Literacy and Learning – Reflections on Writing, Reading, and Society

LITERACY AND LEARNING

Deborah Brandt is one of the most influential figures in literacy and education. Brandt has dedicated her career to the status of reading and writing in the United States. Her literacy research is renowned and widely studied. Literacy and Learning is an important collection of Brandt's work that includes a combination of previously published essays, previously unpublished talks, and new work.

All the selected essays focus on changes in perspectives and perceptions about reading and writing. Throughout the book, Brandt describes how literacy skills have become intertwined with economic competition and technological change, how basic skills in one generation often prove inadequate for the next--and the tremendous pressure this puts on teachers, families, communities and, most of all, learners. In addition, Brandt introduces the concept of sponsors of literacy--agents, forces, and institutions that stimulate or support people's literacy strivings for their own economic or political or cultural advantage.

Literacy and Learning is a compelling and thought-provoking reflection on the changing definitions and expectations for literacy in recent years. It elevates key debates in education to include a broader social awareness.

Literacy and Learning is a volume in the series Outstanding Ideas in Education.