In this article, the author argues that living literacies--relational, embodied forms of literacy engagement--are an integral component of literacy engagement and hold the potential to disrupt and reconfigure the power structures embedded within schooled literacy. Drawing on affect theory and rhizomatic theory, the author analyzes youths' literacy…

The purpose of this study was to understand the nature of writing instruction across time and grade bands. We used quantitative and qualitative analyses of teacher interviews and video records of classroom instruction of English language arts writing instruction in 97 fourth- through eighth-grade classrooms in 2010 and 2018. Video records showed a…

In this article, we examine one teacher's enactment of critical literacy pedagogy in a 7th-grade English language arts classroom in a New York City public school. By conceptualizing critical global literacies in relation to preservice and in-service teaching practices that reflect neoliberal interests, we attend to pedagogy inclusive of…

In November 2014, the New York City Department of Education classified 94 low-performing schools as "renewal schools." New York's Renewal School Program (RSP), announced Mayor Bill de Blasio at the program's launch, represented a big change to the city's education policy: whereas former mayor Michael Bloomberg favored closing failing…

The purpose of this post-qualitative study was to examine the rhizomatic functioning of youth's engagements with literacy in a 7th grade English Language Arts classroom. I argued normed expectations of students' engagement with literacy in schools imposes hegemonic control over students' literacy learning, thus devaluing students' in-the-moment,…

Evidence that teachers' short-term instructional effects persist over time and predict substantial long-run impacts on students' lives provides much of the impetus for a wide range of educational reforms focused on identifying and responding to differences in teachers' value-added to student learning. However, relatively little research has…

New York mayor Bill de Blasio entered office in January 2014, promising to "take dead aim at the Tale of Two Cities … [and] put an end to economic and social inequalities that threaten to unravel the city we love." The Manhattan Institute's "Poverty and Progress in New York" series tracks the effects of Mayor de Blasio's…

Across the country and in urban areas in particular, many students change schools during the academic year. While much research documents the impact of changing schools on the academic achievement of mobile students themselves, less research explores whether new arrivals have negative spillovers on stable classmates. The lack of research on…

This technical report provides an overview of the New York State Alternate Assessment (NYSAA), including a description of the purpose of the NYSAA, the processes utilized to develop and implement the NYSAA program, and Stakeholder involvement in those processes. By comparing the intent of the NYSAA with its process and design, the validity of the…

LANGUAGE ARTS TEACHERS ENDEAVOR TO LAY A GENERAL FOUNDATION IN READING AS A PART OF THE COMMUNICATION PROGRAM. EACH SUBJECT AREA, HOWEVER, HAS PARTICULAR READING PROBLEMS WHICH MUST BE FACED BY THE TEACHER IN DEVELOPING AN INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM. SUGGESTIONS ARE OFFERED TO JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS FOR IMPROVING INSTRUCTION BY GIVING SPECIFIC…

This article presents a model of an effective unit of study in which music played a vital role. The unit of study was created and implemented in a New York City middle school, and students examined an African American community in the borough of Brooklyn. The unit enabled students to explore the history, heritage, and culture of a local community…

Community School District 23 (CSD 23) in Region 5 of the New York City public schools serves students who reside in central Brooklyn. The district enrolls approximately 12,800 students in grades K-8 in 18 schools. Scholastic READ 180 is one of several reading interventions that the district is using to improve student performance. The staff of…