Academy for Critical Research on Language, Culture, and Society (CRA)

Program Description

The program will provide candidates with a core set of experiences leading to candidates having these competencies:

• Design and implement an effective literacy program for students, including older beginner or struggling readers and writers;
• Demonstrate expertise in working with English language learners and other students who may be marginalized because of ethnic, racial, and/or cultural differences;
• Demonstrate a critical reading of the professional literature and its instructional implications (and misapplications);
• Engage in teacher inquiry;
• Collaborate with other professionals to design opportunities for equity in literacy learning;
• Organize and implement equitable literacy experiences, including professional development for teachers; and
• Understand the politics of literacy and be prepared to take appropriate action to ensure a just and equitable society.

Program Themes

Given the philosophy and learning outcomes described above, the following four themes will be integrated throughout the Master's Degree program:

• Classroom research/teacher inquiry with an emphasis on qualitative research design and methods;
• Reading and writing across cultures and curricula;
• Learners from diverse linguistic, racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds; and
• Leadership and the politics of literacy.