Department News

2011 Community Service Award Given to RLAC Faculty Member

At the 14th Annual Southside Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony held on December 5th, Marcelle Haddix, Assistant Professor, was presented with a 2011 Community Service Award.  The Syracuse Post Standard article on the award recipients is available at http://blog.syracuse.com/neighbors/2011/12/community_service_awards_presented_after_tree-lighting_ceremony_at_beauchamp_branch_library.html

NCTE Research Foundation Grant

Marcelle Haddix, Assistant Professor, was recently awarded a Research Foundation Grant from the National Council of Teachers of English for her proposal, "Cultivating Racial and Linguistic Teacher Diversity in English Education."

2011 School of Education Research & Creative Grant Award Winner

Kathleen Cullen has been selected as a winner of the SOE Research & Creative Grant Award for 2011. Ms. Cullen is a Reading Education doctoral student.  Her research is focused on "Preservice Content-Area Teachers' Perspectives on Race and Literacy".

2011 All-University Doctoral Prize Awarded to RLAC Alum

Kristen Munger has been awarded an All-University Doctoral Prize by Syracuse University for 2011. This prize is awarded by the Graduate School to recognize superior achievement in completed dissertations. Ms. Munger received a Ph.D. in Reading Education in December. The title of Ms. Munger’s dissertation is: “A Longitudinal Follow-up Study of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) as a Predictor of Third Grade Reading Comprehension.” Her advisor, Professor Benita Blachman, and committee member, James Bellini, Ph.D., nominated her  for this prestigious award.
 

Paper To Be Presented at IRA 56th Annual Convention

Dr. Louise Wilkinson, Distinguished Professor of Education, Psychology and Communication Sciences, will present "Scaffolding Literacy for English Language Learners," at the International Reading Association Annual Convention on May 9th, 2011 in Orlando, FL.

Wilkinson to present at BMEEC

Dr. Louise Wilkinson, Distinguished Professor of Education, Psychology and Communication Sciences, is scheduled to present "STEL: The Syracuse Model of Professional Development for Teachers of English Learners," at the Bilingual Multicultural Education Equity Conference, being held in Anchorage, AK on April 20-22, 2011.

Graduate Student Showcase (RED 746 Perspectives on Literacy and Technology)

Wednesday, April 27th
TIME: 4-7 pm
AUDIENCE: Graduate students, faculty, and staff welcome! 
 
The Spring 2011 RED 746 (Perspectives on Literacy and Technology) students will be presenting their final projects for a virtual showcase and would like to invite you to participate.  Projects will be uploaded to the wiki by Wednesday, April 27th, and students will be available for live chat via Web 2.0 tools between 4-7 pm that evening.  For more information, please visit http://red746showcase.wikispaces.com/ .

Stevens Receives an Outstanding TA Award

Reading Education doctoral student, Elizabeth Years Stevens, will receive an Outstanding TA Award.  This program recognizes Teaching Assistants who have made distinguished contributions to Syracuse University by demonstrating excellence in significant instructional capacities, such as classroom teachers, laboratory or studio instructors, recitation instructors, or assistants to senior faculty members for a major course. Graduate students are nominated for the award by their departments, and the selection is made by a university-wide committee of faculty recognized for their teaching excellence. The Outstanding TA Award is given to approximately the top 4% of all TAs campus wide.

2011 Excellence in Graduate Education Faculty Recognition Award

Professor Kathleen Hinchman has been chosen as a reipient of the Excellence in Graduate Education Faculty Recognition Award, which honors faculty members whose dedication to graduate students and commitment to excellence in graduate teaching and mentoring have made a significant contribution to graduate education at Syracuse University.

RLAC Faculty Member Receives a Meredith Teaching Recognition Award

The Teaching Recognition Award is a program sponsored by the Meredith Professors to benefit non-tenured faculty members. Its specific goals are to recognize excellence in teaching and to encourage a culture of collegial mentoring among faculty members.   Marcelle Haddix, an English Education faculty member, is one of the 2011 recipients.

Paper Presented at NYSRA Annual Conference

Reading Education doctoral student, Elizabeth Years Stevens, and 2 Literacy Education Grades 5-12 master's students, Emily Bernard and Michael Crosby, presented a paper entitled "Research in Action:  Connecting Literacies and Technology with 2.0 Tools" at the annual conference of the New York State Reading Association, held in Saratoga Springs, NY, April 3-5, 2011.  This paper was the result of a collaborative effort among these 3 students, as well as Dana Reid, a Literacy Education alumnus, and Rachel Brown, Ph.D., the director of the Literacy Education master's programs.

2011 LSP SIG Emerging Scholar Award

The Language and Social Processes Special Interest Group of the American Education Research Association has selected Assistant Professor Marcelle Haddix to receive the 2011 Emerging Scholar Award.  The award recognizes her accomplishments and scholarly contributions to the field.  The official award will be presented on April 8, 2011 during the AERA Annual Convention in New Orleans, LA.

Hinchman to present at AERA

Professor Kathleen Hinchman is coauthor of two papers to be presented at AERA in April 2011.  One, entitled "Preservice Literacy Teacher Educators' Perspectives toward Referencing Research in Methods Classes", is with a collaborative of literacy researchers and teacher educators.  The other, "How Secondary Mathematics Teachers Address the Literacy Demands of Standards-based Materials", is with colleagues Kelly Chandler-Olcott, Joanna Masingila, and Helen Doerr.

Wilkinson to present at AACTE

Dr. Louise Wilkinson, Distinguished Professor of Education, Psychology and Communication Sciences, is scheduled to present "English Language Learning as Cross-Curricular Conversation," in a Symposium: Faculty Development for Improving the Education of English Language Learners at the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education Annual Meeting, being held in San Diego, CA on February 22-25, 2011.

Crandall interviewed on National Writing Project Radio

Bryan Ripley Crandall was interviewed on National Writing Project radio about his chapter, "Venglish," which appeared in The Pressures of Teaching; How Teachers Cope with Stress. The hour show featured the editor, Maureen Picard Robbins, and several chapter authors. A podcast is available.

Crandall presents at NCTEAR

Bryan Ripley Crandall will be presenting "Lost Voices in an American High School: Sudanese Male English Language Learners' Perspectives on Writing in and out of School" at the National Council of Teachers of English Assembly in Research (NCTEAR) conference in Madison, Wisconsin, in February 2011.
 

RLA Faculty, Alumni and doctoral students participate in the
NRC/LRA Annual Conference

Several RLA faculty, alumni and doctoral students are participating in the 60th National Reading Conference/Literacy Research Association Annual Meeting in early December.  Included in this group:

Kelly Chandler-Olcott is the discussant for a symposium entitled, "Learning from Graphic Novels: Word and Images Meet."  She is also presenting a paper entitled "Presuming Competence in Inclusive Literacy Pedagogy: Theorizing Connections Between Multiple Literacies and Disability Studies Perspectives," co-authored with Christopher Kliewer and Amy Petersen, and participating with RLA alumna Elizabeth Lewis in an alternative session entitled "New Literacies, New Insights: Explorations from Multiple Perspectives."

Kathleen Hinchman is collaborating with a number of other literacy researchers and teacher educators on presenting a research paper called, “Teacher Educators’ Perspectives on the Pre-service Materials,” as part of a larger symposium called, Enhancing pre-service teachers’ knowledge of early literacy instruction. Hinchman is also the discussant at another LRA symposium called, “Toward supporting all children and youth’s literacy development: Paradigms, policy, and pragmatics.”

Elizabeth Y. Stevens is presenting a paper she co-wrote entitled, "Exploring methods of discourse analysis in literacy research".

Bryan Ripley Crandall is presenting a paper on the "Perspectives of African Male English Language Learners on Writing In and Out of High School English Classrooms".
 

Professor Wilkinson Presents at NCTE

On November 20, Dr. Louise Wilkinson, Distinguished Professor of Education, Psychology and Communication Sciences, gave a presentation entitled "English Language Learning as Cross-Curricular Conversations" at the National Council of Teachers of English Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL.
 

2010 "Writing Our Lives" Youth Writing Conference

The 2010 “Writing Our Lives” youth writing conference happened Saturday, Nov. 13, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Percy Hughes Magnet School in Syracuse.  Over 160 students in grades 6-12 from the greater Syracuse area, including students from the Syracuse City School District, participated in 20 writing workshops facilitated by faculty and graduate students from the School of Education, the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, the department of Composition and Rhetorical Studies, the College of Visual and Performing Arts, and the I-School.  The event featured performances from local spoken word poetry groups, Syracuse University Verbal Blend and the Underground Poets.  The Writing Our Lives program was created by Reading and Language Arts faculty member, Marcelle Haddix, to bring students, parents, teachers, and community leaders together to promote writing.
 

Successful Defense Held

Professor Blachman Presents at Dyslexia Foundation Conference

On October 15, Dr. Benita Blachman, Trustee Professor of Education and Psychology, gave an invited presentation entitled "Beginning to Read: An Update on Research and Practice" at the Dyslexia Foundation 2010 Conference at Harvard Medical School.
 

Faculty Head Up Summer Institutes

RLA assistant professor Marcelle Haddix and SOLER member Delicia Greene (an iSchool doctoral student ) designed and directed a four-week summer program entitled "Writers = Superheroes, MCs, Jedis, and Warriors." The institute enrolled nearly 30 boys in grades 5 through 8 from Levy School who had previously been involved in the Building Men program begun by Syracuse City Schools teacher Joe Horan.  Click here for a video about the project.

RLA professor Kelly Chandler-Olcott served as director and English Education doctoral student Bryan Crandall as assistant director of a three-week writing institute for more than 60 rising ninth graders attending Nottingham High School.  Supported by the School of Education's Early College High School initiative, the institute was also staffed by six teachers from the Nottingham English department.  Click here for a video about the institute and the Nottingham ECHS.
 

NCTE Research Award

The Standing Committee on Research of the National Council of Teachers of English has selected Assistant Professor Marcelle Haddix to receive the 2010 Promising Researcher in English Education Award.  The award recognizes her study "Beyond the Margins: Researching the Hybrid Literate Identities of Black and Latina Preservice Teachers".  The official announcement will be made at the NCTE Annual Convention in Orlando, FL, November 18-23.  There, Professor Haddix will give a talk on her research during the Opening Session of the Day of Research, Saturday, November 20.  For more information, please visit the NCTE website.

Graduate Student Showcase (RED 746 Perspectives on Literacy and Technology)

Wednesday, April 28th
WHERE: Huntington Hall 070B
TIME: 4:30-6 pm
AUDIENCE: Graduate students, faculty, and staff welcome! 
 
Please come and enjoy a showcase of exemplar work by graduate students who have integrated reading and language arts projects and web 2.0 tools. Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to Becky Freeland  by Wednesday, April 21st.
 

Research luncheon held

SOLER (Student Organization of Literacy Educators and Researchers) sponsored a luncheon session on Scholarship in Action on Tuesday, April 13.  Among the featured presentations was a “A Spatial Analysis of Co-teaching to Address Literacy Needs in Seventh Grade Humanities,” a paper co-authored by RLA doctoral students Bryan Ripley Crandall and Kathleen Cullen, in collaboration with RLA faculty members Kelly Chandler-Olcott and Kathleen A. Hinchman, and Teaching & Curriculum doctoral student Carol A. Willard.  Read more about  SOLER.
 

Teaching award given

Associate professor Rachel F. Brown was one of six recipients university-wide of the Graduate
Teaching Recognition Award.   View the full list of past awardees.
 

Presidential address delivered

Professor Kathleen A. Hinchman delivered the Presidential Address at the annual meeting of the Literacy Research Association (formerly National Reading Conference) on December 2, 2009, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  The address was entitled, “Literacy Identities: Who Is Responsible?” Watch the video.
 

Professor Haddix Hosts African-American Community Read-in

Syracuse Beauchamp Branch Library
Saturday, February 27, 2010
10 AM to 1 PM

View a video clip.
 

Professor Kelly Chandler-Olcott on supporting literacy in children with autism 

Voice of Literacy (podcast): From 2009 article in Journal of Literacy Research (with Paula Kluth).

Professor and department chair Kelly Chandler-Olcott participated In an interview for the Voices of Literacy podcast series.  The interview focused on a study she conducted with former SU faculty member Paula Kluth of parents’ roles in supporting the literacy development of their children with autism.  The study appeared in a 2009 issue of Journal of Literacy Research.