A Plea for Identity and Criticality: Reframing Literacy Learning Standards Through a Four‐Layered Equity Model

Abstract

Currently, learning standards that govern schools are skills and knowledge centered, but when revisiting historical roots of literacy learning in communities of color, literacy was much more expansive and advanced to also include goals of identity meaning making and criticality. In this essay, the author argues for a reframed set of learning standards in literacy education—one that is grounded in the historical excellence of literacy development. The four‐layered HILL framework offered in the essay embodies a teaching and learning model that is in concert for advancing students’ identity, skill development, intellectualism and criticality. This model becomes essential for youth in classrooms, especially youth of color who have been traditionally marginalized in learning standards, policies, and school practices. Further, the framework incorporates multiple theoretical orientations to pedagogy including cognitive, sociocultural, critical and sociohistorical theories.

A Historically Responsive Literacy Model for Reading and Mathematics

“…We argue for a connection to literacy, then, that is historically responsive, and that connects students’ reading abilities not only to their ability to decode or to their current sociocultural present but also to their historicized experiences across identity, criticality, and joy (Muhammad, 2018).…”

Protest, Power, and Possibilities: The Need for Agitation Literacies

“…In this column, I discuss agitation, specifically what I term agitation literacies , and the importance of students reading and writing texts that agitate. Reading and writing texts that agitate is key for the development of four key areas of literacy development: identity, skills and proficiencies, intellectualism, and criticality (Muhammad, ). These areas are discussed more fully and used as a tool for text selection.…”

Why is it so hard to reconcile disciplinary literacy and antiracism? Informational texts and middle grades English language arts

“…Young people require critical analysis skills with informational texts for the rigors of secondary and post-secondary education (Moss, 2005), to examine and reason about text (Breakstone et al , 2019), and critically analyze oppressive systems (Muhammad, 2018). Informational text use has increased in fourth through eighth grades since 2010; however, the overall teaching quality observed was low (White et al , 2021).…”