Jim Cummins

Dr. Jim Cummins is a professor in the department of Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning at OISE. His research focuses on literacy development in educational contexts characterized by linguistic and socioeconomic diversity. In numerous articles and books, he has explored the nature of language proficiency and its relationship to literacy development, with particular emphasis on the intersections of societal power relations, teacher-student identity negotiation, and literacy attainment.

Dr. Cummins has authored and co-authored several books on literacies in education, most notably Language, Power and Pedagogy: Bilingual Children in the Crossfire, and has seen his work translated into Japanese and Spanish. A significant contributor to bilingual education, Dr. Cummins has been the recipient of the International Reading Association’s Albert J. Harris award, and he has also received an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters from the Bank Street College of Education in New York City.

Dr. Cummins currently holds editorial positions for numerous psychology journals and has been a member of several advisory committees, including the very own Academic Advisory Board.