Redefining Learning and Development at the Nexus of Home, School, and Community: When Children’s Cultural Knowledge Comes to School

Abstract

Young children bring rich social, cultural, and political knowledge to school, cultivated in their homes and communities. This knowledge, ranging from household skills to multilingual practices, is often marginalized in schools that value different norms. Drawing from ethnographic studies in Illinois and New York kindergarten classrooms, this article explores how children’s home and community knowledge informs their school experiences. I argue against the false dichotomy between school and out-of-school learning, highlighting the importance of listening to children’s perspectives to co-create meaningful curricular inquiries and broaden our social imagination.