Murky Waters of Literacy: A Kaleidoscope View of Chicago Public School's Fourth-Grade Teachers' Experiences

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 5:25 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: (Mis)Recognizing Value in Diverse Identities (Table 3)

Abstract

In the 21st century illiteracy is hiding in plain sight, especially among fourth-grade African-American boys, who score the lowest in literacy of all youth who take standardized tests (NAEP, 2015). These youth are often disadvantaged by multiple sources of oppression including their race, class, and gender; and are vulnerable to various forms of bias (Gillborn, 2015). Therefore, dismantling racial injustice in education is crucial and must begin with skilled, knowledgeable, and supported teachers. Consequently, teachers whose responsibility it is to instruct African-American boys on how to read must have awareness of their own biases, the ethnic group with which they identify, and how their identity and behavior can aid and abet a negative literacy experience for African-American boys.

Author

• Kimberly D. Lloyd, WGYC Inc