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At the elementary level there is a strong commitment to the development of literacy skills. Decoding, comprehension and vocabulary are stressed and assessed repeatedly. However, while these skills are being taught and reinforced, students have opportunities to express themselves through speaking, writing, and even through the arts. Students are being introduced to culturally diverse texts which push them to think and form ideas and opinions. Within our classrooms students are encouraged to share their ideas, talk to their peers, engage in debate, and respect the ideas and opinions of others. Ultimately, our goal is to nurture our students and provide them with opportunities for individual growth. I would say that while a large part of literacy within our schools is skill based, it is evident that we have much wider goals than just teaching skills.

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Honestly, I don't recognize the schools that the author, Gholdy Muhammad, is referring to in this chapter. She speaks about schools where the sole focus is on the mechanics of reading, without regard to the content of the literature, or larger issues of representation, etc. I believe our districts goals (as well as the DOE's Academic Priorities and Principles), fully align with the 10 Lessons from Black Literary Societies. In fact, I think that the general thrust of literacy education, since the advent of Balanced Literacy, and especially with the prominence of CRSE, is fully what she is talking about. I feel confident that in our schools, we are engaging in practices that support the development of literate individuals, who have reading and writing experiences that are deep and meaningful and reflective of their multiple identities....now if you ask me about the impact of social media and withering attention spans on literacy, that's a different matter.

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Honestly, I don't recognize the schools that the author, Gholdy Muhammad, is referring to in this chapter. She speaks about schools where the sole focus is on the mechanics of reading, without regard to the content of the literature, or larger issues of representation, etc. I believe our districts goals (as well as the DOE's Academic Priorities and Principles), fully align with the 10 Lessons from Black Literary Societies. In fact, I think that the general thrust of literacy education, since the advent of Balanced Literacy, and especially with the prominence of CRSE, is fully what she is talking about. I feel confident that in our schools, we are engaging in practices that support the development of literate individuals, who have reading and writing experiences that are deep and meaningful and reflective of their multiple identities....now if you ask me about the impact of social media and withering attention spans on literacy, that's a different matter.

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Russell Butts (28Q055): As stated in the article, "Literacy was the foundation of all learning." Literacy is often defined within schools as the acts of reading, writing, and speaking. However, in an ideal situation, literacy would be defined as students being engaged in reading, discussions grounded in texts, public speaking, debating, writing original pieces, etc. Something the article mentioned  that I agree with is that schools tend to focus on literacy as skills-based learning (e.g. decoding, fluency, vocabulary, high-stake tests, and testing data) without having students making connections to themselves.  Something that is being done to combat that is exposing students to more culturally relevant texts to allow themselves to make more authentic text-to-self connections.     The district has made it a priority for schools to infuse more CR-SE aligned curriculums, which I feel will help move schools away from solely focusing on skills. Furthermore, the article mentions that literacy is often defined as learners being competitive and individualistic. Something that schools should be striving for is providing opportunities for students to become responsible for each other. With an emphasis in the district on literacy acceleration, especially in the lower graders, literacy will hopefully no longer be defined in schools as solely being skill based, but more encompassing of the student's overall academic growth on a more holistic level.

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Russell Butts (28Q055): As stated in the article, "Literacy was the foundation of all learning." Literacy is often defined within schools as the acts of reading, writing, and speaking. However, in an ideal situation, literacy would be defined as students being engaged in reading, discussions grounded in texts, public speaking, debating, writing original pieces, etc. Something the article mentioned  that I agree with is that schools tend to focus on literacy as skills-based learning (e.g. decoding, fluency, vocabulary, high-stake tests, and testing data) without having students making connections to themselves.  Something that is being done to combat that is exposing students to more culturally relevant texts to allow themselves to make more authentic text-to-self connections.     The district has made it a priority for schools to infuse more CR-SE aligned curriculums, which I feel will help move schools away from solely focusing on skills. Furthermore, the article mentions that literacy is often defined as learners being competitive and individualistic. Something that schools should be striving for is providing opportunities for students to become responsible for each other. With an emphasis in the district on literacy acceleration, especially in the lower graders, literacy will hopefully no longer be defined in schools as solely being skill based, but more encompassing of the student's overall academic growth on a more holistic level.

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Literary societies were designed to improve minds to develop thoughtful and meaningful change for their communities. Black literary societies came together to educate one another via reading, writing and thinking during the 1800's.  These societies were "built around meaningful and diverse literature" with a foundation of learning core academics.  Similarly to literacy societies, the purpose of professional development & teacher evaluations within education is to push our staff and communities forward intellectually and collaboratively.  Our work using the following the Danielson rubric, CRSE & SEL frameworks as well as CCLS & NGLS resources promotes inclusive curriculums, diversity, inter & intra disciplinary connections, staff, student and family partnerships as well as academic, social and emotional growth for our communities.

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I totally agree with Catherine. I don't see my school or other schools in our district as the schools referred to in this chapter. This chapter depicts schools that teach literacy skills in isolation and with disregard to cultural relevance or real world experiences. The CRSE has brought about change and our schools have created educational spaces where students are taught to be independent and critical thinkers. Students are encouraged to use their imaginations, bring in their life experiences and cultural backgrounds to enrich others. Our students are challenged to think outside of the box and to take ownership of their own learning. Our teachers are encouraged to utilize culturally relevant and authentic texts to provide students the opportunity to see themselves reflected in their learning. Also, teachers are encouraged to set high expectations for their students.

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I also agree with Catherine and Aida. I have had the opportunity to visit a few of the schools in our district and none of them reflect how schools are referred to in this chapter. We as a district have embraced CRSE and our schools have benefited from it. Students are being taught to be student advocates, change the world. Our teachers are teaching their lessons and being culturally responsive and ensuring that students can see people like them represented in the literature they are reading. All the teachers in my building this year were able to update their libraries with CRSE books. Our teachers are encouraged to educate our students and have students question each other through higher order thinking questions as well as engage in challenging tasks. We have high expectations for our students and we embrace everyone's backgrounds and culture.

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There are many factors to consider when analyzing teaching and learning.  Strategic planning on the part of the teacher and active engagement from the student are but two crucial elements that work in tandem to promote student success.    When planning, it’s important to consider one’s audience.  I believe that it’s essential to select texts that speak to the identities of the students in front of you.   Through this, connections can be made and rich discussions are possible.  Multiple opportunities should exist to allow student voice to shine through in reading, writing, and speaking.  This promotes a more active style of learning in the classroom, where students are afforded the opportunity to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.  When selecting texts that speak to the identities of students, teachers must be mindful to not simply rely on those that they are most familiar with or select the most popular authors.  I agree with Gholdy’s notion that many schools narrowly select individuals that aptly represent the black struggle, as this is the easier path to choose, however, this is often where the teaching stops.  There is a missed opportunity to highlight black excellence.  In our school, student agency is at the forefront of learning.  Instruction is designed around peer discussion and student-centered learning, in order to build independent thinkers and learners.  Teachers play the role of facilitators, while students become the leaders in their own learning.

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 Susan Monahan (28Q190) The Black literacy societies were created not only for self enjoyment but to give those participants self empowerment.  These societies  encouraged social responsibility and to share the knowledge they gained from literacy giving each person a shared responsibility to elevate others through education in the community.  Our teacher evaluations (Danielson here in NYC) are created first so that everyone knows the evaluation criteria and that we all strive to move our students in the same direction, preparing them for their next level.  Here too we are elevating others through education.  Our SEL and CRSE framework provides that all are included in every aspect of a NY State and NYC education.  There are multiple opportunities for students, staff and community members can have partnerships promoting growth through our schools to include everyone, share different points of view, in a safe space for the good and growth of all.

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 Susan Monahan (28Q190) The Black literacy societies were created not only for self enjoyment but to give those participants self empowerment.  These societies  encouraged social responsibility and to share the knowledge they gained from literacy giving each person a shared responsibility to elevate others through education in the community.  Our teacher evaluations (Danielson here in NYC) are created first so that everyone knows the evaluation criteria and that we all strive to move our students in the same direction, preparing them for their next level.  Here too we are elevating others through education.  Our SEL and CRSE framework provides that all are included in every aspect of a NY State and NYC education.  There are multiple opportunities for students, staff and community members can have partnerships promoting growth through our schools to include everyone, share different points of view, in a safe space for the good and growth of all.

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~ Tara Malagoli 28Q117 Teachers have been in continuous pursuit to improve the academic performance of scholars specifically of students from linguistic and culturally diverse walks of life. The ten literary society lessons reinforce the relevance of a culturally responsive sustaining education being implemented in schools. Providing students with an education comprised of CRSE is a heavy lift and easier said than done. In some schools it may be easier and some may not, we need to be real with our ourselves and staff in setting clear expectations on teaching effectiveness and curriculum development and modification. More specifically, crafting  lessons/curricula/literature that students identify with (do our students see themselves in lessons and as an integral part of the work they are participating in throughout the school day. As schools implement effective literacy instructional practices, the lens through which students see systems of power, privilege and access broadens. 

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~ Tara Malagoli 28Q117 Teachers have been in continuous pursuit to improve the academic performance of scholars specifically of students from linguistic and culturally diverse walks of life. The ten literary society lessons reinforce the relevance of a culturally responsive sustaining education being implemented in schools. Providing students with an education comprised of CRSE is a heavy lift and easier said than done. In some schools it may be easier and some may not, we need to be real with our ourselves and staff in setting clear expectations on teaching effectiveness and curriculum development and modification. More specifically, crafting  lessons/curricula/literature that students identify with (do our students see themselves in lessons and as an integral part of the work they are participating in throughout the school day. As schools implement effective literacy instructional practices, the lens through which students see systems of power, privilege and access broadens. 

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Three historical frames of Black Literary societies are "literary presence, literary pursuits, and literary character." Essentially, these three frames provided people an avenue for valued "literary presence" and "identity" - character, personality, beliefs, traits, qualities, etc. How can our practice as administrators and instructional leads lend itself to support the lessons from Black literary societies with professional development and teacher evaluation? We attend professional learnings to engage in meaningful conversation surrounding our practice. We collaborate as a school/district/city-wide community to review data and set courses of action to create curriculum that will intellectually engage all students to utilize complex thinking. During our observations, we use the Danielson rubric focusing on questions and engagement - What is the teacher doing? What are the students doing? When observing, the expectation is that students are engaged in challenging tasks that encourage meaningful discourse. It is the job of educators to create a safe environment for students enabling them to take intellectual risks which lay a foundation for students to gain confidence in the knowledge and belief that their voice matters and is valued thereby encouraging there own literary presence and identity.

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My personal teaching philosophy is based on Vygostky’s theory that social and cognitive development work together.  Children are influenced by their families, communities, socio-economic status, education and culture.  It is our role as educators to ensure that we are providing opportunities for children to develop their critical thinking skills.  In terms of literacy, the article shares the importance of “structuring opportunities for critiquing and evaluating what students read and write about within instruction”.  Literacy instruction is not limited to developing the basic skills of the discipline, but is seen as a tool for student advocacy.  Through CRSE, we are not only aiming to build skills and knowledge but also, as the article states “shape their identities and critical understandings of themselves, of communities, and the world”.  In our school we are focused on strengthening teacher practice around raising the level of student engagement and complex thinking (as measured by the Hess Matrix levels 2-4) and providing our students the opportunities to make personal connections through the diverse literature they are exposed to and to develop their critical thinking through high-quality conversation and interactions with their peers.

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Literacy Presence is observed in schools/classroom by watching/hearing students sharing their voices, thoughts, and ideas. Through their writing that is displayed for all to read. Whether it is giving their opinions, try to persuade, or by sharing their narratives. It is observed by the way students are given different opportunities to share their thoughts and the way they respond to text.

Literacy Pursuits are observed in schools/classroom by how students share their voice, ideas and opinions about the topics and texts they read. It also observed and heard in their discussions and viable arguments, often encouraging others to add on, to agree, or to debate.

Literary character is seen the schools where tasks afford students the opportunity to think critically, evaluate, and to think differently as a result of what they read.

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Literary Presence is observed in schools through opportunities to make oneself visible through acts of literacy. Providing opportunities for students to write with a specific audience in mind allows them to make their ideas accessible to others. This literary presence can be accomplished through multiple forms of communications, not solely in written language like essays, narratives, etc. Students can also make their literary presence known by expressing themselves through photo essays, audio recordings, video recordings, podcasts, etc. Literary Pursuits can be observed in schools through the ways in which literary experiences can lead to greater goals for self and community. For example, engaging students in texts that aim to connect to an essential question grounded in social action may be considered as a literary pursuit. In K-2, it may be as simple as "How can people in a school community make the community better?" This can lead students to a social action for school improvement; inspired by literature. Literary Character can be seen in schools when students are able to read, write and think about the ideas they read about. Students who are able to respond to text, have conversations around big ideas, make connections across content areas and more, have developed their literary character. This can be seen when students ask questions and when the answers to questions lead them to ask more questions!

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I agree with what has been shared by my colleagues. At my school, and as a district, we have made strides to incorporate literacy in all subject areas. Students read across genres and write for a variety of purposes: persuasive, narrative, etc. Our students not only learn content in science, math, and social studies, but they are engaged in sharing ideas in a variety of ways. Our students are sharing ideas through writing, discussion, expanding on classmates thoughts, and asking clarifying questions. While this is always room for improvement the work is being done.

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The ten lessons appear closely aligned with the policies and the norms of the buildings that I have had the pleasure of working. In recent years, there has been a major overhaul of the texts that our students have access to, with a focus on ensuring that the texts are diverse in content, characters and perspectives. The teachers I support are in collaboration to ensure that our literacy instruction is centered around the love of reading and writing and tied to current social events. This is our first year with a new literacy curriculum and as a school, we are looking at the texts with a critical lens so that adjustments can be made for this year and future years to ensure our students are engaged with the texts and that literacy learning supports intellectual development.

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Maria Psimadas 28Q349

Many of the norms. Policies, and goals of the district for curriculum and instruction align with the ten lessons from literary societies, but this is a work in progress. For example, literacy learning included not only reading and writing skills but learning about identity and equity. We are in the process of building this connection and looking hard and close at our curriculum and practices to support students in developing critical thinking skills and understanding of social issues that will make them change agents. We also strive to develop literacy within disciplines like math, science, and social studies through the modalities of language. This specific lesson from literary societies reminded me of the Hallmarks of Advanced Literacy. We are in the process of developing a connection between and the social events of the time but need to shape our practices and curricula to reflect this and deepen the connection to the “social world”. In addition, literary societies functioned with deep collaboration, with learners being responsible for each other’s academic growth. Although our students work collaboratively, are they supporting each other’s growth and are teachers encouraging them to construct knowledge together? The building of identity and intellectual development simultaneously is beginning to happen through district wide initiatives of equity, inclusion, and culturally responsive practices, yet we are at the beginning of a journey. Rethinking our instructional practices to develop students as real thinkers and who take a stance and act on political issues and social justice is our ultimate goal. In other words, we are the right path, but at the beginning of that path.

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Black literary societies was built around meaningful and diverse literature during a period in history when Blacks could not even fellowship together.  Black literary societies believed the premise that literacy is the foundation of all learning and a tool to fight institutional racism.   Essentially literacy was seen as a source of nourishment and fuel to members of the Black literary society.  Professional development and teacher evaluation support the lessons from Black literary society by ensuring we foster collaboration and have a standard criteria that we use to hold ourselves accountable as educators.  Like members of the Black literary society, educators must ensure that not only are we teaching the required skills but we are also uplifting and empowering our students to be self aware and leaders of their own learning.

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Jessica Maldonado- I have always believed that everyone can learn.  Not everyone learns in the same way but everyone is capable of learning.
The learning goals of my school encompass assessing student needs and tailoring learning experiences to promote independent thinking.

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Literary character can be seen and observed in schools, where students are provided the opportunities to read, write and talk about their ideas and share the stories that they read. Providing an environment that is risk free helps students ask questions and be part of conversations that promotes critical thinking.

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Literacy skills allow students to seek out information, explore subjects in-depth and gain a deeper understanding of the world around them. Children who have developed strong reading skills perform better in school and have a healthier self image. Reading also stimulates a child's imagination and expands his or her understanding of themselves. Read aloud frequently. Engaging in conversation- student discourse.

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In the 19th century, literacy was defined as the ability to read, write and speak. It was thought to be the foundation of all learning. In the current day, literacy still includes the ability to read, write and speak and just like in the past, it is connected to a larger goal. The larger goals that are prevalent in today’s society include the ability to not only read but to read and interpret advanced and complicated texts. Students are challenged to find deep meaning in what they are reading and be able to express their thoughts using evidence and prior knowledge. Effective conversational skills are essential and encouraged. Students are also expected to express themselves in writing creatively and competently. Literacy at the elementary level focuses on developing skills, but clearly, there are broader goals that we are trying to achieve. The ultimate goal must be to create kind, literate, compassionate students who take control of and are accountable for their learning.

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Teachers are to engage in practices that support all their students. They are to design tasks that ensure access to all curriculum. If we look closely at the Ten lessons form the Black Literary Societies we notice many similarities that teachers are using today. For example, the role of highlighting student identities, fostering a collaborative culture with an interdisciplinary approach. Professional learning communities that support using modalities to prepare students to take a stand and advocate for injustices. They are to be responsive based on intellectualism and guidance.

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Black literary societies were tied to action and efforts to shape the sociopolitical landscape of a country that was founded on oppression. Allowing students to discuss and honor their identities through literacy provides agency and voice for students. Professional learning prepares teachers to implement the CRSE Framework to plan instruction that honors and celebrates one’s identity. Implementing support and learning experiences for teachers that equip them to plan and prepare instruction that creates joy and engages students in critical thinking and discussions will increase student engagement autonomy and literary landscapes. Administrators should allow teachers to implement what they have learned in their professional learning regarding complex/engaging texts, discussions and writings that honor students and reflect their identity in the classroom. Administrators should visit classrooms so that they can provide feedback to teachers. Using the framework of Courageous Conversations to work with staff to discuss the need for this type of work and how they can be supported is beneficial to the school community. Feedback should also be given on teacher evaluations, not as a gotcha but to really dig deep and establish literary learning communities that thrive.

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Jessica I agree with you. It is extremely important that we have high expectations of all learners. All students are able to achieve academic success as long as we have those expectations of them

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It's actually refreshing to hear so many AP's in our district say that our schools are doing the work and are on their way towards meeting these goals. I am glad that there is consistency across the district within that regards and speaks a lot to who we want to be as a district. Some commonalities I am seeing across the district is providing opportunities for students to use their voices to write and talk about the big ideas they are reading about. Thank you for sharing.