Engaging with Family Literacy Scholarship: Bearing Witness to Scholars and Families of Color

Abstract

Across research, policy, and practice, the experiences, knowledge, and collective experiences of Families of Color have been routinely erased, disregarded, and ignored, despite their potential for engaging and motivating students, creating inclusive classrooms, and addressing educational inequities. In this metasynthesis, we explicitly focus on what can be learned from Scholars of Color who have strong affinities to research communities and study the language and literacy practices of families. We attend to research findings that are relevant to children and families. We focus on four particularly salient sets of findings related to: 1. Family strengths and resources; 2. In-betweenness, 3. Past, present, future and intergenerational connections; and 4. Advocacy and agency.