Whose knowledge counts in government literacy policies? : why expertise matters / edited by Kenneth S. Goodman, Robert C. Calfee, and Yetta M. Goodman.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Goodman, Kenneth S., editor.

Calfee, Robert C., editor.

Goodman, Yetta M., 1931- editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Literacy--Government policy.

Literacy.

Expertise--Political aspects.

Expertise.

Decision making.

Physical Description:

xvii, 217 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Routledge, 2014.

Summary:

"Accountability, in the form of standardized test scores, is built into many government literacy policies, with severe consequences for schools and districts that fail to meet ever-increasing performance levels. The key question this book addresses is whose knowledge is considered in framing government literacy policies? The intent is to raise awareness of the degree to which expertise is being ignored on a worldwide level and pseudo-science is becoming the basis for literacy policies and laws. The authors, all leading researchers from the U.S., U.K., Scotland, France, and Germany, have a wide range of views but share in common a deep concern about the lack of respect for knowledge among policy makers. Each author comes to the common subject of this volume from the vantage point of his or her major interests, ranging from an exposition of what should be the best knowledge utilized in an aspect of literacy education policy, to how political decisions are impacting literacy policy, to laying out the history of events in their own country. Collectively they offer a critical analysis of the condition of literacy education past and present and suggest alternative courses of action for the future"--Provided by publisher.

Contents:

1 Introduction-Knowledge, Evidence, and Faith: How the Federal Government Used Science to Take Over Public Schools / Robert C. Calfee Calfee, Robert C. 1

Part 1 The Political Realties 19

2 Whose Knowledge Counts? The Pedagogy of the Absurd / Kenneth S. Goodman Goodman, Kenneth S. 21

3 Re-reading Poverty; Reorienting Educational Policy / Patrick Shannon Shannon, Patrick 37

4 Neoliberal and Neoconservative Literacy Education Policies in Contemporary France / Jacques Fijalkow Fijalkow, Jacques 47

5 Flying Blind: Government Policy on the Teaching of Reading in England and Research on Effective Literacy Education / Henrietta Dombey Dombey, Henrietta 67

6 Whose Knowledge Counts, for Whom, in What Circumstances? The Ethical Constraints on Who Decides / Sue Ellis Ellis, Sue 79

7 About the Dubious Role of Phonological Awareness in the Discussion of Literacy Policies / Renate Valtin Valtin, Renate 94

Part 2 Aspects of Literacy: The Knowledge Base 111

8 The Role of Story and Literature in a World of Tests and Standards / Kathy G. Short Short, Kathy G. 113

9 The Staircase Curriculum: Whole-school Collaboration to Improve Literacy Achievement / Kathryn H. An An, Kathryn H., Taffy E. Raphael Raphael, Taffy E. 128

10 Diversity in Children's Literature: What Does It Matter in Today's Educational Climate? / Rudine Sims Bishop Bishop, Rudine Sims 139

11 Examining Three Assumptions about Text Complexity: Standard 10 of the Common Core State Standards / Elfrieda H. Hiebert Hiebert, Elfrieda H., Katie Van Sluys Sluys, Katie Van 144

12 The Role of Literature and Literary Reasoning in English Language Arts and English Classrooms / Judith A. Longer Longer, Judith A. 161

13 Writing Teachers: The Roles Exploration, Evaluation, and Time Play in Their Lives / Jane Hansen Hansen, Jane 168

14 What Do Children Need to Succeed in Early Literacy-And Beyond? / William H. Teale Teale, William H., Jessica L. Hoffman Hoffman, Jessica L., Kathleen A. Paciga Paciga, Kathleen A. 179

15 The "Impact" of Changing Conceptions of Language on Curriculum and Instruction of Literacy and the Language Arts / David Bloome Bloome, David, Melissa Wilson Wilson, Melissa 187.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780415858007

0415858003

0415858011

9780415858014

OCLC:

832277035