2013-2014 Michigan State Universitys Literacy Colloquy Presentation

Crossing Borders and Building Bridges between Church and School Learning Environments for African American Students Tuesday, February 11th 11:00 am-12:30 pm (Lunch will be provided!) Erickson Hall Room 252

Researchers have attempted to address the academic underachievement of African American students, but the enigma remains. Although the African American Church has historically been successful in educating African Americans, its voice has been left out of the conversation concerning the education of African American students in Americas schools. What can be learned from this powerful institution that is considered the most influential learning environment in the African American community? On the other hand, what can teachers in the African American Church learn from school teachers that can assist them with their efforts to improve the quality of life for the children and families who attend church? There are specific thought patterns and actions that create cultural interference for students who participate in African American Church and school learning environments. There are also shared domains of literacy between these two learning environments that can be built upon to help students become successful border-crossers. Based on her research, Dr. McMillon, a critical race pedagogue, will discuss innovative ways to teach African American students in church and school to improve their academic achievement.
Dr. McMillon is an associate professor of Reading and Language Arts at Oakland University and an MSU CITE graduate. Her work explores effective ways to think about the cultural borders between various learning environments. In particular, she considers how the literacy skills that students gain in schools are related to the literacy skills they gain in extra-curricular spaces (e.g. churches).