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Filled with day-to-day literacy practices, this book will help elementary school teachers understand their role in dismantling the imbalance of privilege in literacy education. Chapters take readers into classrooms where they will see, hear, and feel decolonizing and humanizing culturally relevant pedagogies as students learn literacy and a critical stance through musical literacies, oral histories, heritage lessons, and building a critical consciousness. The authors also share strategies to help teachers examine their own educational spaces, start the school year in culturally relevant ways, build reciprocal relationships with families and communities, and teach within standards and testing mandates while challenging unjust systems. Practices are brought to life through students, families, and community members who voice the realities of pedagogical privilege and oppression and urge educators to take action for change.

“Teachers of every child must acknowledge that ‘we’ve been doing it your way long enough’—this is the brilliance of the book and the work that lies ahead for all who commit to choosing the culturally relevant classroom.”
—Valerie Kinloch, dean, University of Pittsburgh School of Education

“Captures the heart of culturally relevant teaching. It is impossible to read this book and return to the same old pedagogies and practices.”
—Nathaniel Bryan, Miami University

“This volume seamlessly embeds guidance for creating liberating pedagogical practices in order to transform schools for all students and teachers.”
—Gloria Boutte, University of South Carolina