Academic Adviser, On the Record
Professor, Literacy, Language, and Culture Program
at University of Illinois at Chicago

Working with disengaged adolescents in Chicago, Dr. Tatum saw the need for relevant texts that spoke to the essential questions of his students’ lives. He also insisted they write not only to develop skills, but as a process of self-discovery and a means of empowerment. To that end, he developed four social justice and learning platforms that provide a framework for students to chart their development as readers, writers and individuals.

Scholastic brought together the tested wisdom of Dr. Alfred Tatum and the passion of Erin Gruwell to create On the Record™—a bold new nonfiction program that will inspire middle school students to read with skill, write with passion, and live with purpose.