Culturally Sustaining Literacy Pedagogies

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.

Susan Chambers Cantrell is a professor of literacy at the University of Kentucky. Doris Walker-Dalhouse is professor of literacy in the College of Education at Marquette University and professor emerita of literacy at the Minnesota State University. Althier M. Lazar is professor of education at Saint Joseph’s University.

“The authors of this volume present many pedagogical opportunities for reimaging literacy instruction in ways that honor and cultivate students’ cultural and linguistic identities and that allow students to drive curricular decisions. While reading the stories in this text, one cannot help but be struck by the importance of culturally sustaining literacy pedagogy and the need to resist traditional test-driven pedagogies that deny student voice and agency.”
—Rebecca Powell, professor emeritus, Georgetown College

“In the introduction to this edited book on culturally sustaining literacy pedagogy (CSLP), the editors state that they see ‘enormous potential of CSLP to gain a foothold in literacy classrooms.’ This carefully crafted and well-thought-out edited volume is a massive step in the direction of realizing that enormous potential!”
—Cynthia Brock, Wyoming Excellence in Higher Education Endowed Chair in Literacy Education, University of Wyoming