Xóchitl Justice Press creates diverse and educationally sound, non-fiction children’s books to support the intellectual, affective, aesthetic, and social development of the whole child. Our press promotes a just and equitable society through publishing, community partnerships, education, and research.
Publishing. We work with authors to write and present books that are non-fiction, represent non- dominant cultures and narratives, are educationally sound, and appropriate to young children (birth through first grade). Access to such texts allows readers to see lives that are familiar to them, to re-imagine future possibilities, and to acquire language and literacy skills.
Community Partnerships. We partner with communities to foster the love of reading and writing, effective teaching in urban schools, to harness community members’ assets, and to reflect on, and refine the pedagogical relevance of our books.
Education. We provide teachers with the opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills related to the teaching of reading and writing in the context of urban education. In addition, we provide opportunities for second- through eighth-grade authors to write non-fiction books for younger children.
Research. Through our research, we contribute to deeper understandings of reading identity, reading engagement, and the teaching and learning of literacy in a diverse society.
Our Team
Executive Directors and Founders
Nicola McClung , Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Learning and Instruction, University of San Francisco, was a teacher in San Francisco public schools for eight years prior to receiving her doctorate at the University of California, Berkeley. Her work focuses on illuminating various factors in the environment that mitigate or exacerbate reading difficulties. She is particularly interested in challenging the pervasive view in education that learning difficulties are caused by "problems in children" and, instead, advocates addressing the issue of instructional opportunity.
Arturo Cortez, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Teacher Learning, Research and Practice at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Broadly, his research explores how teachers design transformative and humanizing learning environments. He is interested in how adults and young people learn how to work together in overcoming everyday dilemmas. Professor Cortez’s early commitments to working with youth and teachers were honed while he was a middle school teacher in East Palo Alto and a high school teacher in San Francisco.
Advisory Board
Diana Arya, University of California, Santa Barbara
Miriam Desmukes, Prince Hall Computer Learning Center
Leah Elamin, Designer
José Ramón Lizárraga, University of Colorado, Boulder
Helen Maniates, University of San Francisco
Andy Maul, University of California, Santa Barbara
P. David Pearson, University of California, Berkeley
Marcia K. Russell, Ventura County Office of Education
Laura Sterponi, University of California, Berkeley
Suzannah Weening, Photographer
Emily A. Nusbaum, University of San Francisco