Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Book Review: A Literacy Coach’S Playbook: Building A Winning Team To Improve Student Achievement, Kirsten Burke Smith

The Language and Literacy Spectrum

This scholarly book review of A Literacy Coach’s Playbook: Building a Winning Team to Improve Student Achievement (Brieske-Ulenski & Kelley, 2025) provides a detailed overview of a new clinical model of literacy coaching. The proposed approach, a Clinical Literacy Coaching Framework (CLCF), draws upon a medical model to build Literacy Leadership Teams (LLT) to improve data-informed and culturally-sustaining instruction.

Enhancing The Metacognitive Thinking Of Middle-Grade Multilingual Learners: A Design-Based Research Study Leveraging Dialogic Teaching, Renee R. Burns

Dissertations

This study explores how dialogic teaching can enhance metacognition and self-efficacy among middle school multilingual learners (MLs) who face challenges with the academic language demands of literacy tasks. Using a design-based research (DBR) methodology, specifically formative experiment, the Metacognitive Dialogic Teaching Protocol (MDTP) was implemented over seven iterative cycles. The research questions were as follows: How do dialogic interactions impact metacognition in middle-grade MLs? How does Metacognitive Dialogic Teaching affect comprehension development in these students? And how does it influence their self-efficacy? The participants included six middle-grade MLs engaged in a Tier 2 literacy intervention who initially exhibited fake reading …

Black Language Matters: Capitalizing On Black English For Educational Success Through Linguistic And Cultural Competence Training, Fritz Lauriston

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

This dissertation explores the impact of culturally responsive professional development on K–12 educators’ perceptions and understanding of Black English, also known as African American Vernacular English (AAVE). The study responds to the longstanding marginalization of Black English in educational environments and its implications for academic equity, cultural identity, and student performance—particularly among African American learners. The central intervention, titled “Do You Understand Me? Linguistic and Cultural Competence Black English Professional Development,” was designed to increase teachers’ linguistic awareness, dismantle deficit perspectives, and promote inclusive instructional practices that validate students’ home language.

Using a mixed-method design, 59 certified educators participated in …

Unfreezing Language: A Decolonial Reframing Of Translanguaging Pedagogies In English As A New Language & Dual Language Bilingual Education Settings, Cristian R. Solorza

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This qualitative multi-case study examines how elementary teachers in English as a New Language (ENL) and Dual Language Bilingual Education (DLBE) settings conceptualize, implement, and reflect upon translanguaging pedagogies, with particular attention to translanguaging rings as tools for language differentiation. Grounded in a rearticulation of language as a dynamic, socially, politically, and historically constructed subject and object, this study challenges monoglossic ideologies that position named languages as bounded systems at the center of language education. Instead, it centers students’ lived, embodied, and agentive language practices as foundational to language learning and to their participation as knowledge producers in ENL and …

Talk To Me: Exploring The Sociocultural Ecology Of Home Language And Literacy Practices Of Families In India, Surbhi Puri

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Existing research highlights the role of home language and literacy environments (HLLE) in shaping early language and literacy development, yet few studies have examined the practices of multilingual families in India. While home environments offer rich learning opportunities, broader sociocultural and policy contexts influence how families support literacy and language development. Families’ insights into home language use, literacy routines, and cultural practices remain underexplored in early childhood education research.

The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the HLLE of preschool-aged children in India and examine how families support early language and literacy development within multilingual home …

Layers Of Representation: A Multidimensional Book Analysis, Mariah Pfundheller, Nikki Logan, Amy E. Lein, Sydney Bueno

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

This study evaluates how educators interpret the Multidimensional Framework for Inclusive Literature (MDFIL), a tool for evaluating and selecting multicultural literature for their classrooms. Participants self-identified as current, former/retired, or student teachers, or as undergraduates pursuing a teaching license at the time of the survey. Incorporating multicultural literature into educational settings has a positive impact on children's development. Multicultural literature fosters feelings of acceptance, cultural awareness, and empathy among students. By exposing children to diverse cultural perspectives, multicultural literature not only enhances their understanding of their own identities but also cultivates a greater appreciation of others' experiences. The benefits of …

Adolescent Literacy: Bridging Literacy Gaps In Georgia's Social Studies Classrooms A Call For Disciplinary Literacy In Secondary Education, Kimberly N. Miles

Teaching Social Studies in the Peach State

This article advocates integrating disciplinary literacy into secondary Social Studies instruction, arguing that the content area is critical to strengthening adolescent reading skills, particularly in alignment with the Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE). Drawing from the "Bridging Literacy Gaps" presentation, the paper asserts that literacy is not merely a prerequisite for studying history but the very methodology by which students learn to read, write, and think like historians.

The article details three high-leverage strategies for Social Studies educators:

1. Disciplinary Literacy and Multimodal Text Integration: Teaching students how experts analyze primary and secondary sources, and integrating diverse media (e.g., political cartoons, …

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Pa 146: What Is Clear, What Is Fuzzy, And What Should We Do Next?, Jenelle Williams, Nicole Peterson

Michigan Reading Journal

Michigan’s Public Act 146 (PA 146), the state’s K–12 Literacy and Dyslexia Law, establishes new requirements for screening, evidence-based instruction, structured literacy practices, professional learning, and strengthened multi-tiered systems of support to improve reading outcomes. While the law provides detailed and prescriptive guidance for elementary schools—particularly regarding decoding-focused instruction aligned to the science of reading, universal screening, and intervention planning—its implications for grades 4–12 are less clearly defined. This article examines what is explicit in the legislation, what remains open to interpretation in secondary contexts, and how districts can move forward strategically as they prepare for full implementation by 2027–2028. …

Benefits Of Advisory & Culturally Responsive Advisory Framework (Craf) Within A Southwestern, Urban, Dual Language Middle School, Mariana Anguelova Castañon

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

In this research report, I examine the benefits of a daily Advisory period at a southwestern, urban, dual-language middle school and explore the impact of the Culturally Responsive Advisory Framework (CRAF), a curriculum I developed as a researcher-practitioner. This work is situated within research on Advisory programs, urban schooling, and dual-language education, while addressing implementation challenges. Grounded in democratic learning theory, CRAF integrates social-emotional learning (SEL), social-cultural learning (SCL), and literacy. To evaluate its impact, I collected qualitative data through anonymous Google Surveys and semi-structured student interviews, supported by quantitative teacher and student surveys. Data were analyzed using open and …

An Equity-Based And Culturally Responsive Bill Of Rights For Early Childhood Students Of Color With Exceptionalities, Evette Simmons-Reed, Michelle Frazier Trotman Scott, Gloria Tardash, Mildred Boveda, Donna Y. Ford

Perspectives on Early Childhood Psychology and Education

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing disparities in early intervention (EI) and early childhood special education (ECSE) services for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) disabled children, exposing critical gaps in access, services and support. systemic inconsistencies in implementation, training, and funding, remain barriers limit opportunities for CLD students to benefit, despite the aims of the Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act (IDEA). To address these inequities, this manuscript proposes an expanded and updated Culturally Responsive Equity-Based Bill of Rights for EI and ECSE. Building upon Ford and colleagues' (2018) work, this revised document extends protections to children aged zero to five, emphasizing …

Guest Editor's Introduction: Methodological Innovations For Advancing Early Childhood Educational And Psychological Research, Anthony Mangino Ph.D.

Perspectives on Early Childhood Psychology and Education

The goal of this special issue is to provide you, the inquisitive reader and developmental scientist, with some of the methodological tools to aid in augmenting your analytic capacity.

In Response To Children’S Literature, Fourth-Grade Students Interview A Vietnam War Veteran Through Distance Learning, Danielle L. Defauw, Gordon Bourland

The Great Lakes Social Studies Journal

This study explores virtual, student–author interviews fourth-grade students led with Vietnam Veteran, [VETERAN] in response to the following three picture books: Eve Bunting’s (1992) The Wall, Walter Dean Myer’s (2005) Patrol: An American Soldier in Vietnam, and Jeanne Walker Harvey’s (2017) Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines. The opportunity to interview a Vietnam veteran motivated students to read the picture books, craft questions for [VETERAN], and engage in the interview process. Ultimately, this article supports reader-response pedagogy to include virtual or in-person student–specialist interviews with guest speakers to motivate literacy engagement.

A Practitioner’S Perspective On Teaching Ap Comparative Government And Politics, Edgar Díaz

The Great Lakes Social Studies Journal

In this paper, I share my perspective and experiences as an Advanced Placement (AP) Comparative Government and Politics teacher during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. To engage students with the content and strengthen their literacy skills, I adopted the Teaching and Learning Cycle (TLC), a pedagogical framework for scaffolded instruction, in combination with technological tools. This article includes a sample lesson plan illustrating how the TLC was implemented in an AP Comp Gov course to support students’ content understanding and their ability to express their ideas through structured, purposeful writing. My goal is to highlight practical strategies for effectively …

Benefits Of Being Bilingual On The Academic Success Of The Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners, Shary Vaca

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Reframing bilingualism as an academic asset rather than a limitation, this senior capstone research project examines how bilingualism supports the academic success of Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) in early education within California’s diverse and growing Hispanic student population. Using a combination of literature reviews, teacher interviews, and surveys from former English language learners, the findings indicate that bilingualism is one of three key benefits for English language learners: enhancing communication skills, strengthening critical thinking, and increasing language competence. In addition, bilingual students demonstrate a unique ability to collaborate effectively, think flexibly across languages, and transfer linguistic knowledge to support …

Developing Digital Literacy And Online Safety Skills For Middle Schoolers, Alana Rose Rowley

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The increasing use of technology and social media among adolescents has introduced a range of risks, including cyberbullying, mental health challenges, and physical health concerns related to excessive screen time. Many young students lack the digital literacy skills necessary to navigate online environments safely and responsibly, and remain unaware of the risks. This project addresses this issue by developing a one-day educational lesson for students in grades five through eight at the YMCA of the Central Coast in Monterey, California. The lesson focuses on building digital literacy, promoting mental health, and educating students about the physical effects of excessive technology …

Interpreting Mandates Through A Bilingual Lens: Dual Language Immersion Teachers’ Experiences With Georgia’S Structured Literacy Law: A Mixed Methods Study Of Policy Implementation In Georgia Dual Language Programs, Grethel Pedroarena

Curriculum and Instruction (Ed.D.) Dissertations

This qualitative-dominant mixed methods study investigates how Georgia’s Dual Language Immersion (DLI) teachers interpret and implement state literacy mandates, specifically House Bill 307 (HB 307). The research addresses a critical gap in policy-to-practice understanding, as current structured literacy requirements are primarily grounded in monolingual English frameworks that often overlook the instructional realities of bilingual classrooms. The study is theoretically anchored in Translanguaging Pedagogy, Sociocultural Theory, and Teacher Agency Theory.

Data were collected through a statewide survey of 38 DLI teachers and five in-depth phenomenological interviews. Findings reveal that teachers’ interpretations of the mandate are shaped less by the legislative text …

Moving Forward And Looking Back, Cinde Wollenberg

Virginia English Journal

No abstract provided.

At The Door, Kaya L. Klein

Virginia English Journal

At the Door is about that pause before stepping into the classroom the moment when my worries and doubts wait quietly behind me. It’s about leaving all of that behind so I can be fully present for my students, who come in with curiosity, excitement, and open hearts. Their energy and joy lighten the weight I carry and remind me why I teach. This poem is a celebration of those small, powerful moments when teaching feels meaningful, when students’ laughter and questions make every fear seem smaller, and when I remember why I show up every single day.

Using Ai To Build Background Knowledge, Bruce Powers, Keisha Motley

Virginia English Journal

The new technology of AI can be used to address an old need: the building of student background knowledge in order to improve comprehension and maximize ability to make inferences. Examples are shared and discussed.

Teachers Writing Together To Restore Hope And Resist Burnout, Beth M. Lehman

Virginia English Journal

This article invites teachers to consider how the practice of writing, especially in facilitated writing groups designed for teachers, can be an effective activity for processing stress and restoring hope. Attention on teacher writing often focuses on how writing helps teachers to improve their teaching. Here the attention is on the value of writing for teachers themselves. Practices of Amherst Writers and Artists (AWA) strengths-based writing groups are described with a focus on Teachers Flourishing through Writing, an online workshop series that the author helped to create. Through analyzing workshop methods and self-reflecting on workshop experiences, the author asserts that …

Beyond Trends: The Potential Influence Of The Ela Teachers Of Tiktok, Heather Lynn Wright, Lauren May

Virginia English Journal

This paper describes a study on content from secondary English Language Arts (ELA) teachers of TikTok and their potential influence on future teachers. There were two research questions: (1) What information is being dispersed through TikTok specifically for secondary ELA teachers?; (2) What connotations about secondary ELA teaching are implied implicitly or explicitly through the tone of the TikTok creator? TikToks were examined through a three-part framework, considering the constructs of performances (Goffman, 1956), stickiness (Zott et al., 2000), and affinity spaces (Gee, 2004). Using a systematic approach, 50 secondary ELA TikTok accounts were identified and the top 20 …

Apprenticing Towards Deeper Learning In The Ela Classroom: Using Young Adult Literature To Support Students’ Mastery, Identity, And Creativity, Julianna Kershen, Kacy M. Price, Nynke Wimp, Evie Jackson, Kaitlin Rogers

Virginia English Journal

This practitioner focused article highlights the perspectives of pre-service teachers and undergraduate researchers investigating the kinds of learning interactions and instructional decisions that result in deeper learning outcomes for high school students. Deeper learning outcomes are often described as 21^st century skills, including mastery learning, support of holistic and scholarly student identities, and the ability to engage collaboratively with critical and creative problem-solving skills. The authors suggest a series of young adult literature texts that can serve as springboards into project-based learning opportunities that provide authentic and real world-connected activities, iterative cycles of learning, peer-peer collaboration, and in-depth disciplinary …

Bank Street School For Children’S Story Of Integrating Structured Phonics Into A Progressive Literacy Approach, Melanie Bryon, Douglas R. Knecht, Emily Linsay, Emily Schottland

Occasional Paper Series

This article explores how the Bank Street School for Children (SFC), a historically progressive institution rooted in child-centered, experiential learning, has successfully integrated structured phonics into its literacy program. Traditionally focused on whole language practices, SFC recognized inconsistencies in student reading outcomes and, beginning in 2017 undertook a multi-year evaluation of its literacy approach. Guided by the core values of child development and equity, and research in cognitive science, the school adopted a research-based phonics program, implementing it across Kindergarten through fourth grade over multiple years. This shift aimed to ensure all students—not just those with strong language backgrounds—gain the …

“It Was Hard, But It Worked:” Children’S Theories Of Learning To Read, Cristina Valencia Mazzanti, Laura Tiktin-Sharick, Madeleine Zuck, Tiphareth Ananda

Occasional Paper Series

In this paper we come together as teachers, a school leader and a professor to examine children’s theories of learning to read captured in written and illustrated texts created by 143 children currently enrolled in kindergarten to sixth grade. This collection of children’s theories of reading was created in the context of a progressive elementary school located at Smith College, a women's liberal arts college in Massachusetts. Our hope in examining children’s theories is to humanize and historicize current debates about how reading is taught. We also hope to offer a counter narrative to the dichotomies currently shaping reading education, …

When Science Of Reading Policy Meets Classroom Reality: The Nonsense Word Problem, Lisa Dewing-Birno, Luis Lopez

Occasional Paper Series

A central feature of many Science of Reading (SoR)-aligned curricula is the use of nonsense words in early literacy assessment to measure a student's ability to decode unfamiliar words using knowledge of letter-sound correspondences. However, the research base for using nonsense words as an instructional tool is much weaker and more contested. Through two narratives, we illustrate how the implementation of SoR instruction with nonsense words can be particularly problematic. We argue that effective literacy instruction demands what we call pedagogical clarity, the ability to integrate pedagogical practices with deep understanding of individual learners, their cultural and linguistic resources, and …

Uplifting The Legacy Of Black Teachers: Loving And Liberatory Pedagogies In A Science Of Reading Context, Natasha A. Thornton, Amanda L. Armstrong, Brooke Blacknall, Jordan Freeman, Elaine Nevers-Williams, Mukkaramah Smith

Occasional Paper Series

This article explores Black liberatory pedagogy (BLP) as a critical approach to navigating current Science of Reading (SoR) mandates, which are often restrictive and fail to honor the literacies and linguistic practices of Black children. Through the narratives of six educators—classroom teachers, teacher candidates, and teacher educators—the article examines how they have experienced and responded to the implementation of SoR standards and curriculum shifts. These stories also illuminate what becomes possible when teachers are in spaces that allow for autonomy, imagination, and culturally responsive pedagogy. The educators’ experiences, expertise, and cultural wisdom are centered, demonstrating how they enact BLP through …

Letter From The Editor's Desk, Cinde Wollenberg

Virginia English Journal

No abstract provided.

Developing A Bilingual Education Program For Middle Schools In Richland School District 01: Promoting Literacy Through Culturally-Relevant Pedagogy, Paige E. Swanson

Caroliniana Undergraduate Research Journal

The following study explores how bilingual and immersive language learning programs can enhance multi-subject literacy and academic engagement among at-risk African American middle school students in Richland County School District One (R01) in Columbia, South Carolina. Through a qualitative thematic analysis utilizing a literature review of fifty sources that explore education, linguistics, and psychology, the research identifies intersections between bilingual education, culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP), and literacy development in at-risk youth populations. Six themes were revealed by the analysis. From these themes, the results conclude that African American students experience greater academic success when classroom instruction integrates their cultural identities, …

Teaching Iep Development To Preservice Teachers Using Real-World Scenarios And Kentucky Resources, Laura S. Clarke, Dusty Columbia Embury

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

When considering all of the content and pedagogy required for preservice teachers to master before they begin teaching students with disabilities, candidates at public, regional university report that one of the most complex components is understanding Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and how to write them. In this article, we will provide a program description of the structure, components, and outcomes of a model preservice personnel preparation program designed to address the pedagogical needs of university teacher education candidates in this rural state university. We will describe the plan and initial results from a small pilot study in which faculty in …

Critical Incident Analysis: A Methodological Approach For Teaching Trauma Informed Practices, Penny B. Howell, Mary S. Thomas, Shantel D. Crosby, Khirsten Scott

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

Drawing on sociocultural theory, a transdisciplinary, multi-racial team of teacher educators, a social work educator, and a scholar of English and rhetoric, designed a study focused on developing teacher candidates’ understanding of trauma-informed practices during their teacher preparation program. Qualitative data from teacher candidates’ reflections on Critical Incident Descriptions (CID) completed during student teaching reveal their developing understanding of trauma-informed practice with Timing, Maintaining Relationships, Holding High Expectations, and Engaging Students so they Remain in the Classroom as prevalent themes across all CIDs. Findings suggest that Critical Incident Analysis promotes teacher candidates’ reflection practices as they make connections …