She also serves as the associate chair for the Department of Instruction and Learning. A former kindergarten and primary grades teacher, Dr. Crawford now works with aspiring and practicing teachers at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Her research situates literacy learning as a social practice and focuses on the ways in which social, emotional, and cultural issues intersect with early literacy, children’s literature, and teacher education. Her work has appeared in a variety of journals including the Journal of Research in Childhood Education, Early Childhood Education Journal, Childhood Education, Young Children, Language Arts, Reading Horizons, and the Journal of Reading Education. She currently serves as the co-chair of the Publications Committee of the Association for Childhood Education International.