The literacy conference draws classroom teachers, literacy specialists, university faculty, and school librarians from across the state for sessions focused on research and ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ in K-12 literacy.

O’Hearn worked closely with her research mentor, associate professor Lisa Buchanan, throughout the design and implementation of the research study.

“It was fantastic to see Emily, a Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education elementary teacher candidate, engage educators from across the state in an in-depth conversation of her research process and findings, then explore the possibilities of ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ math concepts through picture books,” said Buchanan. “We are so proud to see this level of leadership in the profession from a third-year education major.”

O’Hearn was also the recipient of a generous Grants in Aid Reward from Elon’s Office of Undergraduate Research while conducting this research. The award funded the purchase of research materials.

Buchanan and Steinki first met during Steinki’s ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ coursework as an elementary education major at Elon in the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education. When Steinki moved into her first ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ position in a local school after graduation, they began to collaborate on school-university partnerships between Buchanan’s elementary courses and Steinki’s elementary classroom. In Fall 2025, their partnership was focused on a book study of the historical fiction novel, “A Sky Full of Song.” Teacher candidates in Buchanan’s social studies methods course collaborated with Steinki to develop an 8-week book study with Steinki’s fourth graders. At the NCRA Annual Conference on March 16, their session focused on the possibilities of school-university partnership and the book study model used in their fall collaboration.

The featured collaboration was also part of Steinki’s capstone project for the DJWWSOE Masters of Education program. Steinki, a 2024 graduate of the DJWWSOE and elementary education major, will graduate in May from the Master of Education program. She is a 4th grade teacher at R. Homer Andrews Elementary in Alamance Burlington Schools.

Steinki is one of six Master of Education candidates graduating in May who received Elon’s Teach for Alamance Scholarship after graduating in May 2024. Teach for Alamance Scholarship recipients are graduating seniors from ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ who have secured a ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ position in the Alamance-Burlington School System (ABSS) and commit to ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ in ABSS for two years while completing their M.Ed in the DJWWSOE. To learn more about the Teach for Alamance Scholarship, visit /u/academics/education/teach-for-alamance/.

Their article centers the picture book “Milo Imagines the World” as an interactive read aloud for young readers and guides classroom teachers through a series of instructional strategies that compliment the book; they also provide a curated text set for teachers who are interested in ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ through a thematic text with “Milo” as an anchor text.

Buchanan and Cotton began working together in Cotton’s first year during Buchanan’s Children’s Literature course and continued to collaborate across Cotton’s next three years at Elon through ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ research, Spring Undergraduate Research Forum a research presentation for the American Educational Research Association (April 2024) which highlighted Ellie’s ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ research, and their recent article in “Social Education.”

Cotton is now a third-grade teacher in Wake County Public Schools.

“Ellie was all in for her ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ research experience at Elon,” said Buchanan. “From her early ideas about her research focus to our co-authorship on this published article, she brought constant energy and original ideas. I watched her grow as a scholar across those four fast years and coauthoring this article born out of a common interest was an honor. To me, this type of collaboration is what ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ research and the teacher-scholar-mentor model at Elon is all about.”

Boyd worked closely with Lisa Buchanan, associate professor of education in the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education, and three faculty at UNC Wilmington, Cara Ward, Donyell Roseboro and Denise Ousley-Exum, to design and launch a research study with ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ teacher candidates focused on the Wilmington 10 and the closing of Williston High School. Boyd was instrumental to the study’s design and launch, providing support with developing the data collection instruments and securing primary sources and supplementary materials for the inquiry teacher candidates.

“Our team was honored to invite Mary to join in this ongoing work of interdisciplinary ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ through our most recent collaboration on Brown v. Board of Education,” said Buchanan. “Mary provided valuable feedback on our instrument design and pilot, and brought important insight as an ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ researcher. The best part of this collaboration was observing her present with confidence and expertise at the state conference.”

When asked about the connection between her ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ research work and her future career as a high school English teacher, Boyd noted, “My research has helped me consider how I can integrate content across disciplines, by bringing historical context into an English classroom for a more truthful and culturally relevant curriculum.”

Boyd is regarded as a teacher candidate who understands the praxis of interdisciplinary ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ, and is eager to collaborate with others, including ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ faculty and university librarians, to develop as a teacher scholar.

“During my ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ research, it has been so valuable to challenge myself with an area in which I had limited incoming knowledge, to ensure that I continue growing as a scholar and a future educator,” said Boyd. “I have benefited from the guidance and encouragement of my mentor, Dr. Buchanan, and the help of the amazing Belk librarians like Patrick Rudd. Going forward, I am excited to continue challenging my understanding of history and the way it is integrated into classrooms, in order to best prepare students for understanding the complexity and multifaceted truths of history.”

The first session, “Beyond Brown v. Board: Exploring the Wilmington 10 through Primary Sources,” was focused on supporting educators in designing and implementing a study of the counter-stories of Brown v. Board, such as the Wilmington 10 and Williston High School with students in grades 5-12. This work is part of a larger collaboration with three Watson College of Education faculty at UNC Wilmington: Cara Ward, Donyell Roseboro, and Denise Ousley-Exum, and Elon ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ researcher Mary Boyd ’26. Boyd is a secondary education in English (9-12) major and Elon Teaching Fellow in the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education. She has focused on historical documents surrounding the Wilmington 10 and the closing of Wilmington’s Williston High School in her ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ research at Elon.

The second conference session, “They Called Us Enemy: An Interdisciplinary Study of Japanese American Incarceration during WWII,” led audience members through how to use George Takei’s graphic memoir, “They Called Us Enemy,” along with archived primary source documents and questioning strategies, to examine Japanese American Incarceration in the United States during World War II.

These two presentations are the most recent scholarship by Ward, Roseboro, Buchanan and Ousley-Exum, whose scholarship collaboration is largely focused on interdisciplinary inquiry for grades 5-12. The team of four teacher educators have engaged a multi-year series of scholarship focused on the Wilmington 1898 Race Massacre, interdisciplinary place-based education, counter-stories of school desegregation and WWII Japanese American incarceration.

Ragals’ research is focused on the representation of children with autism in children’s literature. In her study, a content analysis, Ragals examined 21 children’s picture books, looking for themes in how children with autism and autism as an exceptionality are presented. Her research project is mentored by Lisa Buchanan, associate professor in the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education.

“Lily created a research study with real K-12 classroom impact, and that is exactly what we are aiming for in ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ research in teacher education,” said Buchanan. “She brought together her interests in children’s literature, experiences with children with autism, and classroom ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈ in her research.â€�

Ragals’ presentation, attended by classroom teachers, school librarians and K-12 curriculum leaders, included an overview of her research study design and findings as well as a thematic text set created based on her research findings that featured a diverse range of depictions of children with autism. Ragals walked conference attendees through the text set and modeled opportunities for classroom use.

“Inquiry is a hallmark experience of the Elon Teaching Fellows program, providing students with opportunities to investigate meaningful questions related to their education interests under the guidance of a faculty mentor,” said Eric Hone, director of the Elon Teaching Fellows. “Through this process, Fellows develop essential research, critical thinking and reflection skills that will support them throughout their careers. Lily’s research exemplifies this commitment to inquiry. Presenting her findings at a professional conference offered her a unique opportunity to share her work with experienced educators and engage in broader conversations about inclusive literacy practices.â€�

Ragals was awarded a $500 grant from Elon’s Office of Undergraduate Research, used to purchase copies of the books analyzed in her research.