Communication's quest for whiteness: the racial politics of disciplinary legitimacy

ABSTRACT

This essay examines communication's historical anxieties regarding disciplinary legitimacy as an investment in whiteness. We argue that such anxieties are predicated upon a normative ideal of citizenship. As such, rhetorics of disciplinary legitimacy enact white civil society's originary exclusion, which is antiblackness. To illuminate the ways antiblackness finds expression in these anxieties, we engage the field's lengthy archive of public musings regarding legitimacy to trace the rhetorical workings of antiblackness therein.     

Literatura Multicultural en Español: ¿Abriendo Ventanas O Reforzando Estereotipos?

La resiente afluencia de literatura infantil en español representa una excelente oportunidad para los que los programas bilingües generen enseñanza auténtica de la lectoescritura en español, pero, ¿podrían estos textos estar representando una sola historia de la población hispana en los Estados Unidos? ¿Se perpetúa, a través de estos textos, el estereotipo del inmigrante hispano con baja escolaridad y baja condición socioeconómica? ¿Cómo pueden otros estudiantes bilingües de origen anglosajón o provenientes de familias con alta escolaridad y solvencia económica identificarse con los personajes de estos textos? En el presente estudio analizamos 45 textos infantiles multiculturales escritos o traducidos y 155 publicados en español en los Estados Unidos, para identificar los patrones culturales que representan. Los resultados indican una sobrerrepresentación de un solo origen cultural y una clase social, principalmente mexicano de bajo nivel socioeconómico. El estudio refuerza la necesidad de mantener estos textos en los salones de clase porque generan una fuente de identidad cultural y de inspiración a la superación para muchos miembros de la comunidad educativa, pero advierte sobre la necesidad de tener presente que la experiencia bilingüe y bicultural puede significar conceptos completamente diferentes según el origen de cada uno de nuestros estudiantes.     

“I Like English Better”: Latino Dual Language Students’ Investment in Spanish,English, and Bilingualism

This mixed-methodology study surveys 63 fifth graders in a one-way dual language school. Findings alarmingly indicate that although these students are native Spanish speakers in a school that delivers 50% of their instruction in Spanish, they prefer English both academically and socially. Subsequent interviews with 10 sample students of the larger study generate deeper understandings about how these students view their languages. If dual language programs are going to be maximally successful, then they must foster an environment that encourages students’ attitudes and investments toward both of their languages, taking particular care to protect and promote the minority language.     

The impact of tier 1 reading instruction on reading outcomes for students in Grades 4–12: A meta-analysis

Understanding the efficacy of evidence-based reading practices delivered in the Tier 1 (i.e. general classroom) setting is critical to successful implementation of multi-tiered systems, meeting a diverse range of student learning needs, and providing high quality reading instruction across content areas. This meta-analysis presents evidence on the effects of Tier 1 reading instruction on the reading outcomes of students in Grades 4–12, and a synthesis of effects for students identified as struggling readers. Results from this meta-analysis of 37 publications conducted between 2000 and 2015 reveal significant, positive effects for Tier 1 reading instruction on comprehension and vocabulary outcomes. A synthesis of the results for struggling readers indicates that they maintained or improved reading comprehension over struggling readers receiving typical instruction.