Change Is Gonna Come: Transforming Literacy Education for African American Students
Change Is Gonna Come: Transforming Literacy Education for African American Students
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Overview
While many books decry the crisis in the schooling of African American children, they are often disconnected from the lived experiences and work of classroom teachers and principals. In Change Is Gonna Come, the authors look back to go forward, providing specific practices that K–12 literacy educators can use to transform their schools. The text addresses four major debates: the fight for access to literacy; supports and roadblocks to success; best practices, theories, and perspectives on teaching African American students; and the role of African American families in the literacy lives of their children. Throughout, the authors highlight the valuable lessons learned from the past and include real stories from their own diverse family histories and experiences as teachers, parents, and community members.
Patricia A. Edwards is Distinguished Professor of Language and Literacy in the Teacher Education Department at Michigan State University and President of the International Reading Association, 2010–2011. Gwendolyn Thompson McMillon is Associate Professor of Literacy in the Department of Reading and Language Arts at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Jennifer D. Turner is Associate Professor in Reading Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Maryland, College Park.
“Patricia Edwards, in opening this book, seamlessly integrates her own personal narrative of growing up in the segregated Jim Crow South with the intellectual history of our nation’s efforts to address the achievement gap in literacy. Her story is powerful because it embodies a core set of principles about human learning, which is based on a strong body of empirical evidence.”
—From the Foreword by Carol D. Lee, Northwestern University, President, American Educational Research Association, 2009–2010
“Edwards, McMillon, and Turner have hit a grand slam with Change Is Gonna Come. This is a page-turner that you won’t be able to put down. After the first reading you’ll return to visit the history of African Americans’ struggle as students, the power that teachers have to support or destroy dreams, ways to create home-to-school connections and, most significantly, how to support learning for African American students who come from homes where there will, most likely, never be a school–home bond.”
—Diane Lapp, Distinguished Professor of Education, San Diego State University
• Literacy Research Association's Edward B. Fry Book Award, 2011
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780807770665 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Teachers College Press |
| Publication date: | 06/06/2013 |
| Series: | Language and Literacy Series |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 498 KB |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Foreword Carol D. Lee ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xix
Introduction: Hope, Literacy, and the State of African American Education Today 1
"I Hate School": Low Literacy and Low Life Chances 4
Narrow Definitions of Literacy and Literate Practices 6
Factors That Confound Literacy Achievement 8
Language Issues 9
Moving Forward With Hope 12
1 The Fight for Access to Literacy 13
Narrative Beginnings-Rev. M.T. Thompson: "Lifted from Red Clay by Red Words" 14
The Fight for Access in a Contemporary Classroom-Elena: "I Don't Belong in Special Education, and I'm Not Staying There" 15
Looking Back to Go Forward: A Historical Perspective 17
Government Intervention 33
The Struggle Continues 34
2 The Multiple Meanings of Success: Tensions, Conflicts, and Crises for African American Students 36
Narrative Beginnings-Jennifer D. Turner: "Success Is Tryin' to Make It in Two Worlds" 36
Stories from African American Elementary Students: Trying to Be "Cool" in Contemporary Classrooms 40
Looking Back to Go Forward: Reclaiming the Meaning(s) of Success 43
Multiple Meanings of Success 44
Resisting School Success 46
Reclaiming School Success 54
The Struggle Continues 63
3 Teaching African American Students: Approaches and Best Practices 64
Narrative Beginnings-Gwendolyn Thompson McMillon: Confidence + Culture Shock = Double Consciousness 64
A Contemporary Success Story-David Benjamin McMillon: "I'm a Brotha' Who Can Dance, Play the Drums, and Win the Science Fair" 67
Looking Back to Go Forward: Teaching Other People's Children 71
Best Practices for Teaching African American Students 80
Best Practices for Preparing Teachers to Teach African American Students 87
The Struggle Continues 92
4 Village or Villain: The Role of African American Families 93
Narrative Beginnings-Patricia A. Edwards: "A Family That Values Education" 93
A Contemporary Narrative: Literacy Learning Across Generations 97
Looking Back to go Forward: The Beginning of Parent Involvement in the United States 98
African American Parents' Responsibilities for Their Children 101
The American Family: A Changing Institution 109
Poverty and the Changing American Family 111
Struggling with Children and Parents 114
Dealing with Families: A Double Standard 119
Parents are Not All the Same 123
Learning About Cultural Issues Involving Families and Communities 127
The Need to Build Teams and Networks: The Struggle Continues 130
5 The Road to Redemption: Moving from Victims to Victors 132
Narrative Beginnings-Pat, Gwen, and Jen Committed to Making a Difference: "All of Us Are Smarter Than One of Us" 132
Contemporary Teachable Moments: Learning to Share 133
Looking Back to Go Forward: Summary of the Four Debates 135
Taking Steps to Build and Maintain a Healthy Village 136
A Call to Action: Am I My Brother's Keeper? 162
References 165
Index 189
About the Authors 201
What People are Saying About This
“Edwards, McMillon, and Turner have hit a grand slam. This is a page-turner that you won’t be able to put down.”—Diane Lapp, San Diego State University
“Patricia Edwards, in opening this book, seamlessly integrates her own personal narrative of growing up in the segregated Jim Crow South with the intellectual history of our nation’s efforts to address the achievement gap in literacy. Her story is powerful because it embodies a core set of principles about human learning, which is based on a strong body of empirical evidence.” —From the Foreword by Carol D. Lee, Northwestern University, President, American Educational Research Association, 2009–2010