VALERIE KINLOCH, PHD
by Courier Newsroom
The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that Valerie Kinloch, PhD, Renee and Richard Goldman Dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Education, has been elected vice president of the National Council of Teachers of English.
The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is the nation’s most comprehensive literacy organization, supporting more than 25,000 teachers across the preK–college spectrum.
Dr. Kinloch will take office as NCTE vice president during the NCTE Annual Convention in Baltimore, in November.
“It is my honor to have been elected as NCTE’s next vice president,” Dr. Kinloch said in a statement provided to the Courier. “Being a member of NCTE for more than 20 years has allowed me to partner with, learn from, and be inspired by dedicated educators from around the world who have an unwavering commitment to language and literacy teaching, learning, practice, and research. The lessons I have learned from our colleagues have significantly impacted my work as an educator, a researcher, and an administrator. They have also strengthened my commitment to standing in solidarity with others and advocating for justice and equity in education. While this work is not easy, English language arts educators know all too well that this work is absolutely necessary. As we move forward—as an organization and a profession—I will seek to do my best to contribute to the mission of NCTE in ways that build on our collective strengths in light of the many challenges we face.”
Dr. Kinloch, who is also a professor at Pitt, serves as an executive member of the American Education Research Association Consortium of University and Research Institutions and co-chair of the Remake Learning Council.
In 2018, Dr. Kinloch was awarded the NCTE Advancement of People of Color Leadership Award. In 2015, she was awarded the NCTE Rewey Belle Inglis Award for Outstanding Women in English Education.
NCTE Executive Director Emily Kirkpatrick said in a statement that “Valerie’s scholarship and leadership have pushed the field of education and literacy for more than two decades. NCTE has proudly stood with her in an early fellowship and later through service as the director of our prestigious CNV Program as well as the Standing Committee on Research. We are thrilled to now have Valerie join the Presidential Team and ultimately become president in November 2021. We are fortunate to have her leadership as we continue to improve and grow the work we do.”
Dr. Kinloch’s scholarship examines the literacies and community engagements of youth and adults inside and outside schools. Author of publications on race, place, literacy, and equity, her books include “Service-Learning in Literacy Education: Possibilities for Teaching and Learning” (2015), “Crossing Boundaries: Teaching and Learning with Urban Youth” (2012), “Urban Literacies: Critical Perspectives on Language, Learning, and Community” (2011), “Harlem On Our Minds: Place, Race, and the Literacies of Urban Youth” (2010), “June Jordan: Her Life and Letters” (2006), and “Still Seeking an Attitude: Critical Reflections on the Work of June Jordan” (2004). In 2012, her book “Harlem On Our Minds” received the Outstanding Book of the Year Award from the American Educational Research Association, and in 2014, her book “Crossing Boundaries: Teaching and Learning with Urban Youth” was a staff pick for professional development by Teaching Tolerance magazine.
In her candidate statement, Dr. Kinloch said, “NCTE has helped me to engage in this work. From my service on NCTE commissions and committees to editing a column for the English Journal to serving as chair of the Standing Committee on Research, I remain committed to NCTE. As a former fellow and former director of NCTE’s Cultivating New Voices Among Scholars of Color (CNV) Program, I am thankful for the role NCTE has played in my professional life and the way NCTE has cultivated lifelong relationships with colleagues I might have never met.”
Dr. Kinloch earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in honors English at Johnson C. Smith University in 1996. At Wayne State University, she earned a Master of Arts degree in English and African American literature in 1998 as well as a PhD degree in English and composition studies with a cognate in urban studies in 2000.
Dr. Kinloch was a New Pittsburgh Courier “Woman of Excellence” honoree in 2018.
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