Culturally Sustaining Literacy Pedagogies

"A number of academic texts address culturally sustaining pedagogy (CSP), but very few focus on literacy practices that are culturally sustaining, unlike this one. Despite widespread interest among educators in culturally sustaining pedagogy, implementation of its practice is limited. This text provides authentic examples of culturally sustaining literacy pedagogy in real classrooms so that readers can see how CSP is enacted in practice, across multiple grade levels"--

Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies raises fundamental questions about the purpose of schooling in changing societies. Bringing together an intergenerational group of prominent educators and researchers, this volume engages and extends the concept of culturally sustaining pedagogy (CSP)—teaching that perpetuates and fosters linguistic, literate, and cultural pluralism as part of schooling for positive social transformation. The authors propose that schooling should be a site for sustaining the cultural practices of communities of color, rather than eradicating them. Chapters present theoretically grounded examples of how educators and scholars can support Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian/Pacific Islander, South African, and immigrant students as part of a collective movement towards educational justice in a changing world. Book Features: A definitive resource on culturally sustaining pedagogies, including what they look like in the classroom and how they differ from deficit-model approaches.Examples of teaching that sustain the languages, literacies, and cultural practices of students and communities of color.Contributions from the founders of such lasting educational frameworks as culturally relevant pedagogy, funds of knowledge, cultural modeling, and third space. Contributors: H. Samy Alim, Mary Bucholtz, Dolores Inés Casillas, Michael Domínguez, Nelson Flores, Norma Gonzalez, Kris D. Gutiérrez, Adam Haupt, Amanda Holmes, Jason G. Irizarry, Patrick Johnson, Valerie Kinloch, Gloria Ladson-Billings, Carol D. Lee, Stacey J. Lee, Tiffany S. Lee, Jin Sook Lee, Teresa L. McCarty, Django Paris, Courtney Peña, Jonathan Rosa, Timothy J. San Pedro, Daniel Walsh, Casey Wong “All teachers committed to justice and equity in our schools and society will cherish this book.” —Sonia Nieto, professor emerita, University of Massachusetts, Amherst “This book is for educators who are unafraid of using education to make a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable.” —Pedro Noguera, University of California, Los Angeles “This book calls for deep, effective practices and understanding that centers on our youths’ assets.” —Prudence L. Carter, dean, Graduate School of Education, UC Berkeley

Demonstrating equitable practices and strategies that move toward culturally sustaining teaching such as translanguaging, explorations of children’s literature, alternative modes of literacy assessment, photography and arts integration, student-driven poetry units, and more, this book shares the stories of four teacher–teacher dyads who worked together across university–school contexts to study, generate, and evaluate culturally relevant and sustaining literacy practices in early childhood classrooms across the country. Highlighting the voices and roles of children, families, community members, and teachers of Color, this book suggests new ways for all teachers to build and sustain relationships that are relevant and work toward being sustaining; and anticipates and offers solutions for challenges that arise in these contexts. Insightful and instructive, the narratives in this collection model how to create positive and mutually beneficial dynamics among teachers, children, and their families and communities. This book offers a timely resource for pre-service teachers, teachers, scholars, faculty, and graduate students in language and literacy education, early childhood education, and culturally relevant, responsive, and sustaining teaching.

Literacy educators are often unequipped to help young children contend with the world we inhabit, where linguistic, literate, and cultural pluralism are not always valued or sustained. In fact, educators are routinely bombarded by programs that position literacy as a simple, one-size-fits-all practice. This resource will help pre-K–3 teachers create and interpret literacy teaching processes, practices, and spaces that honor and extend children’s fullness. It is coauthored by three New York City teachers from ethnically, racially, and linguistically diverse schools who share vivid examples and everyday stories from their own classrooms. Grounded in an accessible discussion of the value of culturally sustaining pedagogy and its potential to promote equity in elementary teaching, this book can be used as a practical introduction to CSP practices for early childhood teachers and teacher candidates. Book Features: Focuses on the capabilities of young children and their families, rather than perceived deficits.

This practical book will help literacy teachers operationalize research on culturally sustaining pedagogy (CSP) to reach all students. The authors guide pre- and in-service educators in creating classroom environments and learning experiences that foster students’ literacy and language development, engagement with school, and critical consciousness. Chapter authors explore questions about how CSP is enacted in classrooms and how it impacts students, especially in schools that are heavily influenced by standardized testing and curricula. Readers will find concrete examples of how CSP is being used to shape students’ identities and their literacy abilities. The text is organized in three sections: Part I offers models in elementary classrooms; Part II presents models in classrooms for adolescents and youth; and Part III illustrates considerations for implementing CSP across K–12 contexts. Book Features: Focuses on enacting literacy practices that will make teaching and learning more equitable for all students.Provides authentic examples of culturally sustaining literacy pedagogy across multiple grade levels.Includes photographs • trade books • and lesson examples that reflect culturally relevant and sustaining teaching in actual classrooms. Contributors: Susan V. Bennett • Kathleen Cowin • Heather Dunham • AnnMarie Alberton Gunn • Steven Hart • Aimee Hendrix-Soto • Erica Holyoke • Britnie Delinger Kane • Chrystine Cooper Mitchell • Olivia Murphy • Sarah Newcomer • Alexandra Panos • Kelli A. Rushek • Rachelle S. Savitz • Ethan Seylar, Jenifer Jasinski Schneider • Jennifer D. Turner • Melissa Mosley Wetzel • Kelly K. Wissman

For the first time, this volume provides a definitive collection of Gloria Ladson-Billings's groundbreaking concept of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP). After repeatedly confronting deficit perspectives that asked, "What's wrong with thosekids?, Ladson-Billings decided to ask a different question, one that fundamentally shifted the way we think about teaching and learning. Noting that "those kids" usually meant Black students, she posed a new question: "What is right with Black students and what happens in classrooms where teachers, parents, and students get it right?" This compilation of Ladson-Billings's published work on Culturally Relevant Pedagogy examines the theory, how it works in specific subject areas, and its role in teacher education. The final section looks toward the future, including what it means to re-mix CRP with elements of youth culture such as hip hop. This one-of-a-kind collection can be used as an introduction to CRP and as a retrospective of the idea as it evolved over time, helping a new generation to see the possibilities that exist in teaching and learning for all students. Featured Essays: 1. Toward a Theory of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy 2. But That's Just Good Teaching! The Case for Culturally Relevant Pedagogy 3. Liberatory Consequences of Literacy: A Case of Culturally Relevant Instruction for African American Students 4. It Doesn't Add Up: African American Students' Mathematics Achievement 5. Crafting a Culturally Relevant Social Studies Approach 6. Fighting for Our Lives: Preparing Teachers to Teach African American Students 7. Is the Team All Right? Diversity and Teacher Education 8. It's Not the Culture of Poverty, It's the Poverty of Culture: The Problem With Teacher Education 9. Culturally Relevant Pedagogy 2.0: a.k.a. the Remix 10. Beyond Beats, Rhymes, & Beyoncé Hip Hop, Hip Hop Education, and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

This book highlights the journeys, challenges, and unfolding stories of transformation that reside within university/community partnerships focused on cultural and linguistic revitalization through schooling.

The field of literacy teacher education has experienced dramatic shifts over the past several decades. A rise in neoliberal policies have led to educational reforms on teaching, assessment, and marketplace competition in schooling contexts. Given the changing landscape of literacy teacher education, it is important to better understand the views, practices and pedagogies of literacy teacher educators, a professional group at the forefront of teacher education. It is important to understand What issues do literacy teacher educators face amidst all these changes? How do reforms influence their views and practices of literacy education? This book analyzes six literacy teacher educators' experiences as they endeavor to create authentic transformation through their everyday lived practices and pedagogies. Such a book centres the voices of this often understudied group and offers important insights, resources and support for teacher educators and graduate students to explore alternative and expansive visions for aligning university methods courses with current trends in literacy teacher education. Further, this book serves to illuminate the dialogue of doing the work of equity in teacher preparation programs. While many schools of education have taken on the mantle of social justice, this work is not done equally. The pedagogies and practices of enacting a critical stance are explores, while also highlighting the challenges this work raises both morally and professionally given the current landscape of literacy and teacher education.