Valerie Kinloch

Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz

Tanja Burkhard

Carlotta Penn

Race, Justice, and Activism in Literacy Instruction

Peter Smagorinsky

This edited collection will stand as the first volume that specifically describes service-learning programs and courses designed as part of teacher education programs in the fields of literacy education, secondary English education, elementary language arts education, and related fields. The contributing authors describe the programs they have developed at their universities and/or in their local communities, providing information about the rationale for their initiative, the design of the course, the outcomes of the experience, and other matters that will help literacy educators develop similar courses and experiences of their own. Additionally, this edited collection will fill a great gap in the field’s knowledge of alternative forms of teacher education. It will provide descriptions of service-learning initiatives that have been field-tested with demonstrable results. Thus far the field has produced widely scattered articles in journals covering a variety of disciplines, but no definitive collection of papers in which service-learning designed to promote literacy instruction is housed in a single volume edited for cross-referencing and thematic categorization. The two editors have developed courses and received grants to support service-learning initiatives at their universities and believe that others might develop similar programs if they had better understandings of their value and design. Their intention with this volume is to promote service-learning more broadly among literacy educators.

Possibilities for Teaching and Learning

Service-Learning in Literacy Education

Ginwright examines the role of community based organizations (CBOs) in the lives and development of black urban youth. The author argues that these organizations have the potential to provide a powerful influence in "how young people choose to participate in schooling and civic life." Ginwright bases his observations on a five-year study of a CBO he created in Oakland, California. The book shows readers that the lives of poor, black, urban youth are not quite as determined by locale and income as more deterministic readings have argued, and that there is real hope for positive change in these urban communities.

Place, Race, and the Literacies of Urban Youth

Harlem on Our Minds

“This is a book of stories told by adolescents and adults about teaching and learning. . . . Puzzlement, wonder, curiosity, disruption, and distress mark the emotions of all the storytellers here.” —From the Foreword by Shirley Brice Heath, Stanford University “Crossing Boundaries is a must-read for anyone interested in improving the academic achievements and enhancing the literacy practices of marginalized students.” —Beverly Moss, The Ohio State University “This book will shake the ‘common’ and reshape the ‘knowledge’ we have about the passion and potential of students in urban schools.” —JoBeth Allen, University of Georgia In her new book, Valerie Kinloch, award-winning author of Harlem on Our Minds, sheds light on the ways urban youth engage in “meaning-making” experiences as a way to assert critical, creative, and highly sophisticated perspectives on teaching, learning, and survival. Kinloch rejects deficit models that have traditionally defined the literacy abilities of students of color, especially African American and Latino/a youth. In contrast, she “crosses boundaries” to listen to the voices of students attending high school in New York City’s Harlem community. In Crossing Boundaries, Kinloch uses a critical teacher-researcher lens to propose new directions for youth literacies and achievements. The text features examples of classroom engagements, student writings and presentations, discussions of texts and current events, and conversations on skills, process, achievement, and underachievement. Valerie Kinloch is associate professor in literacy studies in the School of Teaching and Learning at The Ohio State University. Her other books are Harlem on Our Minds: Place, Race, and the Literacies of Urban Youth and Urban Literacies: Critical Perspectives on Language, Learning, and Community. All royalties go to the Cultivating New Voices Among Scholars of Color grant and mentoring program sponsored through the National Council of Teachers of English

Crossing Boundaries—Teaching and Learning with Urban Youth

Biography of June Jordan (1936-2002), Jamaican-American writer and poet.

Her Life and Letters

June Jordan

This volume brings together respected scholars to examine the intersections of race, justice, and activism in direct relation to the teaching and learning of critical literacy. The authors focus on literacy praxis that reflect how students--with the loving, critical support of teachers and teacher educators--engage in resistance work and collaborate for social change. Each chapter theorizes how students and adults initiate and/or participate in important justice work, how their engagements are situated within a critical literacy lens, and what their engagements look like in schools and communities. The authors also explore the importance of this work in the context of current sociopolitical developments, including police shootings, deportations, and persistent educational inequities. Book Features: The most recent work of both emerging and well-known literacy and social justice scholars. Examples of student activism across multiple geographic contexts in the United States. Accessible questions to help guide discussions related to the overall topics, theories, and methods. Artifacts, such as images and artwork, from students and educators to allow readers multiple ways of entering the text.

Emily A. Nemeth

Tamara T. Butler

Grace D. Player

This inspirational book is about engaged pedagogies, an approach to teaching and learning that centers dialogue, listening, equity, and connection among stakeholders who understand the human and ecological cost of inequality. The authors share their story of working with students, teachers, teacher educators, families, community members, and union leaders to create transformative practices within and beyond public school classrooms. This collaborative work occurred within various spaces—inside school buildings, libraries, churches, community gardens, nonprofit organizations, etc.—and afforded opportunities to grapple with engaged pedagogies in times of political crisis. Featuring descriptions from a district-wide initiative, this book offers practical and theoretical resources for educators wanting to center justice in their work with students. Through question-posing, color images, empirical observations, and use of scholarly and practitioner-driven literature, readers will learn how to use these resources to reconfigure schools and classrooms as sites of engagement for equity, justice, and love. Book Features: Provides a sound approach to deeply taking up the work of justice and engaged pedagogies.Presents linguistic, cultural, theoretical, and practical ideas that can be used and implemented immediately. Includes reflective questions, found poetry, lesson ideas, storytelling as narrative, and examples of engaged pedagogies. Shares stories from a district-wide initiative that embedded engaged pedagogies within classrooms, counseling offices, and libraries.Showcases original artwork and images in full color by Grace D. Player, one of the coauthors.

Where Is the Justice? Engaged Pedagogies in Schools and Communities

Margret Grebowicz

From her activism to her passionate writings, June Jordan (1936 - 2002) is one of the most revered American poets of our time. Jordan's writing simultaneously provokes delight and energy while urging reflection on American society and its injustices. In Still Seeking an Attitude, the first reflection on her legacy, Jordan's life and works are explored in depth and detail, focusing on subjects ranging from her use of language and linguistics to her political activism and role in children's literature. These critical examinations elucidate the power and poetry of Jordan's words, serving as an exciting supplement for those already familiar with Jordan and an excellent guide for anyone discovering her works for the first time.

Critical Reflections on the Work of June Jordan

Still Seeking an Attitude

This text investigates the literate identities and practices of urban youth in rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods, with a focus on New York City's Harlem neighborhood. The author takes a participatory action approach to define and engage with new directions in youth literacies in socially constructed spaces (i.e., classrooms, gentrifying communities). The author examines connections between race and place by discussing how Harlem youth, teachers, longtime black residents, and new white residents to the area view their role within the gentrification process, with quotes from community members and stakeholders. The active response of youth, via critical literacy/storytelling, in both traditional (print) and multimodal (digital video, etc) forms is investigated, honored, and thoughtfully considered for powerful implications for in-service teaching practice, educational policy, and teacher education. Vignettes, photos, and quotes from students and community members are included throughout.

Valerie Kinloch

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