Dear LRA Family,   We are enthusiastically awaiting the opportunity to gather again in-person for the 72nd Annual Conference in Phoenix from November 29th-Decemember 3rd, 2022. The past leaders of LRA always envisioned the annual meeting as opportunities for face-to-face networking and reconnecting with old friends in an atmosphere that challenges our thinking and creates opportunities for addressing significant issues impacting literacy research theory, practices, and policies. As members, we value the feeling of being more connected and engaged as presenters, discussants, session chairs, and attendees and the time spent socializing with colleagues in a casual and relaxing environment.   We were forced to change the conference format with the advent and duration of the COVID pandemic. We adopted technologies such as Zoom to fit our need to collaborate with others and to participate in professional meetings. The 2020 conference was fully online to provide a safe environment while meeting our mission as an organization.   Many of you wanted and liked the flexible option of meeting online and requested that we move to offer a greater degree of hybridity in future conferences, which led us to provide an on-demand virtual option with the 2021 conference. We considered offering this option again in 2022, however, a survey of those who participated in this option received mixed results about the extent to which it met the needs of the participants and should be offered again. Further, we learned that the increased cost of equipment and technical support needed to host a fully hybrid conference, or any form of hybridity at a level that is up to LRA’s standards, would be financially detrimental to the organization’s budget due to AV costs, and would require a significant increase in conference fees.   Although there will be no official online or hybrid option for the 2022 conference, similarly to last year, those presenters or groups who choose to use Zoom to involve others in their presentation do so with the possibility of limited bandwidth. The Wi-Fi bandwidth will be limited in rooms and in the meeting areas.   Meanwhile, we invite you to make plans to join your LRA colleagues in Phoenix. Remember that the value of an in-person meeting is not only the learning, but the networking and socializing with colleagues in a casual atmosphere. We hope to see you there!   With much anticipation,

Doris Walker-Dalhouse Conference Chair Alfred W. Tatum Associate Conference Chair

STAR (Scholars of color Transitioning into Academic Research institutions) Mentoring Program

In 2008, the Ethnicity, Race, and Multilingualism (ERM) Committee proposed the creation of a pipeline for promising emerging scholars of color who will continue the strong tradition of leadership, research, and service within our organization and who will commit and dedicate themselves to addressing issues of ethnic, linguistic, and racial diversity within our organization and within the literacy field. This resulted in the establishment of the STAR (Scholars of color Transitioning into Academic Research institutions) program–a selective mentoring program for scholars of color who are beginning their careers as literacy researchers. The objectives of the STAR program are to:

• Help instill a strong professional stance within scholars of color,
• Increase their knowledge of our organization’s rich history and traditions,
• Inspire them to continue its legacy of scholarship, leadership, and service, and
• Increase the pool of viable scholars of color who have been mentored by our organization

The STAR program is a two-year cohort model for eight scholars of color in the first two years of a tenure-track literacy appointment. Fellows are then matched with senior scholars of color in our field and organization. As part of the STAR program, fellows and mentors participate in a series of mentoring and research sessions at two annual conferences and in a spring writing retreat. Fellows also present at a STAR Research Showcase session at the conference in their first year of the program and in an alternative session the second year.

Since 2009, the STAR program has mentored cohorts of emerging scholars of color, committed to conducting research on the literacy education and development of students from ethnically, linguistically, and racially diverse backgrounds; who have the capacity to successfully navigate the tenure and promotion process at predominantly White research institutions; and who are active and productive leaders within our organization and in the literacy profession.

 

2022 – 2024 Cohort

 

Dr. Marcus Croom

Mentor: Dr. Patricia Edwards

Marcus Croom is Assistant Professor in Literacy, Culture, and Language Education at Indiana University in Bloomington. As a race critical researcher, his inquiries focus on race and literacies within educator preparation and educator development in American schooling, specifically teaching and learning as practiced with the post-White orientation. He typically generates knowledge through practice of race theory (PRT), case study, and qualitative methods, especially race critical practice analysis. His mission is to cultivate more human fulfillment and mitigate human suffering. Holistically, his work involves using research and experience to help individuals and groups develop racial literacies, which thereby advances the justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts of schools, universities, businesses, organizations, and communities.

 

 

Dr. Tala Karkar Esperat

Mentor: Dr. Pamela Mason

Tala Karkar Esperat is Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at Eastern New Mexico University. Her research agenda as an international literacy scholar focuses on enhancing ability of teachers to cultivate racially literate justice through new literacies, multiliteracies, and pedagogical literacy practices. She studies teacher pedagogical content knowledge of new literacies and traditional literacies in the classroom. Dr. Esperat wishes to contribute to the scholarship surrounding racial inequalities in classroom contexts to empower teachers, schools, organizations, and communities to fully utilize the assets of learners, oppose linguistic deficiencies, and empower racialized students.

 

 

 

Dr. Jin Kyeong Jung

Mentor: Dr. Vaughn Watson

Jin Kyeong Jung is Assistant Professor in Language, Diversity, and Literacy Studies at Texas Tech University. She earned a Ph.D. in Literacy, Culture, and International Education at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education. Her interdisciplinary research agenda lies at the intersection of literacy, language, and technology to promote equity, access, inclusion, and diversity. She is particularly interested in digital literacies, youth civic engagement, education in global contexts, and linguistically and culturally diverse youth including transnational adolescents and racially marginalized students who often wrestle with and may feel excluded from standardized curriculum and instruction. She employs qualitative participatory research methodologies and ethnographic and multimodal approaches.

 

 

 

Dr. Jungmin Kwon

Mentor: Dr. Wan Shun Eva Lam

Jungmin Kwon is Assistant Professor of Language and Literacy in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University. Her research focuses on the areas of language and literacy, immigrant children and families, transnational migration, and teacher preparation for linguistically and culturally diverse students. She is the author of “Understanding the Transnational Lives and Literacies of Immigrant Children” (Teachers College Press, 2022). Her work has appeared in International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, Bilingual Research Journal, Language and Education, Language Arts, and others.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Jason D. Mizell

Mentor: Dr. Aria Razfar

Jason D. Mizell is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at the University of Miami. His research, teaching, and service are filtered through a cross-pollination of Systemic Functional Linguistics and Culturally Sustaining pedagogies in order to apprentice pre-and in-service teachers, minoritized youth, and wider community(ies) to (1) value, nurture, and critically examine racialized community languaging and literacies practices, (2) critically examine and deconstruct dominating languaging and literacies practices, (3) learn to remix languages and literacies critically in order to meet the needs of racialized youth and their accomplices in a multilingual and pluralistic society, and (4) to help subject area teachers make content-specific instruction anti-racist and accessible.

 

 

 

Dr. Rosa Nam

Mentor: Dr. Kyung Sung

Rosa Nam is Assistant Professor of English Education at Colorado State University. Her research centers on critical literacy, contemporary diverse adolescent literature, and AsianCrit in education. Before joining CSU, Dr. Nam worked with pre-service teachers in university and alternative certification programs and was a high school English teacher in Houston, TX. She is currently an assistant editor of The ALAN Review until 2023.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Lakeya Omogun

Mentor: Dr. Patriann Smith

Lakeya Omogun is an Assistant Professor of Language, Literacy, and Culture at The University of Washington. Raised between her Nigerian and Black American cultures, her hybrid identity is reflected in her work that focuses on Black African immigrant youth. Specifically, her research explores the role of language, literacy, including digital literacies, in Black African immigrant youth identity constructions and negotiations across school, community, and digital spaces. She pays particular attention to the intersection of racialization and socialization processes that influence Black African immigrant youth identities. Lakeya draws on her lived experiences, the wisdom of her former middle school students, and the arts to inform her creative approach to shifting static ideas about identity, culture, and language in schools and society at large.

 

 

 

Dr. Crystal Wise

Mentor: Dr. Maneka Brooks

Crystal N. Wise begins a new position as an assistant professor in elementary literacy at the University of Minnesota in the fall. Her scholarship focuses on the early literacy development of African American children and children living and attending schools in low-socioeconomic communities. Her current work focuses on vocabulary instruction and assessment, culturally responsive instructional practices, project-based learning, and African Americans’ use of literacy as resistance and liberation. She is also a former kindergarten and second grade teacher.

The Impact of Gunther Kress on Social Semiotics and Education: An AERA Semiotics SIG Panel
followed by a Graduate Student Networking Event
is 3 weeks away!

Have you registered yet? If not, see below!

 

Open to all! Join the Semiotics in Education SIG on Tuesday, June 28, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Eastern Time for an exciting panel featuring the work and legacy of Gunther Kress.

 

Panelists Jeff Bezemer, Carey Jewitt, Jennifer Rowsell, and Theo van Leeuwen will consider the influence and impact of the work of Gunther Kress in social semiotics and education. Sponsored by the AERA Social Semiotics in Education SIG, the panel is in honor of the newly created Gunther Kress Scholarly Impact Award. The Panel will be followed by an informational event for Graduate Students. All are welcome.

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://buffalo.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMqdu-vrT8qEtyJaGtKKLslcswDL1ZRhPnz

 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

 

If you have any questions about the event, contact:

Mary McVee (mcvee@buffalo.edu), AERA SIG Chair of Social Semiotics in Education: Signs, Meanings, and Multimodality

PURPOSE OF AWARD
The purpose of the Edward B. Fry Book Award is to recognize LRA members who author a book on literacy research and practice. The award was established by Edward B. Fry who contributed a fund to support it. The first award was presented in 1995. An award seal was designed and used for the first time in 2000.

 

CRITERIA FOR CONSIDERATION
Eligibility for the award is limited to current members of LRA who have written or been one of several authors of a book. The book must have a copyright date within 5 years of the date when the award is made. The book that receives the award will:
• Advance knowledge about literacy
• Display inquiry into literacy
• Show responsible intellectual risk-taking

 

PROCEDURES FOR NOMINATION
Letters of nomination and a copy of the nominated book must be sent to the Committee Chair by or before June 20, 2022.

Nomination letters must directly address the ways in which the nominated book meets the criteria outlined above. Letters cannot simply reiterate the endorsements or summaries designed to promote the text. Self-nominations are accepted. A book may be re-nominated if it has been previously nominated but did not win the award. Please submit nomination letters to Grace Enriquez (genrique@lesley.edu) by June 20, 2022.

 

PRESENTATION OF AWARD
The Edward B. Fry Book Award is presented at the annual conference. The author receives a plaque and a monetary award. The monetary award will be in the amount of 5% of the principal in the Fund. If there is more than one author, the amount will be distributed equally among co-authors.

For more information, go to https://www.literacyresearchassociation.org/edward-b-fry- book-award.

 

Literacy Research: Theory, Method, and Practice
CALL FOR EDITORS

 

Letter of Intent Due: July 1, 2022
Application Due: August 15, 2022

 

The Literacy Research: Theory, Method, and Practice (LR:TMP), a publication of the Literacy Research Association (LRA), is seeking applications for a new editorial team to begin their official term of service in the fall 2023 starting with Volume 73.

LR:TMP is a largely peer-reviewed annual journal that publishes contemporary research and aims to promote discussion and constructive critique about key areas of literacy research, policy, and practice. Manuscripts published in the journal highlight research presented at the Annual Meeting of the Literacy Research Association and inform literacy theory, methods, and practices in the field.

1. Editors serve a four-year term with no more than two terms served consecutively. Current editorial teams (or portions of teams) who are interested in a second four-year term must reapply through the regular process.
2. Editors submit mid-year and annual reports to the Publications Committee, LRA Board, and Executive Committee in April and November from each year.
3. Limited funds are available to support the work of the editorial team. Funding is contingent upon LRA Board approval following a review of annual reports.
4. The new editorial team works with the outgoing LR:TMP editorial team and the LRA Publications Committee to facilitate a smooth transition period.

Application Procedures
Interested editorial teams should submit a letter of intent by July 1, 2022 to LRA Publications Chair, Kristen Perry, Kristen.Perry@uky.edu. Complete applications are due to the LRA Publications Chair, Kristen Perry, Kristen.Perry@uky.edu no later than August 15, 2022. Editorial teams are required to e-mail the following documents (Maximum 10 single-spaced pages for items 2-7) as a single PDF or MS-Word file (Label file as Lastname, Firstname, LR:TMP Editor Application). Teams are encouraged to develop an editorial team diverse in a number of respects (e.g., theoretically, methodologically, professorial rank, racial background), while bearing in mind the logistical challenges of including a large number of people and institutions.

1. Letter of Intent: Include a brief letter of intent to serve as LR:TMP editors. Include full name, title affiliation, and contact information for each member of the editorial team.
2. Vision and Goals for LR:TMP: Include a description of the editorial team’s vision and goals for the journal, including an assessment of the journal’s strengths and areas for improvement. Please consider including strategies for potentially engaging LRA membership in conversations including and beyond publication of the LR:TMP volume (e.g., a once-a-semester podcast or webinar with LR:TMP authors).
3. Prior Editorial Experience: Include a description of prior editing experience for each member of the editorial team.
4. Collaboration and Teamwork: Include a description of the editorial team’s approach to teamwork and collaboration relative to editorial work.
5. Institutional Support: Include a description of whether and how the institution for each member of the editorial team will support the work of the editorship (e.g., course release, financial support, reduction of committee work, graduate assistantship, office space, technology support, support for travel to the conference).
6. Review Processes and Procedures: Include a description of the editorial team’s proposed manuscript review processes and procedures, including their strategies for developing a substantial and diverse pool of reviewers.
7. Proposed Budget: Attach a detailed budget of up to ________ with a justification for anticipated costs associated with editing the journal to be covered by LRA.
8. Curriculum Vitae: Attach for each member of the editorial team.
9. Letters of Support: Attach letters of support from each lead editorial team member’s institution indicating the level of support offered should the team be chosen (a single letter is sufficient if all applicants are from the same institution). Letters are recommended but not required for supporting/assistant editors.

Applicants will be notified of the decision regarding the new editorial team no later than the conclusion of the December, 2022 meeting of the LRA Board.

 

For questions regarding the Call for LR:TMP Editors, contact Kristen Perry, Chair of the Publications Committee Kristen.Perry@uky.edu.