA. Participants of the conference broke into small groups to discuss current IRA activities in various areas and to look at the external factors that affect the association. An afternoon was devoted to brainstorming possible goals for IRA and then narrowing that list to a manageable number. The conferees also broke into small groups to formulate draft goals on specific topics. The participants, who included IRA board members and officers, headquarters staff members, council leaders, and members, represented a wide variety of perspectives and geographic areas. This diversity of viewpoints led to a number of collegial discussions as conferees explored the best way to approach and present various issues. As the conference ended, participants charged the Futures Planning Committee with further editing the draft goals.