Understanding Literacy and Disadvantage

Addressing literacy and disadvantage requires high-quality teaching, first and foremost: there are no quick fixes, simplistic solutions or silver bullets.

Both research and professional evidence from schools have revealed a strong association between social disadvantage and achievement in literacy: in fact, it has been a concern for over 70 years. Yet, many trainee teachers, and teachers in general, feel ill-equipped to deal with the issue. This book supports trainee teachers to explore the complex relationships between literacy achievement and social background. It offers practical strategies for teaching and supports trainee teachers to understand that:

*children's individual backgrounds need to be valued and drawn upon;

*deficit descriptions of disadvantaged children and low expectations must be avoided and challenged;

*schools, teachers and classrooms must provider rich literacy environments for learning.