Educating for Empathy: Literacy Learning and Civic Engagement

Educating for Empathy presents a compelling framework for thinking about the purpose and practice of literacy education in a politically polarized world. Mirra proposes a model of critical civic empathy that encourages secondary ELA teachers to consider how issues of power and inequity play out in the literacy classroom and how to envision literacy practices as a means of civic engagement. The book reviews core elements of ELA instruction—response to literature, classroom discussion, research, and digital literacy—and demonstrates how these activities can be adapted to foster critical thinking and empathetic perspectives among students. Chapters depict teachers and students engaging in this transformative learning, offer concrete strategies for the classroom, and pose questions to guide school communities in collaborative reflection.

“If educators were to follow Mirra’s model, we will have come a long way toward educating and motivating young people to become involved, engaged, and caring citizens.”
—Sonia Nieto, professor emerita, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

“Grounded in respectful research partnerships with youth and teachers, this is a book that will resonate with and inspire educators in these precarious times.”
—Gerald Campano, University of Pennsylvania

“If ever there were a time for a book on empathy in education, the moment is now.”
—Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, Teachers College, Columbia University