Literacy Across the Curriculum for an Equitable Society (LACES)

Program Description

The program provides candidates with a core set of experiences that leads to these competencies:

• Design and implement an effective program for literacy acquisition and instruction for all students, including older beginner or struggling readers and writers;
• Show sensitivity toward and expertise in working with second language learners and students who may be marginalized because of ethnic, racial, cultural, or socioeconomic differences;
• Demonstrate a critical reading of the professional literature and its instructional implications and misapplications;
• Employ classroom research/teacher inquiry and use the results to improve instruction;
• Collaborate with other professionals, including district and county personnel, and members of the local community to design system-wide opportunities for equity in literacy learning;
• Organize and administer equitable school site reading/ language arts programs, including professional development for teachers; and
• Understand the politics of literacy and be prepared to take appropriate action toward a just and equitable society.

Program Themes

Given the philosophy and learning outcomes described above, the following four themes are integrated into all courses in the Master's Degree program:

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