Bringing Order to the Literacy Development of Black Boys in the Elementary Grades

Abstract

Discussions and practices focused on Black boys' literacy development and equity in U.S. classrooms require serious thought and interrogation if the aim is to move these boys toward advanced levels of reading, writing, intellectual development, and human development. Sorely, Black boys have become subjects of educational, programming, and policy experimentation endorsed by school boards that lead to instructional and curricular shortcomings in elementary classrooms. In this article, I call for a need to bring order to the literacy development of Black boys in the elementary grades by focusing on advanced literacy outcomes and the intellectual tradition. Order is needed to counter the random nature of literacy development that results in chaos and disorder as evidenced by reading outcomes and many Black boys, both high‐academically performing and low‐academically performing, being underserved in U.S. classrooms.