Literacy Education (All Grades)
Program Overview
This master’s degree program is designed for teachers with NYS certification in Early Childhood, Childhood, Middle Childhood, and Adolescent Education to become teachers of literacy across all grades (from birth to grade 12). This program leads to certification in Literacy (All Grades).
Program Values
The mission of the Hunter College School of Education Literacy Program is to prepare literacy teachers and leaders who work in Birth through Grade 12 school communities. Our goal is to ensure that our literacy teachers and leaders provide equitable access to curriculum, instruction, and assessments that are aligned to their students’ histories, literacies, communities, and identities (Muhammad). We are an evolving program that is responsive to sociopolitical and sociocultural contexts, continually reflecting on the needs of our literacy teachers and taking action to best serve their interests and needs. Throughout the duration of their program, literacy teachers and leaders will work towards…
Self-Reflection and Transformation
- Reflect on their own identities and communities and how those impact their students, instruction, leadership, and school communities.
- Reflect critically and continually for transformation and action.
- Acknowledge and integrate current sociopolitical and sociocultural contexts into their curriculum and instruction.
Awareness and Application of Humanizing and Equity-Based Literacy Instruction
- Engage in and use literacy research, theory, and evidence-based practices.
- Create culturally-affirming and inclusive literacy environments.
- Center students’ linguistic and cultural diversities and various ability levels.
- Integrate culturally-affirming and healing-centered social-emotional learning (Ginwright; Simmons)
- Apply differentiated and culturally sustaining instruction (Ladson-Billings; Paris & Alim) that includes a range of reading methods and approaches (i.e., phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension).
- Apply differentiated and culturally sustaining writing instruction (Johnson; Tatum; Winn & Johnson)
- Engage in justice-based linguistic instruction that centers and honors students’ language diversities (Baker-Bell).
- Understand the connections between literacies and equity.
- Understand literacies as socially constructed, infusing meaningful collaborations into their classrooms.
- Use innovative, arts-based instruction to enliven and promote critical and socially engaged literacy teaching and learning (Eisner; Greene).
- Select and use diverse children’s and young adult literature that offers students windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors (Bishop).
- Develop and use rich literacy assessments that consider students’ cultural diversities, languages, and abilities.
- Develop and use culturally sustaining interventions that align with differentiated assessments.
- Use critical pedagogies to empower their students to engage in social justice, agency, and advocacy efforts (Friere; Janks; Morrell).
- Focus on equity-, asset- and justice-based learning that centers hope, joy, and love (Duncan-Andrade; Love).
- Develop and sustain relationships with students’ families and communities.
Advocacy and Leadership
- Work to decenter whiteness in literacy curriculum and instruction.
- Aim to dismantle and disrupt inequities within school communities.
- Become equity-based literacy coaches and leaders who center transformative practices (Aguilar).
Coursework and Clinical Experiences
Courses are offered in the afternoon and evening. Some courses may be available in an online or hybrid format. Select courses have required hours of classroom experience (fieldwork) in a New York City public school.
Credits
31
Certification
Literacy All Grades
Eligibility and Admission Requirements
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.0 or master’s degree with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.5
- New York State (NYS) Initial, professional, or permanent certification in Early Childhood Education, Childhood Education, TESOL, Special Education, Speech-Language Pathology, Middle Childhood Education (5-9), or Adolescent Education (7-12)
- Two letters of recommendation including one from a supervisor
- A statement of purpose
To Apply
Applications are accepted each Fall and Spring semester.
To start your application, visit the Hunter College Online Application.
When applying to this program under Program of Study, select School of Education – Other Programs and Literacy (All Grades)
Application Deadlines
Fall Start
- March 15
Spring Start
- October 15
- November 15 (Extended Deadline)
Visit How to Apply for information about deadline extensions.
Contact an Admissions Advisor
Program Leader
Nadine Bryce
literacy@hunter.cuny.edu