Explores how family literacy practices are connected to social institutions that sustain or transform participants' awareness or reproduction of class identities and the inequities inherent in these interactions. Looks at the complexity of one African-American, working-poor family's literacy practices in their connections to social institutions.…

Shares stories of the author's family's literacy projects in schools, at home, and on the street to explore how critical literacy can become part of everyday lives and dreams for a better future. Articulates the seriousness of these projects, how these projects spring from our questions and interests, and how they can inform educators about…

Presents a case study of the "Coleman family" to examine support for literacy within an economically disadvantaged family, in which the child learned to value literacy and learned how to read very well despite the limited literacy abilities of the mother. Discusses ways teachers might help parents to support literacy growth at home and at school.…