Early Childhood Literacy Teachers in High Poverty Schools
A Study of Courage and Caring
By (author) Melissa Landa
Publication date:
01 November 2017Length of book:
144 pagesPublisher
Lexington BooksDimensions:
237x161mm6x9"
ISBN-13: 9781498555876
Much has been written about the failure of White American public school teachers to effectively teach low-income children of color to read and write. Scholars have offered numerous explanations for this failure, including the reluctance of teacher preparation programs to address cultural competence and the lack of cultural diversity among teacher educators. In response to reported failures such as high attrition rates of novice teachers and low test scores, American public schools are being subjected to increased standardization of the curriculum and high stakes testing. This book provides rich illustrations of White early literacy teachers who choose to remain in low-income school communities, where they effectively and passionately embrace their students, families, and communities. Blending the teachers’ successful practices, shown in in-depth interviews excavating their identities and life experiences, with theoretical frameworks about teaching and learning, Early Childhood Literacy Teachers in High Poverty Schools: A Study of Boundary Crossing discusses the responsibility of public educators to cross geographical, economic, and political divisions on behalf of their students, and offers strategies for teacher educators to equip future teachers for these tasks.
In this original and beautifully crafted book, Melissa Landa draws upon her love of language and literature to argue the importance of cross-cultural understandings for teachers and students in their instructional relationships. Grounded in an insightful analysis of urban school systems and courageously mining her own biography growing up in apartheid South Africa, the author weaves powerful stories of five teachers who use literature to engage their students in difficult conversations about social and cultural divides. Through powerful images of collaborative classroom cultures and teachers who cross boundaries to navigate school system demands while always putting children first, Melissa expands and sharpens possibilities for transformative teaching and teacher education, and greater educational equity.