ABSTRACT
“Advanced literacy,” as we present it in this volume, refers to the kind of meaning-making that is typical of secondary and postsecondary schooling, and that is also required for participation in many of the professional, technical, bureaucratic, and social institutions of our world. We focus particularly on educational contexts, where students need to work in content areas that have particular ways of making meaning. Students’ learning of disciplinary knowledge requires participation in social contexts where texts are actively constructed. Students need to be able to participate in literacy in ways that enable them to contribute to the evolution of knowledge by shaping what is learned and shared, or by challenging current practices and developing new ways of using language in advanced literacy contexts. With full participation by all students, from all backgrounds and experiences, the disciplines and institutions of our society can evolve in new ways that take account of the diversity of experiences and needs that these students represent. Without full participation by all, the inequities that characterize our society will continue to be reproduced.
