Language Arts Distinguished Article Award
2026 Recipient: “Family Dialogue Journals in a Linguistically Diverse Elementary Classroom Create a Third Space for Connection and Learning,” written by Jen McCreight and Abbey Galeza and published in the May 2026 issue of 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.
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 NCTE Annual Convention
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’s 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 NCTE Annual Convention. 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.
NCTE Language Arts Distinguished Article Award Winners
2025
“Responding to Literature through Arts-Based Pedagogies: Exploring Hope, Empathy, Imagination, and Liberation” 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” Vol. 101, No. 3, January 2024, by Monica C. Kleekamp
2023
“Engaging Elementary Students beyond the Text through Multimodal Critical Literacy” 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’s Sociopolitical Perspectives” Vol. 99, No. 3, January 2022, Wintre Foxworth Johnson, University of Virginia
2021
“‘Seeing’ 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, Boston College
2020
“Creating a Collage of Story and Memory to Support Identity Work and Connect with Literacy Teaching” Language Arts, Vol. 97, No. 5, May 2020 by Melody Zoch, University of North Carolina Greensboro
2019
“A Queer Approach to Addressing Gender and Sexuality through Literature Discussions with Second Graders,” Language Arts, Vol. 96, No. 2, November 2018 by Paul Hartman, Chicago Public Schools
2018
“Translanguaging and Responsive Assessment Adaptations: Emergent Bilingual Readers through the Lens of Possibility” (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, “Becoming Unstuck: Racism and Misogyny as Traumas Diffused in the Ordinary” May 2017