Cultivating Genius: A New Book from Scholastic Focuses on the Need for Historically and Culturally Responsive Education

NEW YORK, Dec. 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Scholastic announced the release of Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy, a new professional title created to help K–12 educators ensure all students succeed. The book, authored by Dr. Gholnecsar (Gholdy) Muhammad, Georgia State University associate professor of language and literacy, and director of the Georgia State Urban Literacy Collaborative and Clinic, unpacks the critical need for honoring students' identities to help them grow academically and personally during a time when educators nationwide are searching for ways to improve literacy achievement.

Cultivating Genius is now available for order online at: http://scholastic.com/CultivatingGenius     

Dr. Muhammad's equity framework draws from her research on 19th-century Black literary societies, which promoted literacy as a conduit for lifelong learning while also countering racism and oppression. The four pursuits, or learning goals, which are part of Dr. Muhammad's Historically Responsive Literacy Framework for Teaching and Learning, include:

• Identity – defining self and making sense of one's values and beliefs
• Skills – achieving proficiencies through reading and writing meaningful content
• Intellect – gaining knowledge and learning to think deeply
• Criticality – developing the ability to read texts to understand power, authority, and oppression

As educators strive to learn and respond to the social and cultural lives of their students, Dr. Muhammad calls for a shift to honest, bold, and unapologetic pedagogy that is responsive to the social times. She shares new goals for literacy education that are inclusive and incorporate diverse and enriching texts to elevate education for all kids across grade levels and content areas. The book provides specific supports for educators teaching students of color—who are often marginalized by learning standards, school policies, and classroom practices—including self-reflective questions, culturally responsive text recommendations, and sample lesson plans.

"The Historically Responsive Literacy Framework is a universal teaching and learning model that helps teachers cultivate the genius within students and within themselves and teach in ways that create spaces for mutual empowerment, confidence, and self-reliance," said Dr. Gholdy Muhammad, associate professor of language and literacy at Georgia State University.

"We are honored to publish Cultivating Genius from Dr. Gholdy Muhammad, whose extensive knowledge of culturally and historically responsive literacy within Black communities, coupled with her equity framework, creates intellectually invigorating education for all students," said Dr. Lois Bridges, Vice President & Publisher, Scholastic Education. "This powerful title is the guidebook for rich and meaningful reading and writing, propelling our students toward a lifetime of learning."

For more information about Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children's publishing, education, and media company, visit the Company's media room at: http://mediaroom.scholastic.com

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