Sage Publications Critical Literacy: Context, Research, and Practice in the K-12 Classroom

′This is an excellent text. I particularly liked how the authors share examples of critical literacy throughout the book, especially with digital and multimedia texts. The concepts of deconstruction and reconstruction are especially good′ -  Peter McDermott, The SAGE Colleges  ′I have no doubt that graduate students would find the text helpful as they build understanding and fluency in the enactment of critical literacy practices.  To date no text that I am aware of treats critical literacy in a way that encompasses elementary through high school practice.  The authors show an awareness of the kinds of questions neophytes will ask and concepts they struggle to make sense of in the context of their classroom and their community. In an era of federal literacy mandates and fast capitalism, this is a text that offers hope. Through realistic discussion of how text shapes us and is shaped by us, the book provides its readers concrete ways to engage in critical literacy practices with children from elementary through high school′ - Cheryl A. Kreutter, St. John Fisher College  Critical Literacy: Context, Research, and Practice explores the theorization and implementation of critical literacy practices. As a subset of literacy pedagogy, critical literacy is distinguished by its particular emphasis upon interacting critically with texts and situating texts within broader political, cultural, historical, and economic contexts. A key focus of this text is the praxis of critical literacy; that is, theory and practice informing each other. Comprised of chapters that make use of clear explanations of the tenets of critical literacy, the context of literacy pedagogy in the United States, and classroom examples, this text focuses on what can be learned about the theory of critical literacy from implementation and what practice can learn from theory.   About the Author Lisa Patel Stevens has published refereed journal articles in top reading research journals exploring practical, research, and policy issues surrounding critical literacy. She has also conducted dozens of professional development sessions on the use of critical literacy in the classroom; these sessions have provided rich opportunities to participate in the complicated implementation of critical literacy with teachers across schooling levels and backgrounds. This experience helps to inform the praxis tone of this book. Stevens is an experienced researcher and practitioner in the area of reading and literacy education. She has co-authored (with Thomas Bean) several chapters on reading and literacy.  Thomas W. Bean, Ph.D., is a Professor of Literacy and Reading in the Teaching and Learning Department, College of Education, at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Tom earned his Ph.D. at Arizona State University and is considered a leading scholar in content area literacy and the infusion of multicultural and global young adult literature in the classroom. His work has been published in the ALAN Review, Reading Research Quarterly, and the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. Along with Co-Author Dr. Judith Dunkerly-Bean, he served as co-editor of the International Reading Association’s Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. Tom is senior author of the widely used text, Content Area Literacy: An Integrated Approach (10th ed.). He can be contacted at: beant1@unlv.nevada.edu.