Core Values & Principles

LitWorld Believes:

In the inviolable human rights of children;

In the transformative power of literacy to build strong foundations of health, security and economic potential;

In learners as teachers and teachers as learners;

In the importance of children's stories, ideas and opinions;

In the right of every child to a safe and resource-rich learning environment;

In education with a purpose to inspire lives and build peace and connection for humanity;

In the leadership abilities of young people and their vision to create change in the world;

We believe that all children have the right to read, to write, and to share their words to change the world.

Our work stands on the shoulders of literacy experts renowned for their student-centered approach to teaching: Richard Allington, Howard Gardner, Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell, Nell Duke and Donald Graves. The pedagogy of Vivian Paley and Paulo Freire are particularly strong influences which shape our curriculum and program design. Like Paley we honor the importance of storytelling and active play as a critical component of children’s development and part of the hard work they do to make sense of the world around them. Like Freire, we believe that access to education for all is the fastest and most democratic vehicle to achieve social justice, and that people’s own stories are the greatest tool every human being has for learning to read and write.