Rooted in Social Justice: Part I
Rooted in Social Justice: Part I By Dr. Rosalyn Shahid, Wayne RESA, and Melissa Brooks-Yip, Washtenaw ISD The first in a series telling the history, purpose, and direction of the Essential Instructional Practices for Disciplinary Literacy: Grades 6-12. While the Essential Instructional Practices for Disciplinary Literacy: Grades 6-12 were presented to the educational community in 2016, did you know the roots go back to 2008? In 2008, Dr. Elizabeth Moje was called as an expert witness in The Right to Read Case in Highland Park, MI . Her testimony addressed two essential questions: What does instruction look like when it’s serving adolescents well? and What must change to produce equal access to literacy? Answering these questions became the impetus for drafting what would become the Essential Instructional Practices for Disciplinary Literacy: Grades 6-12 . From its inception, the intent of the 6-12 Essentials has been to provide a roadmap for secondary educators and policy mak