In 2013, several leaders of the Early Childhood Education Assembly (ECEA) of the National Council... more In 2013, several leaders of the Early Childhood Education Assembly (ECEA) of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) developed a multi-year project called Professional Dyads and Culturally Relevant Teaching (PDCRT). Funded by NCTE, early childhood teacher/teachereducator dyads from various locations across the United States work together for two years to investigate, generate, implement and document culturally relevant pedagogies in their respective early childhood contexts. This article outlines some of the work of two PDCRT dyads conducted from 2013 to 2015. The project was developed in response to the long-time need for culturally relevant early childhood education and teacher education reform by focusing on overturning inequitable practices that ignore, misrepresent or marginalize children and families of Color, emerging bi/multilinguals and children from low-income communities. We argue that the PDCRT dyad model is an innovative avenue for addressing inequitable educational realities in the Eurocentric educational system that persists in the US and for moving equity work forward. It was a built-in support system with reciprocal learning and the power of partnership. … She was expert, I was expert, the kids were the experts.-Chinyere, teacher Being a learner and supporting Alicia's leadership meant knowing when not to say anything at all … your hands and your fingerprints do not have to be on something to be heavily engaged … it's about [contributing as a partner and] knowing when to be still.-Bilal, teacher educator/ assistant principal Reflections of members of the 2013-2015 cohort of the Professional Dyads and Culturally Relevant Teaching (PDCRT) project open this article and frame the context of the complex dyad relationships that developed during our two-year experience as mutual mentors working toward more equitable teaching in early childhood classrooms. PDCRT is a project, funded by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), focusing on teacher/teachereducator partners (dyads) working with other dyads across the country to investigate, generate, implement, document and evaluate culturally relevant practices in the teaching of young children. The words of dyad members illustrate the complexities of teacher/
This position statement was written for K–12 teachers in order to focus on the role and importanc... more This position statement was written for K–12 teachers in order to focus on the role and importance of literacy coaches. The NCTE Executive Committee commissioned this work by approving a recommendation to archive Standards for Middle and High School Literacy Coaches (2006). A literacy coach is positioned as an individual who serves both teachers and students in an effort to elevate their voices in literacy learning. Relationship building must be foremost for literacy coaches, as coaches should understand the learning styles and needs of each teacher and student in order to provide a differentiated, equitable approach to coaching and instruction (Morgan et al., 2019). The current statement highlights the following messages: (1) Literacy coaches support a collaborative learning process with the K–12 teacher to create an inspired environment of learning for the teacher and students in the classroom. (2) K–12 literacy coaches center student voice, rather than assuming a deficit approach. (3) Literacy coaches reach students across grade levels and a range of language levels, incorporating technology throughout their work, when applicable. (4) Literacy coaches balance the various roles of a literacy professional. (5) Literacy coaches elevate the work of content-area teachers. (6) It is important to create a culture that values a literacy coaching framework across a range of educational settings. Insights gleaned from previous NCTE position statements—including The Act of Reading: Instructional Foundations and Policy Guidelines; NCTE Position Paper on the Role of English Teachers in Educating English Language Learners; Position Statement on Indigenous Peoples and People of Color (IPOC) in English and Language Arts Materials; Definition of Literacy in a Digital Age; and Shifting from Professional Development to Professional Learning: Centering Teacher Empowerment—as well as Jim Knight’s (2004) and Cathy Toll’s (2005) literature on instructional/literacy coaching, along with disciplinary literacy scholars Elizabeth Moje (2008), Timothy Shanahan and Cynthia Shanahan (2012), Peter Smagorinsky (2015), Michael Manderino (2017), Paula Di Domenico (2017), and Regie Routman (2018) guided its creation
In 2013, several leaders of the Early Childhood Education Assembly (ECEA) of the National Council... more In 2013, several leaders of the Early Childhood Education Assembly (ECEA) of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) developed a multi-year project called Professional Dyads and Culturally Relevant Teaching (PDCRT). Funded by NCTE, early childhood teacher/teachereducator dyads from various locations across the United States work together for two years to investigate, generate, implement and document culturally relevant pedagogies in their respective early childhood contexts. This article outlines some of the work of two PDCRT dyads conducted from 2013 to 2015. The project was developed in response to the long-time need for culturally relevant early childhood education and teacher education reform by focusing on overturning inequitable practices that ignore, misrepresent or marginalize children and families of Color, emerging bi/multilinguals and children from low-income communities. We argue that the PDCRT dyad model is an innovative avenue for addressing inequitable educational realities in the Eurocentric educational system that persists in the US and for moving equity work forward. It was a built-in support system with reciprocal learning and the power of partnership. … She was expert, I was expert, the kids were the experts.-Chinyere, teacher Being a learner and supporting Alicia's leadership meant knowing when not to say anything at all … your hands and your fingerprints do not have to be on something to be heavily engaged … it's about [contributing as a partner and] knowing when to be still.-Bilal, teacher educator/ assistant principal Reflections of members of the 2013-2015 cohort of the Professional Dyads and Culturally Relevant Teaching (PDCRT) project open this article and frame the context of the complex dyad relationships that developed during our two-year experience as mutual mentors working toward more equitable teaching in early childhood classrooms. PDCRT is a project, funded by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), focusing on teacher/teachereducator partners (dyads) working with other dyads across the country to investigate, generate, implement, document and evaluate culturally relevant practices in the teaching of young children. The words of dyad members illustrate the complexities of teacher/
language bi/multilingual educational approaches. These practices involve mutual and reciprocal co... more language bi/multilingual educational approaches. These practices involve mutual and reciprocal collaboration with families to foreground students' and families'
In 2013, several leaders of the Early Childhood Education Assembly (ECEA) of the National Council... more In 2013, several leaders of the Early Childhood Education Assembly (ECEA) of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) developed a multi-year project called Professional Dyads and Culturally Relevant Teaching (PDCRT). Funded by NCTE, early childhood teacher/teachereducator dyads from various locations across the United States work together for two years to investigate, generate, implement and document culturally relevant pedagogies in their respective early childhood contexts. This article outlines some of the work of two PDCRT dyads conducted from 2013 to 2015. The project was developed in response to the long-time need for culturally relevant early childhood education and teacher education reform by focusing on overturning inequitable practices that ignore, misrepresent or marginalize children and families of Color, emerging bi/multilinguals and children from low-income communities. We argue that the PDCRT dyad model is an innovative avenue for addressing inequitable educational realities in the Eurocentric educational system that persists in the US and for moving equity work forward. It was a built-in support system with reciprocal learning and the power of partnership. … She was expert, I was expert, the kids were the experts.-Chinyere, teacher Being a learner and supporting Alicia's leadership meant knowing when not to say anything at all … your hands and your fingerprints do not have to be on something to be heavily engaged … it's about [contributing as a partner and] knowing when to be still.-Bilal, teacher educator/ assistant principal Reflections of members of the 2013-2015 cohort of the Professional Dyads and Culturally Relevant Teaching (PDCRT) project open this article and frame the context of the complex dyad relationships that developed during our two-year experience as mutual mentors working toward more equitable teaching in early childhood classrooms. PDCRT is a project, funded by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), focusing on teacher/teachereducator partners (dyads) working with other dyads across the country to investigate, generate, implement, document and evaluate culturally relevant practices in the teaching of young children. The words of dyad members illustrate the complexities of teacher/
This position statement was written for K–12 teachers in order to focus on the role and importanc... more This position statement was written for K–12 teachers in order to focus on the role and importance of literacy coaches. The NCTE Executive Committee commissioned this work by approving a recommendation to archive Standards for Middle and High School Literacy Coaches (2006). A literacy coach is positioned as an individual who serves both teachers and students in an effort to elevate their voices in literacy learning. Relationship building must be foremost for literacy coaches, as coaches should understand the learning styles and needs of each teacher and student in order to provide a differentiated, equitable approach to coaching and instruction (Morgan et al., 2019). The current statement highlights the following messages: (1) Literacy coaches support a collaborative learning process with the K–12 teacher to create an inspired environment of learning for the teacher and students in the classroom. (2) K–12 literacy coaches center student voice, rather than assuming a deficit approach. (3) Literacy coaches reach students across grade levels and a range of language levels, incorporating technology throughout their work, when applicable. (4) Literacy coaches balance the various roles of a literacy professional. (5) Literacy coaches elevate the work of content-area teachers. (6) It is important to create a culture that values a literacy coaching framework across a range of educational settings. Insights gleaned from previous NCTE position statements—including The Act of Reading: Instructional Foundations and Policy Guidelines; NCTE Position Paper on the Role of English Teachers in Educating English Language Learners; Position Statement on Indigenous Peoples and People of Color (IPOC) in English and Language Arts Materials; Definition of Literacy in a Digital Age; and Shifting from Professional Development to Professional Learning: Centering Teacher Empowerment—as well as Jim Knight’s (2004) and Cathy Toll’s (2005) literature on instructional/literacy coaching, along with disciplinary literacy scholars Elizabeth Moje (2008), Timothy Shanahan and Cynthia Shanahan (2012), Peter Smagorinsky (2015), Michael Manderino (2017), Paula Di Domenico (2017), and Regie Routman (2018) guided its creation
In 2013, several leaders of the Early Childhood Education Assembly (ECEA) of the National Council... more In 2013, several leaders of the Early Childhood Education Assembly (ECEA) of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) developed a multi-year project called Professional Dyads and Culturally Relevant Teaching (PDCRT). Funded by NCTE, early childhood teacher/teachereducator dyads from various locations across the United States work together for two years to investigate, generate, implement and document culturally relevant pedagogies in their respective early childhood contexts. This article outlines some of the work of two PDCRT dyads conducted from 2013 to 2015. The project was developed in response to the long-time need for culturally relevant early childhood education and teacher education reform by focusing on overturning inequitable practices that ignore, misrepresent or marginalize children and families of Color, emerging bi/multilinguals and children from low-income communities. We argue that the PDCRT dyad model is an innovative avenue for addressing inequitable educational realities in the Eurocentric educational system that persists in the US and for moving equity work forward. It was a built-in support system with reciprocal learning and the power of partnership. … She was expert, I was expert, the kids were the experts.-Chinyere, teacher Being a learner and supporting Alicia's leadership meant knowing when not to say anything at all … your hands and your fingerprints do not have to be on something to be heavily engaged … it's about [contributing as a partner and] knowing when to be still.-Bilal, teacher educator/ assistant principal Reflections of members of the 2013-2015 cohort of the Professional Dyads and Culturally Relevant Teaching (PDCRT) project open this article and frame the context of the complex dyad relationships that developed during our two-year experience as mutual mentors working toward more equitable teaching in early childhood classrooms. PDCRT is a project, funded by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), focusing on teacher/teachereducator partners (dyads) working with other dyads across the country to investigate, generate, implement, document and evaluate culturally relevant practices in the teaching of young children. The words of dyad members illustrate the complexities of teacher/
language bi/multilingual educational approaches. These practices involve mutual and reciprocal co... more language bi/multilingual educational approaches. These practices involve mutual and reciprocal collaboration with families to foreground students' and families'
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