Distinguished Article Award
2026 Recipient: 鈥�,鈥�听written by听Jen McCreight and Abbey听Galeza听and听published in听the听May 2026 issue of听Language Arts
Dr. Jen McCreight is an assistant professor of early childhood and literacy education at Kent State University and holds a PhD in language and literacy education from the University of Georgia. She currently works with preservice teachers and was previously a kindergarten and first-grade educator for 8 years. Her scholarship includes research around the powerful synergies that occur when students and families are invited to bring their whole linguistic and cultural selves to the classroom.听
Dr. Abbey Galeza is a visiting assistant professor of education at Hiram College and holds a PhD in curriculum and instruction from Kent State University. She is currently a teacher educator, having previously worked at an International Baccalaureate World School as a kindergarten teacher and literacy specialist. She is passionate about aesthetics and autonomy in literacy learning.
The award is presented at the Elementary Get-Together during the
Award Details
Nominations are not accepted for this award.
Purpose:
This award recognizes outstanding Language Arts articles that move forward the Elementary Section Steering Committee‘s mission of the pursuit for justice and equity, brings the sociocultural realities of children鈥檚 everyday lives into language arts instruction, and facilitates conversations of rich and authentic literacies.
Eligibility:
The award shall be given every fall, covering issues published between September and July of the previous volume year. Research/scholarship articles, not department articles, will be eligible for the award.
Award Specifics:
The award is presented at the Elementary Get-Together during the . The winner receives a framed copy of the cover of the issue of Language Arts in which the article is published.
Judging:
In July, the editor(s) of Language Arts shall draw up the annual list of eligible authors and shall be the arbiters of eligibility. The Elementary Section Steering Committee award subcommittee will determine the winner.
91探花 Distinguished Article Award Winners
2025
“Responding to Literature through Arts-Based Pedagogies: Exploring Hope, Empathy, Imagination, and Liberation鈥� Vol. 102, No. 3, January 2025, by Amy Walker, Francisco Torres and Kristine Pytash
2024
“What about the 1%? Transforming Current Literacy Pedagogy for Students with Significant Support Needs鈥� Vol. 101, No. 3, January 2024, by Monica C. Kleekamp
2023
鈥淓ngaging Elementary Students beyond the Text through Multimodal Critical Literacy鈥� Vol. 100, No. 6, July 2023, by Dorian Harrison and Rebecca E. Linares
2022
“History Is a Way of Building Identity: How One Independent Neighborhood Elementary School Uses Black Cultural Movements to Engage Children鈥檚 Sociopolitical Perspectives” Vol. 99, No. 3, January 2022, Wintre Foxworth Johnson, University of Virginia听
2021听
“‘Seeing鈥� Difference Differently: Inquiry-Based Learning as a Site/Sight of Intersectional Justice in English Language Arts” Vol. 98, No. 3, January 2021 by Jon M. Wargo,听Boston College
2020
“Creating a Collage of Story and Memory to Support Identity Work and Connect with Literacy Teaching” Language Arts,听Vol. 97, No. 5, May 2020 by Melody Zoch,听University of North Carolina Greensboro
2019
“A Queer Approach to Addressing Gender and Sexuality through听Literature Discussions with Second Graders,”听Language Arts, Vol. 96, No. 2, November 2018 by听Paul Hartman, Chicago Public Schools
2018听
鈥淭ranslanguaging and Responsive Assessment Adaptations: Emergent Bilingual Readers through the Lens of Possibility鈥� (95.6, July 2018) by Laura Ascenzi-Moreno, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, New York
2017
Stephanie Jones, University of Georgia, Athens and Karen Spector, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, “” May 2017