Sustaining Cultural and Disability Identities in the Literacy Classroom, K-6

Ideal for literacy methods and elementary instruction courses, this book brings together three strands of educational practice--Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP), Disability Sustaining Pedagogy (DSP), and balanced literacy--to present a cohesive, comprehensive framework for literacy instruction that meets the needs of all learners. Situating balanced literacy instruction within the current debate on how to best teach elementary school literacy, this book prepares pre-service and in-service teachers to work with racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse students of all abilities and disabilities and addresses effective curriculum design, lesson planning, and assessment. Chapters offer real-world classroom examples and lesson plans, charts, and discussion guides for CSP/DSP-infused instruction for each component of a balanced literacy instructional block.

Dr. Amy Tondreau is an Assistant Professor of Elementary Literacy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She holds an Ed.D. in Curriculum & Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University, an M.Ed. in Reading from Rhode Island College, and a B.A. in Elementary Education and Communications from Boston College. She previously worked as a staff developer and writer for the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, as co-director of the Summer Literacy Clinic at Rhode Island College, and as an elementary classroom teacher in Massachusetts. Her research focuses on teachers’ and students’ literacy identities, critical literacy in children’s literature and writing pedagogy, professional learning communities, and the cross-pollination of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy and Disability Sustaining Pedagogy in literacy teaching and learning. Her work has been published in forums such as The Reading Teacher, Studying Teacher Education, and Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education.

Laurie Rabinowitz, EdD, MSEd, MA, is an Assistant Professor of Education Studies at Skidmore College. Prior to working at Skidmore, she was a faculty member in Literacy and Reading at Bank Street College of Education. She has also taught courses at Teachers College, Columbia University, Barnard College, New York University, Hunter College, and LIU Brooklyn and has supervised student teachers at Teachers College, Columbia University. Previously, she was a special education teacher at a public school in New York City. She has also worked as a Director of Instruction at a New York City charter school.

She holds a doctoral degree in Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research looks at inclusive practices and the intersections of literacy and inclusive pedagogy. Rabinowitz holds an MA in Education Leadership from New York University and an MS in Special Education from Hunter College. She earned her undergraduate degree in Art History from Barnard College.