Becoming Literate in the City: The Baltimore Early Childhood Project

Literacy is one of the most highly valued cultural resources of contemporary American society, yet far too many children in the nation’s cities leave school without becoming sufficiently literate. This book reports the results of a five-year longitudinal study in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, tracing literacy development from pre-kindergarten through third-grade for a sample of children from low and middle income families of European and African heritage. The authors examined the intimate culture of each child’s home, defined by a confluence of parental beliefs, recurrent activities, and interactive processes, in relation to children’s literacy competencies. Also examined were teacher beliefs and practices, and connections between home and school. With its broad-based consideration of the contexts of early literacy development, the book makes an important contribution to understanding how best to facilitate attainment of literacy for children from diverse backgrounds.

• Longitudinal study of children’s early literacy development • Qualitative and quantitative research methods • Diverse research sample

Preface; 1. Early appropriation of literacy in sociocultural context; 2. Growing up in Baltimore: the early childhood project; 3. The intimate culture of children’s homes; 4. Processes of literacy enculturation in the home; 5. The development of literacy competencies and orientations; 6. The agenda and practices of schooling; 7. Relations between homes and schools; 8. Conclusions and implications for policy and practice; References.

‘The book is accessible to anyone with an interest in literacy development; the authors avoid complicated terminology and use quotes from participating families to illustrate some of the more complex ideas. … for many readers the book provides an informative consideration of many factors related to literacy development, and is an equally good place to start for many others.‘ Psychologist